Sinfonia Cymru has appointed Caroline Tress as its next Chief Executive. She will take over from Peter Bellingham, who steps down from the role at the end of September.

Caroline is currently General Manager of Music Theatre Wales. Her career started as an Associate at Price Waterhouse Coopers, but she moved into the arts after eighteen months, initially within the casting team at Welsh National Opera. Following this she joined the finance department of English Touring Opera before moving to Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership as General Manager. Immediately prior to joining Music Theatre Wales she was General Manager of the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, an annual contemporary music festival in south Wales.

On making the appointment Catrin Slater, Chair of the Board said:

“Caroline is passionate about the work of Sinfonia Cymru and its unique vision both for young professional musicians and for audiences and communities across Wales. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles and joins an outstanding team at an exciting time. We are delighted that she will be leading the organisation in its next chapter.”

Caroline Tress said:

“I’m really excited to be joining the Sinfonia Cymru team this Autumn. Every Sinfonia Cymru concert I’ve been to has had me clapping until my hands hurt; the quality of the music-making, the evident joy of the musicians performing, and the reciprocal warmth from the audience are always incredibly powerful. I’m looking forward to building on the organisation’s ethos of inclusivity and creativity, and to making lasting musical memories for players, audiences and communities all over Wales, and beyond.”