Edgar Francis

Edgar Francis is a Welsh violist with a passion for exploring different musical genres. As the first prize winner of the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition 2021, his debut album will be released on Champs Hill Records.

He has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Royal Festival Hall, and regularly plays with ensembles such as the Sinfonia of London and the Kaleidoscope Collective. He has appeared at festivals including IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Yellowbarn, Mendelssohn on Mull, the North Norfolk Music Festival, Southwell Music Festival, and Lewes Chamber Music Festival, sharing the stage with the Doric String Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Gilbert Kalish, and the Sitovetsky Trio. As a soloist, he has worked with orchestras under the baton of some of the world's leading conductors such as John Wilson, Edward Gardener, François-Xavier Roth, and Jac Van Steen, including multiple appearances at the BBC Proms.

Edgar Francis studied with Matthew Souter at Wells Cathedral School and with Helene Clement at the Royal Academy of Music. During his studies, he won the Wilfrid Parry Prize, a Regency Award, the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Prize, and the Olwen Doreen Leyshon Prize. Additionally, he is the recipient of the Hattori Foundation Senior Award 2023.