Sounds of Blossom returns to Kew Gardens this spring, from Saturday 14 March to Monday 6 April 2026. A collaboration between Kew Gardens and the Royal College of Music will see the colourful flowering trees in Kew’s blossom hotspots enhanced by evocative soundscapes from composers from the Royal College of Music.
Spring at Kew Gardens is a spectacular season as trees begin to flower. Visitors can see clouds of cherry blossom alongside naturalised tulips in the Cherry Walk and Asano Avenue, whilst the Japanese Landscape features a great white cherry (Prunus ‘Taihaku’), a species that was thought to be extinct until the 1920s when an English plant collector, Collingwood Ingram, matched a tree growing in Sussex to a Japanese painting of a white cherry. Princess Walk will also be transformed by the annual spectacle of magnolias in bloom alongside the soundscapes.
This year’s composers are :
- Muhamad-William Cannon: an Indonesian-born composer whose works have been performed by the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra, including performances at Manchester’s Stoller Hall
- Jamie Smith: His work has been performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of the BBC Proms 2024
- Xiaoxuan Gao: a Chinese composer whose music draws inspiration from the human mind, emotional experience, and inner soundscapes
- Josh Clark: Awarded the Royal College of Music’s Clifton Parker Award, he writes music for film and concert contexts, blending acoustic instruments with electroacoustic elements
- Huixin Zhang: a Chinese composer exploring the integration of electronics with Baroque instruments. Twice composing and performing for the Royal College of Music Consort 21 project
- Felix Sladen-Jewell: explores new ways of creating music, often using unexpected elements and unconventional scores. His work has been performed by several leading musicians
- Alexander Lea: Working across instrumental and electronic media, he blurs boundaries, reimagining arts of the past within contemporary digital contexts
There are also live weekend recitals featuring the Roselle String Quartet, the Ormonde Wind Quintet, the Cordelia String Quartet, Versa Winds and Levanto Wind Trio.
Full details from Kew Gardens website.
