November 21

Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra showcase a bright young talent at their next concert.

They are committed to offering opportunities to young soloists at the start of their careers, and that commitment is highlighted in their forthcoming concert on November 21.

Back in 2022 BHSO were delighted to offer the then 13-year-old cellist Aglaia Carvalho-Dubost, the opportunity to play her first concerto.

BHSO musical director Michael Stefan Wood said: “Her performance of the Saint Saens concerto, coincidentally on her 13th birthday, was outstanding and showed without a doubt that this young lady will be making a name for herself over the next few years.”

“I was, therefore, delighted when she approached me in the August of 2025 with a proposal that she and a violinist friend and fellow member of the Royal College of Music Junior Department and National Youth Orchestra had fallen in love with the Brahms Double Concerto and would like to perform it with us. An absolute pleasure on two counts, firstly because it is such a wonderful work and secondly because we would be sharing the project with her and Tristan.”

“Exploring the details of this virtuosic work in rehearsal with the two of them has been great and the outcome is the performance you will hear on that evening.”

Tristan McCardel, from Norwich, studies violin with Joo Yeon Sir. He is an alumnus of both the Purcell School and Royal College of Music Junior Department where he also studied tuba, voice and composition. He is currently spending a gap year as a tenor choral scholar at Norwich Cathedral before starting undergraduate studies at conservatoire.

Aglaïa Carvalho-Dubost has been studying at the RCMJD for four years where she has been studying cello with Pal Banda and Robin Thompson-Clarke and piano with Daniel Hill as well as jazz piano with Sara Dhillon.

Michael added: “Sharing the programme is the Brahms Academic Festival overture with its optimistic sparkle and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony.

“The Fourth Symphony is a journey through a constantly changing landscape of different emotions. The ominous Fate fanfare leads into a vigorous waltz. The comedic second theme of the opening movement is followed by a heart-wrenchingly melancholic oboe theme.

“Then the contrastingly sunny and capricious third movement allows us to think that all is right at last until the boisterous energy of the last movement with its Russian folk song second theme is overshadowed by the opening fanfare – reminding us that ultimately Fate will have the last word!”

Tickets are available from Burgess Hill Help Point, on the web at https://bhso.org.uk/box-office or on the door.