Oliver Manning

Cynefin – Music from Wales and Dreams

On Saturday October 24, 2026, Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to welcome Welsh guitar soloist Oliver Manning, performing a programme spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring the guitar’s rich expressive range through works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Stephen Dodgson, Alan Rawsthorne and Leo Brouwer.

Alongside established masterpieces of the repertoire, including Benjamin Britten’s monumental Nocturnal after John Dowland, the programme features new music inspired by the Welsh Mabinogion tales, bridging the worlds of ancient legends and modern musical expression.

Doors open at 7:15pm. A dessert reception with the artist will follow the concert.

About the Artist

Welsh classical guitarist Oliver Manning graduated in 2025 from the Royal College of Music London, with a master’s degree in classical guitar under Gary Ryan & Chris Stell. In 2023, Oliver was selected by John Williams to become a Julian Bream Trust Scholar, supporting his postgraduate studies in London in addition to support from the BBC. Oliver launched his career with an international solo debut in Italy for the William Walton Foundation, alongside recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Dora Stoutzker Hall, Budleigh Music Festival, Bath Guitar Festival, and Granada, Spain. He gave his concerto debut with Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Cardiff Chamber Orchestra.

In 2023, Oliver graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with First-Class Honours studying under Helen Sanderson & John Mills. During his studies, Oliver won a selection of awards and competitions including the John Mills solo guitar competition, the Orpheus voice and guitar competition, and the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales award for music.

In 2022, Oliver gave his international concert debut with a tour of Spain, performing the world premiere of ‘Farewell and Adieu’, the duo guitar concerto composed by Gerald Garcia. Since then, Oliver has continued with his mission to share new works for the guitar by commissioning four new pieces for guitar inspired by the Welsh Mabinogi tales. In addition to performing, Oliver is a keen composer and arranger. In 2022 his original work “The Gondolier’s Dream” was published in the London College of Music Classical Guitar Grade 1 book.

For more information about the Culture22 series at Sivarulrasa Gallery, visit sivarulrasa.com.