Julia Plaut - Suite for Harp, Wind and Percussion

Having explored composition since her teenage years, and with a wealth of professional experience behind her, we are thrilled to have our master's student, Julia Plaut, taking part in our Atmospheres festival for new music!

As part of the original festival (before the strangeness of our current situation), Julia was set to premiere her clever one-act opera, The Y Knot, which was formed with guidance from Michael McCarthy, Music Theatre Wales. Julia’s concept for the opera is something we find truly fascinating! Set inside a dictionary, The Y Knot explores Julia’s versatility as an artist, displaying her compositional strength as well as her skills as a librettist. Describing the opera’s clever wordplay, Julia says, “there’s a dual with words, there’s humour, it’s rather like a whimsical fable for adults, but touching on themes like how we deal with seismic shifts in our circumstances, mental health and our propensity to believe fake news.” We are excited for the day (hopefully soon) when we will finally be able to witness a full production of Julia’s work!


The new radio format of the Atmospheres festival has encouraged the ever-creative minds of our students to respond to the current situation and reimagine their performances. In response to this, Julia will present her Suite for Wind, Harp and Percussion. Inspired by the bright and vibrant woodwinds of Poulenc and Stravinsky, Julia’s Suite takes the listener on a journey through an energetic allegro, through a bleak, slow movement described by Julia as a “long ascent in a wintery landscape with a visit to an icicle cave,” before ending with virtuosity and assertion.



We are certain Julia’s Suite will sweeten your day! Don’t miss it! Tune into Atmospheres Radio on Saturday May 2, 5pm! Click here to listen!