Bernard’s choral piece Hear My Heart Sing has been nominated for Best Choral Composition in the 2025 Ivors Classical Awards. Hear My Heart Sing, with words by Helen Eastman, was commissioned and premiered in 2024 by Lucis Choir in Bath with the support of the Francis Routh Trust, celebrates the joy of singing together through the imagery and rhythms of the human heart. This is Bernard’s third nomination in these awards, after being shortlisted in 2009 for The Death of Balder and in 2020 for I Sing of Love. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 11 November in London.

Bernard’s completion of an unfinished funeral march by Benjamin Britten was released in July on Onyx Brass’s new album Transatlantic. The completion, made with the approval of the Britten Estate, took a fragment sketched by Britten in 1938 for brass ensemble and timpani. The recording is conducted by John Wilson and is part of a wide-ranging programme of music from the UK and US. The live world premiere performance of the completion took place at the 2025 Aldeburgh Festival, played by Onyx

The British comedy film Chicken Town, with a score by Bernard Hughes, was released in UK cinemas in July 2025. Described by the Guardian as ‘endearingly daft’, the film is a comedy caper set in Lincolnshire, with the score, recorded at Air-Edel studios in London in March, described as ‘sprightly’ by the Financial Times. The soundtrack of the film is now available to stream on all platforms.

Bernard recently visited Dallas for the national conference of the American Chorus Directors Association. This was a chance for US choirs and choir directors to get to know his music, including a number of newly published and recorded pieces. He took the opportunity to re-connect with American friends from his trip to Chorus America in 2024 and to experience Texan cuisine.

Bernard’s piece Hear My Heart Sing is being performed by the National Youth Choir (15-18 choir) in Nottingham on 18 April 2025. The piece was commissioned and premiered by the Bath choir Lucis in 2024, and has now been taken up by the National Youth Choir for its Easter course. Hear My Heart Sing, with words by Bernard’s regular collaborator Helen Eastman explored the joy of communal singing through imagery of the beating heart. The sheet music is available now from Wild Woods Music.

Bernard’s choral triptych Precious Things is being performed by Chamber Choir Ireland in two concerts in Dublin and Belfast in February 2025. In a programme called The Green Road, conductor Eamonn Dougan explores the beauty of nature and our relationship to the environment. Precious Things revolves around three precious but diminishing natural resources: gold, helium, and oil, and will be heard alongside music by Cecilia McDowall, Kenneth Leighton, Cipriano de Rore and a premiere by Eoghan Desmond.

Bernard was at the 2024 Chorus America conference in Atlanta, with a stand representing Wild Woods Music. The conference was an opportunity for US choirs to get to know his music - and there was lots of interest over the three days, including an Exhibitor Showcase on the Friday afternoon. Thanks to everyone who visited the stand!

Bernard’s new sampler of a cappella carols, More Carols for Mixed Voices, is out now on all streaming platforms. Featuring four new carols, and new recordings of two older carols previously broadcast on BBC Radio 3, this is Bernard’s latest collaboration with the Epiphoni Consort and their conductor Tim Reader. The carols are available to stream now on all streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube, and the sheet music is available to purchase from Wild Woods Music.