Chester Philharmonic Orchestra is set to stage its first concert of the year, with a member of the UK’s best-known family of classical musicians as its special guest soloist.
Featuring music by Elgar, Beethoven and Weber, the orchestra will stage the concert at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 28 February 2026 at 7.30pm and will be joined by acclaimed cellist Mariatu Kanneh-Mason and renowned conductor Robert Guy.
“We are delighted to welcome Mariatu Kanneh-Mason as our soloist,” said orchestra chair Diana Anderson.
“One of the most compelling cellists of her generation, Mariatu is celebrated for her rich tone, sensitivity and expressive storytelling.
“She has performed on stages across the UK and internationally, and her interpretations are praised for their warmth, insight and emotional clarity — qualities perfectly suited to Elgar’s deeply moving and iconic masterpiece.”
Ms Anderson added: “We are also looking forward to working with acclaimed conductor Robert Guy who brings a wealth of experience as an internationally renowned conductor.”
Full details of Chester Philharmonic Orchestra’s first concert of 2026 at Chester Cathedral can be found at www.chesterphilorchestra.co.uk where tickets can also be booked.
Elgar
The concert will feature one of the most celebrated and moving works in the cello repertoire, Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto.
Written in 1919, in the aftermath of the First World War, the concerto, often regarded as Elgar’s musical farewell, is described as being filled with longing, dignity and introspection rather than celebration.
It didn’t achieve widespread popularity until the 1960s, when a key recording made by EMI in 1965 with Jacqueline du Pré as soloist and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli caught the public imagination and it became a classical best-seller.
Weber
The concert will also include the overture to the opera Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber.
It received its premiere in 1821 at the Royal Playhouse in Berlin.
Beethoven
Beethoven’s Symphony No 3, Eroica, is also on the programme.
Composed between 1803 and 1804, Eroica broke boundaries in symphonic form, length, harmony, emotional and cultural content.
It is widely considered a landmark in the transition between the classical and the Romantic eras.
Mariatu Kanneh-Mason, guest soloist
Guest soloist, Mariatu Kanneh-Mason is 16 years old and attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham.
She studies cello and piano at the Junior Royal Academy of Music.
At age 10, she gained Grade 8 distinction on cello and has a piano diploma distinction.
She has performed with her family in a series of concerts around the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Canada and in Antigua and Barbuda.
With the Kanneh-Masons, she performed at The Royal Albert Hall for the 2021 BBC Proms, and with her siblings for the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in March 2017.
Other highlights include performances at St Johns Smith Square, Cheltenham Literary Festival, The Barbican, Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall, and Birmingham Symphony Hall.
She mostly recently performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the North Downs Sinfonia and Orpington Symphony Orchestra in 2025.
In addition to her numerous performances on the concert platform, Kanneh-Mason has appeared on several tv and radio programmes.
Robert Guy, guest conductor
The orchestra’s guest conductor Robert Guy hails from Wrexham.
Born with severe hearing loss, Guy didn’t hear birdsong until after a life-changing operation as a child.
Now an internationally-recognised conductor, he transforms that early silence into powerful, electrifying performances.
From his early days as a professional freelance viola player – working with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera North and the Allegri String Quartet – to standing on the podium with world-class ensembles, he has built a career defined by bold leadership, relentless energy, and a belief that music can transform lives.
He has conducted concert broadcasts for Classic FM and the BBC, and has led orchestras and choirs from London’s West End to Hong Kong, Austria and Kazakhstan.
Guy has worked with orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Kosovo Philharmonic, and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong.
He is principal conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, co-founder of NEW Sinfonia in North Wales and a keen advocate for new music.
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