Sir Karl Jenkins, Nicola Heywood Thomas

With influences from religious and historical texts, multicultural musical styles and, famously, a ‘vocalised’ language of sounds that speaks directly to the heart, the composer has written powerful works such as Adiemus and the iconic The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace that encompass the depth and breadth of human emotion.

From a modest upbringing in Penclawdd, Wales, steeped in the Welsh choral tradition and the Western classical canon, Karl followed his love of music to London, immersing himself in the 1960s jazz world of Ronnie Scott’s, before joining the seminal prog-rock group Soft Machine. He became one of the most successful composers in the dynamic advertising industry of the 1980s, ultimately leading to his landmark Adiemus project in the 1990s, which inspired him to create the works that have now moved so many.