Freya Waley-Cohen​’s Violin Concerto ​‘The Dreamer’ received its world premiere on 20 June 2026 at Aldeburgh Festival, performed by violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Kevin John Edusei. The 25-minute concerto was commissioned by Britten Pears Arts, BBC Radio 3 and Philharmonie Luxembourg.

Read the reviews below:
​“Amid the bells-and-whistles virtuosity, flashes of simplicity stood out: the soloist floating ethereally over a bed of meandering whole-tone strings; tonal chords gleaming as one colour among many.”
— The Guardian, June 2026

​“Freya Waley-Cohen’s The Dreamer (2026) was a 25-minute violin concerto written for her sister Tamsin Waley-Cohen, who now took centre-stage for the work’s world premiere performance. … The ensuing, delicately scored song without words was buoyant and soothing, elevated by the soloist’s effortlessly fluent and radiant playing. … A deeply personal concertante work of impressive scope and integrity, The Dreamer intrigued, captivated and consoled.”
— Seen and Heard International, 2026

​“Freya Waley-Cohen’s new violin concerto The Dreamer brilliantly performed by her sister, Tamsin, could well be said acts as a companion piece to Ogonek’s stirring and thoughtful ​‘dreamful’ work.”
— Planet Hugill, June 2026

​“In ​‘The Dreamer’ – the new violin concerto premiered by Tamsin Waley-Cohen at the Aldeburgh Festival – composer Freya Waley-Cohen further demonstrates how she is an instinctive orchestrator, comfortable deploying large forces with evident pleasure. She makes full use of the orchestra. Mildly menacing glissandi, high strings, goosey woodwind, and judicious use of eerie vibraphone could easily be off the shelf solutions to a creative challenge, but in Waley-Cohen’s hands instrumental choices aren’t enhancing the ideas so much as giving them a present day relevance.”
— Thoroughly Good, June 2026