Concerts
“Working with Zeb Soanes was a real joy.”
— Alistair Mackie, CEO Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Photo © Matthew Johnson
Photo © Charlie Carter
Zeb is a highly skilled concert performer, narrating orchestral favourites for children and technically demanding works, such as Walton's Façade, which he recorded to critical acclaim, conducted by John Wilson.
He performs with the UK’s leading orchestras, ensembles and choirs, including:
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Swan, Voces8, Septura and The Kings Singers.
Festival appearances include Three Choirs, Hay, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Bath, North York Moors and the Thaxted Festival, of which he is patron.
He has amassed a rich repertoire of narrated orchestral works, with many premieres.
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Sea Psalm — Sally Beamish
A Wedding Bouquet — Lord Berners
The Snowman — Howard Blake
Noye's Fludde (God) — Benjamin Britten
Paddington's First Concert — Herbert Chappell
Hassan — Frederick Delius (text adapted by Meurig Bowen)
Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince/The Selfish Giant — Liza Lehmann
Peter and the Wolf — Sergei Prokofiev
Carnival of the Animals — Saint Saens (Roger McGough’s verse)
Betjeman's Banana Blush — Jim Parker
Roald Dahl: Little Red Riding Hood — Paul Patterson
Roald Dahl: The Three Little Pigs — Paul Patterson
The History of Babar the Little Elephant — Poulenc
Les Animaux Modeles — Poulenc
Façade — William Walton
Oscar Wilde: The Rose and the Nightingale — Debbie Wiseman
PREMIERED WORKS
Jabberwocky — Paul Campbell (Ulster Orchestra)
By Still Waters — Alexander Campkin (Opus Anglicanum)
Gaspard’s Foxtrot — Jonathan Dove (Philharmonia Orchestra)
Gaspard’s Christmas — Jonathan Dove (RSNO)
The Little Match Girl — Louis Manders
Eggs or Anarchy — Ben Palmer (Covent Garden Sinfonia)
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner — Lynne Plowman (Three Choirs Festival)
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Zeb Soanes presents Relaxing Evenings on Classic FM, the UK's most popular classical music station. Over a 25-year career at the BBC he was an authoritative newsreader on Radio 4, the reassuring voice of The Shipping Forecast, and a presenter of the Proms on BBC Television. As a concert presenter and narrator he performs with the UK's leading orchestras, ensembles and choirs.
He is the author of the bestselling Gaspard the Fox series, which has been adapted as narrated concert works by Jonathan Dove. His story Gaspard's Christmas gently introduces children to the concept of homelessness, and Zeb has gifted royalties from the book in perpetuity to support the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Born in Lowestoft — the birthplace also of Benjamin Britten — Zeb recently completed a five-year project to install a bronze statue of the composer, depicted at the age at which his talent was first recognised, to inspire local children to pursue their own ambitions. Britten as a Boy, by the Royal Sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, was unveiled by Sir John Rutter on 10th November 2025.
Zeb is currently touring a one-man play about his theatrical hero Sir Alec Guinness, in which — to critical acclaim — he portrays 33 characters. Two Halves of Guinness is a witty and heartfelt journey through Guinness's extraordinary life and career, marking the 25th anniversary of the actor's death.
Zeb is a recipient of the Betjeman Society Award and Chancellor of the University of Suffolk, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 2024 for his ‘outstanding contribution to education, music, media and literature.’
Zeb Soanes is exclusively represented for concerts by Robin Tyson at Podium Music
Latest recording out April 19th
Listen to Concert Examples
Watch Zeb in Action
Zeb narrates Gaspard’s Foxtrot with live illustration by James Mayhew — Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Zeb introduces the instruments that play the characters in Gaspard’s Foxtrot — Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Reviews
“Zeb Soanes, in my opinion, has one of the most beautiful and sonorous speaking voices on the planet.”
“Zeb Soanes could read the telephone directory and still captivate, so his vivid range of voices here is a special treat to complement his natural way of tempting a listener into the story.”
“Working with Zeb Soanes was a real joy.”
“A vivid linking narration spoken with panache by Zeb Soanes”
“My father regarded Façade as the pinnacle of the narrator’s art, a hugely enjoyable challenge and a celebration of clarity, breathing, projection and timing. Zeb has all of the attributes and it’s always a pleasure to hear him at work.’”
“Narration handsomely spoken by Classic FM presenter, Zeb Soanes”
“Every item is a distinctive delight, with readings perfectly judged by Zeb Soanes.”
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