About

Energetic, dynamic, and genre-blurring musical experiences: that's what we do.

With our friends and collaborators, we forge creative connections that bring people together through music.

Fantasia Orchestra has a reputation for pioneering cross-genre programming and collaborations with musical stars. Founded by conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, the orchestra is home to some of the best of young British classical music talent today.

In the 2025-26 season, Fantasia performs a wide range of music from Alma Mahler and Shostakovich to Joni Mitchell and Benny Goodman, and is joined by Lucy Crowe (soprano), Jess Gillam (saxophone), Jasdeep Singh Degun (sitar), Steven Osborne (piano), Aaron Akugbo (trumpet), and Niamh O'Sullivan (mezzo-soprano).

The orchestra made its BBC Proms debut in 2024, performing two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall with broadcasts on BBC television and radio. Repertoire ranged from Bartók, Brahms and Dvořák to Laura Mvula, Piazzolla and Chic, and long-time friends and collaborators Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Braimah Kanneh-Mason (violin) and Plínio Fernandes (guitar) shared the stage as soloists.

Other recent projects have featured Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Ben Goldscheider (horn), Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano), Jennifer Pike (violin), and Toby Spence (tenor), at festivals including Ryedale Festival, Newbury Spring Festival, Deal Music and Arts Festival, and Proms at St Jude's.

Broadening the reach and accessibility of music is central to Fantasia's mission, and the orchestra enjoys a partnership with the music education charity DaCapo Music Foundation. As DaCapo’s orchestra-in-residence, Fantasia works closely with students from across London and beyond on a range of initiatives, including a new resource for the primary classroom, DaCapo Online.

Read about Fantasia’s 25/26 season here.

Collaborators

Saxophone

Jess Gillam

Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, Jess has been forging her own adventurous path since she shot to fame becoming the first saxophonist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician and the youngest ever soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms.

As well as performing around the world, Jess is a presenter on TV and Radio and was the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3.

Conductor

Tom Fetherstonhaugh

Tom Fetherstonhaugh is Artistic Director of Fantasia Orchestra, which he founded in 2016.

Alongside Fantasia, in the 25/26 season Tom returns to the BBC Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and Ulster Orchestra.

Piano

Steven Osborne

Steven Osborne OBE is one of Britain’s most treasured musicians with an immense depth of musicality and exceptional refinement of expression across diverse repertoire be it in Beethoven or Messiaen, Schubert or Ravel, Prokofiev or jazz improvisations. His numerous awards include The Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year, two BBC Music Magazine Awards and two Gramophone Awards.

Soprano

Lucy Crowe

Widely regarded as one of the most versatile and respected singers of her generation, Lucy Crowe was awarded an OBE in the 2023 King's birthday honours. With repertoire ranging from Purcell, Handel and Mozart to Donizetti’s Adina and Verdi’s Gilda, she has sung with opera companies and orchestras all over the world.

Trumpet

Aaron Akugbo

Aaron Akugbo hails from Edinburgh and is poised as a future leading exponent of his instrument. He brings a wide-ranging musical taste to his artistry and despite being classically trained, cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical inspiration. He is a charismatic performer with an abundance of natural humour.

Sitar

Jasdeep Singh Degun

Jasdeep Singh Degun made history as the first sitar player and British-Asian musician to win the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year award in 2024. He is a boundary-breaking musician who works across a range of artistic landscapes, and is at the forefront of the Indian Classical music scene in the UK.

Mezzo-soprano

Niamh O’Sullivan

Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan is praised for her 'bewitchingly beautiful, dark vibrant voice' (SüddeutscheZeitung). A 2023-2025 BBC New Generation Artist and former studio member of the Bayerische Staatsoper, O’Sullivan has quickly established herself as one of the most exciting mezzos today.

Team

  • Tegan Eldridge
    Trustee
  • Susan Guy
    Trustee
  • Julian Hardwick
    Trustee
  • James Hobson
    Trustee
  • David Kerr
    Trustee
  • Charles Wolcott
    Trustee