Tim Williams Steps Down as Artistic Director of Psappha

The percussionist founded the Manchester-based ensemble in 1991 and will lead for the last time in this year's 30th-anniversary season

Williams will continue to perform with the ensemble and is succeeded in the artistic director role by pianist Benjamin Powell, who joined Psappha in 2014.

Other members of Psappha include violinist Benedict Holland, cellist Jennifer Langridge, flutist Conrad Marshall, and clarinetist Dov Goldberg.

Psappha is a stand-alone professional contemporary classical music ensemble based in Manchester, England, specializing in music written by living composers.

The ensemble has so far commissioned and premiered music by over 500 composers and performed across the UK and abroad. Psappha’s collaborators include the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Proms, Princeton University, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the Jerusalem Festival.

They recently announced an educational initiative for young musicians created with the New York Philharmonic — plus a collaboration with NMC Recordings involving the release of a 30th-anniversary recording. 

“The past 30 years have flown by, and there have been so many highlights that it would take a book to list them,” said Williams. “I feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, but this anniversary feels like the right time for me to step down.

“Benjamin Powell is everything I would wish for in a successor,” he added. “He’s an amazing musician who shares my enthusiasm and commitment to new music, and I wish him every success.”

“Tim has worked tirelessly to create and sustain Psappha and has had the courage and foresight to allow the group to adapt to the ever-changing cultural climate,” said Powell. “The concerts I have performed with Psappha have been the highlights of my musical life, and I am enormously excited about the creative possibilities that lie ahead.”