Sarah Llewelyn

”Kakenya’s Dream” - song written for Kakenya Ntaiya
-- read lyrics

commissioned in partnership with United Nations Decade of Women and University of Wolverhampton

Sarah Llewellyn works in theatre, film, circus, radio and the concert stage throughout the UK and internationally. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and is skilled in composition, orchestration, arrangement and sound design.

Sarah has just completed a Composer in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company on the Cameron Mackintosh Scheme. She has composed for the theatre productions: THE EARTHWORKS, MYTH, TALES FROM OVID, a chamber concert work TRANSFORMATIONS, and music for RSC film A STITCH IN TIME. 

Current commissions include: ZARA, an epic outdoor production, produced by MIND THE GAP in association with WALK THE PLANK.  A LINE IN THE SAND a new musical with long term collaborator Gaynor Winstanley, MAYFLOWER THEATRE Southampton 2020.

Sarah is currently writing a new musical THE WIND SINGER in collaboration with Teresa Howard an adaptation of the novel by William Nicholson. To date this has received a 25 min showcase at BEAM 2018 Theatre Royal Stratford East and had a week of development at the RSC. She is also developing her chamber concert piece TRANSFORMATIONS for symphony orchestra.

Other recent commissions include writing and recording the the music for a two part radio drama THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL for BBC RADIO 4, theatre production A TALE OF TWO CITIES, (Chung Ying theatre, Hong Kong and Edinburgh fringe festival), A musical soundscape to accompany a photographic exhibition, THE ROAD AHEAD, THE ROAD BEHIND, a project inspired by The Suffragette movement, Chipping Norton Theatre. 

Film score composition includes:  A SHORT EPIC ABOUT LOVE (Told in Pictures), OSCAR AND JIM (Anchovy Pictures), CONTEMPT OF CONSCIENCE TIME (Clarity Productions), REACH ANOTHER FOUNDATION charity.

Sarah worked for 5 years as composer and musical director for GIFFORDS CIRCUS: WAR AND PEACE THE MUSICAL, THE SATURDAY BOOK , YASMINE A MUSICAL  and CARAVAN. 

Other work includes FAIRBANKS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE ALASKA: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA and HENRY V), for RED SHIFT THEATRE productions: THE FALL OF MAN and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING) and BRITANNICUS (Wiltons Music Hall). 

Sarah set up her London based creative music company TONAL (www.tonal.org.uk) in 2004 and regularly writes for and collaborates with the Tonal Ensemble. To mark 10 years of the company she released her own album ‘10’ in collaboration with French singer/songwriter, Claire Barbier.

‘Kakenya’s Dream’ was composed by Sarah Llewellyn with lyrics by Gaynor Winstanley.