Oriana Festival
cerddoriaeth glasurol gymraeg gyfoes | contemporary welsh classical music
St Elvan's are delighted to be the host venue of the Oriana Festival, the NEW festival of contemporary Welsh classical music, featuring the music of some of Wales' leading contemporary classical composers and performers
With the generous support of the Pen Y Cymoedd Community Fund, RCT Cohesion Team and Ev-entz, Newport, the inaugural Oriana Festival took place at St Elvan's on Saturday October 21st 2023, and featured former Royal harpist Claire Jones, composer | percussionist Chris Marshall, plus Rhondda Cynon Taf's own award-winning Lewis Merthyr Band and the Big Hearts International Cultural Ensemble of Nigeria
Music featured in the 2023 Oriana Festival included the performance and launch of a new album of the music of Mervyn Burtch, plus the premiere performances of new music by Gareth Wood, Chris Marshall, Christopher Painter - and more!
Such was the success and warm reception of the inaugural event, the Oriana Festival is planned to be repeated in a new annual standing date in May. Saturday May 18th will see the 2024 event take place at St Elvan's and feature Rhondda Symphony Orchestra, Lewis Merthyr Band and the premiere performance of a new work by the eminent RCT composer and former Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Chairman Gareth Wood
Full information on the 2024 event will be published in early Spring
You can find images from the 2023 festival and up to the minute information on Oriana 2024 on the festival's Facebook channel at www.facebook.com/oriana.festival A full timetable and additional information on the 2023 festival is available below
With the generous support of the Pen Y Cymoedd Community Fund, RCT Cohesion Team and Ev-entz, Newport, the inaugural Oriana Festival took place at St Elvan's on Saturday October 21st 2023, and featured former Royal harpist Claire Jones, composer | percussionist Chris Marshall, plus Rhondda Cynon Taf's own award-winning Lewis Merthyr Band and the Big Hearts International Cultural Ensemble of Nigeria
Music featured in the 2023 Oriana Festival included the performance and launch of a new album of the music of Mervyn Burtch, plus the premiere performances of new music by Gareth Wood, Chris Marshall, Christopher Painter - and more!
Such was the success and warm reception of the inaugural event, the Oriana Festival is planned to be repeated in a new annual standing date in May. Saturday May 18th will see the 2024 event take place at St Elvan's and feature Rhondda Symphony Orchestra, Lewis Merthyr Band and the premiere performance of a new work by the eminent RCT composer and former Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Chairman Gareth Wood
Full information on the 2024 event will be published in early Spring
You can find images from the 2023 festival and up to the minute information on Oriana 2024 on the festival's Facebook channel at www.facebook.com/oriana.festival A full timetable and additional information on the 2023 festival is available below
Oriana Festival 2023
Timetable of Events
From 10:00
Doors Open | Morning Coffee
FREE "Comm-unity Cuppa"
Spires Coffee Shop
10:30
Festival Welcome & Introduction
Festival Director: Christopher Painter
Main Space
10:45
Opening Session - Wales & The World
Big Hearts International Dance of Nigeria
Main Space
11:45
Break
Spires Coffee Shop
12:30
Introductory Remarks: Burtch On Brass
Christopher Painter & Craig Roberts
Mezzanine Gallery
13:15
Burtch On Brass
Lewis Merthyr Band
Main Space
Programme:
Paean
Pinocchio
Hiraeth
Wind In The Willows (excerpts)
The Spirit of Conflict
Deep Harmony
14:15
Lunch Break
Spires Coffee Shop
15:45
Introductory Remarks: Deuos
Christopher Painter | Claire Jones | Chris Marshall
Mezzanine Gallery
16:30
Deuos
Claire Jones, harp & Chris Marshall, percussion
Main Space
Programme included:
Gorymdaith y Brenin Siarl | Procession for King Charles (Marshall) - concert premiere
17:30
Break
19:00
Gala Concert
Deuos: Claire Jones, harp & Chris Marshall, percussion
Lewis Merthyr Band
Programme:
Fanfare & National Anthem (Grace Williams | Painter) -premiere-
The Lone Ranger (Trans. Painter)
Concerto For Harp (Wood)
TNT (Marshall) -premiere-
Fulling Mill Lea (Marshall) -UK premiere-
The Prayer from Under Milk Wood (Wood) -premiere-
Aberfan (Trott) -premiere-
Libertango
Tickets
Gala Concert Tickets - £12
Daytime Events Only Pass - £5
Combined Evening Gala Concert & Daytime Festival Pass - £15
Doors Open | Morning Coffee
FREE "Comm-unity Cuppa"
Spires Coffee Shop
10:30
Festival Welcome & Introduction
Festival Director: Christopher Painter
Main Space
10:45
Opening Session - Wales & The World
Big Hearts International Dance of Nigeria
Main Space
11:45
Break
Spires Coffee Shop
12:30
Introductory Remarks: Burtch On Brass
Christopher Painter & Craig Roberts
Mezzanine Gallery
13:15
Burtch On Brass
Lewis Merthyr Band
Main Space
Programme:
Paean
Pinocchio
Hiraeth
Wind In The Willows (excerpts)
The Spirit of Conflict
Deep Harmony
14:15
Lunch Break
Spires Coffee Shop
15:45
Introductory Remarks: Deuos
Christopher Painter | Claire Jones | Chris Marshall
Mezzanine Gallery
16:30
Deuos
Claire Jones, harp & Chris Marshall, percussion
Main Space
Programme included:
Gorymdaith y Brenin Siarl | Procession for King Charles (Marshall) - concert premiere
17:30
Break
19:00
Gala Concert
Deuos: Claire Jones, harp & Chris Marshall, percussion
Lewis Merthyr Band
Programme:
Fanfare & National Anthem (Grace Williams | Painter) -premiere-
The Lone Ranger (Trans. Painter)
Concerto For Harp (Wood)
TNT (Marshall) -premiere-
Fulling Mill Lea (Marshall) -UK premiere-
The Prayer from Under Milk Wood (Wood) -premiere-
Aberfan (Trott) -premiere-
Libertango
Tickets
Gala Concert Tickets - £12
Daytime Events Only Pass - £5
Combined Evening Gala Concert & Daytime Festival Pass - £15
Featured Performers
Claire Jones, harp
One of Britain’s best selling classical harpists, Claire Jones was born in Wales. Following her appointment as Official Harpist to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (2007-11), she became a household name for her esteemed performance at the Royal Wedding for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Having performed over 180 times for the Royal Family, she also performed for Her Majesty the Queen on several occasions and more recently for King Charles III at the Senedd in Cardiff
Solo career highlights include solo and concerto appearances with the World’s top orchestras and artists such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Ballet Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir James Galway; Maestro Gergiev, Joshua Bell, Reniee Fleming, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Alfie Bow to name only a few. She has performed prestigious recitals at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall (London), Capitol Hill (USA), City Hall (Hong Kong), International Harp Festival (Brazil) and at the Millennium Stadium for and audience of 75,000
Claire is no stranger to the classical charts with her albums ‘Girl With The Golden Harp’, ‘Journey’, 'Highrove Suite', and ’This Love’ reaching the top of the classical charts. Claire is a firm favourite on Classic FM playlists, and her albums have been released worldwide
Claire has a first class BMus(hons) degree from The Royal College of Music and studied as an MA (Scholar) at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In 2016 she was awarded an honorary Associateship from the Royal Academy of Music London for her significant contribution to her profession. She has been invited to deliver masterclasses at the Royal College of Music London, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is also a tutor at Royal Holloway University, London
Chris Marshall, percussion
The diverse and unique sound world created by percussive instruments always leaves audiences mesmerized, fascinated and enthralled. The drum is widely known to be one of the oldest instruments in the World and it features in every culture across the Globe
Chris Marshall has an innate passion and enthusiasm for percussion. As a musician he strives to create a an unique sound world that incorporates all sorts of instruments blended with rhythms from around the world into his performances
His extensive experience as a solo chamber, Westend musician and recording session artist has resulted in collaborations with some of the World’s finest musicians and producers. When working with others, his aim is to always add a wide spectrum of musical sounds and colours, rhythmic drive and musicality to every project
Chris features as a soloist in ‘Deuos The Instrumentalists – an unique group which showcases musical flare and showmanship that captivates audiences. From recitals to theatre, concerto platforms to concert spectaculars, his performance enriches all musical settings
Chris Marshall has an innate passion and enthusiasm for percussion. As a musician he strives to create a an unique sound world that incorporates all sorts of instruments blended with rhythms from around the world into his performances
His extensive experience as a solo chamber, Westend musician and recording session artist has resulted in collaborations with some of the World’s finest musicians and producers. When working with others, his aim is to always add a wide spectrum of musical sounds and colours, rhythmic drive and musicality to every project
Chris features as a soloist in ‘Deuos The Instrumentalists – an unique group which showcases musical flare and showmanship that captivates audiences. From recitals to theatre, concerto platforms to concert spectaculars, his performance enriches all musical settings
Lewis Merthyr Band
A damn fine band" - HRH Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII)
Founded in or before 1855, Lewis Merthyr Band is the oldest brass band in South Wales' Rhondda Valleys. Originally known as the Cymmer Military and Cymmer (Porth) Colliery Band, Lewis Merthyr adopted its present title in 1949
The band has been highly successful in competition throughout its history, becoming Champion Band of Wales, Welsh League Champions, Miner's Welfare Entertainments (CISWO) Champions and more
Lewis Merthyr has represented Wales in the Championship section of the National Championships of Great Britain on eight occasions at the Royal Albert Hall, London; at the European Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark; and at the 2022 World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. The band also accomplished the unique achievement of winning the Second and Third Section UK titles of the National Championships of Great Britain, in consecutive years. Lewis Merthyr is currently ranked in the First Section and were the 2015 Runner-Up WWBBA Champions; 2016 Runner-Up SEWBBA Champions & Runner-Up Welsh League Champions in both 2015 & 2016. 2017 was a particularly successful year for the band and saw Lewis Merthyr become the WWBBA and - for the first time in 21 years - Welsh League First Section Champions
The band has been equally successful on the concert stage, performing at a wide variety of locations across Wales and beyond, including the Royal Albert Hall, London; Llangollen Pavilion; St David's Hall, Cardiff & the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. Lewis Merthyr has also performed for Royalty on a number of occasions, parading through the streets for the visit of His Majesty King George V and Queen Mary to Rhondda in 1912, and for the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, in 1932. On June 2nd, 2022, the band also featured in an incredible performance for the Beacon Lighting ceremony on the Thames Bank, London, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Throughout its history, the band has performed with numerous leading artists, including "Signor Foli" (Allan James Foley) in the late 1800's, and with Sir Geraint Evans, Glyn Houston and most recently Sir Bryn Terfel. In recent years, the band has also featured in a series of concerts under the baton of renowned orchestral conductor Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, which included a St David's Day Gala Concert at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea; a performance in the Speech Room at Harrow School, London; and two performances at Wales' national classical music festival, the Welsh Proms, in July 2018 & 2019, at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff
Lewis Merthyr has featured in a wide range of radio & television broadcasts, dating back to a recently rediscovered BBC Radio broadcast from 1927, and Pathé newsreel footage of the band marching before King Edward VIII in 1932. More recently, the band was featured in the 2015 BBC television programme "The Taff: The River That Made Wales" which continues to be repeatedly screened on BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Wales. Lewis Merthyr also recently recorded a special television feature with the renowned international baritone soloist Sir Bryn Terfel, which was screened nationwide on Christmas Day 2017 and repeated for the opening night of the National Eisteddfod of Wales 2018. The band featured again on nationwide television, performing live in the National Eisteddfod, on stage at the Donald Gordon Theatre in the iconic Wales Millennium Centre the following day
Lewis Merthyr Band has featured in a wide range of major events, performing on numerous occasions at the Principality Stadium, playing to 52, 981 people plus international television audience for the Wales vs Italy warm up match for the 2015 Rugby World Cup; to record Pro14 crowds of 68,262 and 62,338 for Judgement Day 2016 & 2018; and for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 World Golden Oldies International Rugby Festival, which featured 120 participating teams representing 25 different nations from across the globe
Lewis Merthyr was also the core of Wales' first all-female band for each of Wales' 2017 Women's Rugby Six Nations Championship home matches, and again for the 2018 Women's Suffrage Centennial "Processions" event at Cardiff Castle in July 2018. The band also performed for the televised Women's Rugby Six Nations international matches at Cardiff Arms Park for the full 2019, 2020 and 2022 seasons
Lewis Merthyr featured in National Theatre Wales' 2016 “City of the Unexpected” Roald Dahl 100 celebrations, performing across Cardiff city centre to tens of thousands of people, and which was again the focus of national television broadcasts. In April 2018, the band also supported the 11.2 metre "Man Engine" events at Cyfartha Castle and Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd. In June 2018 the band's symphonic brass ensemble performed for the launch of the Music Education report for Wales at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, additional contributors to which included Sir Karl Jenkins, Nicola Benedetti CBE, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and former Royal harpist Claire Jones
In October 2019, the band then travelled to Belgium to perform alongside groups from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and South Korea at the Internationale Taptoe Belgie, held at the 5000 seat capacity Versluys Dome, Ostend. In July 2022, the band returned to Europe to perform in the prestigious World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands, and in September, members of the band then also travelled to Colorado, USA to perform with City of Bristol Brass Band at the 2022 Estes Park International Tattoo. The band has been invited to return to Colorado in 2023
Lewis Merthyr Band has a long history of performing and broadcasting new works, and has held a close association with numerous prominent composers, notably Mervyn Burtch and John Golland. The band gave the premiere broadcasts of Dr. Peter Graham's "Dimensions" and Goff Richards' "Oceans" on BBC Radio in the 1980s, and in 2018 gave the premiere performances of Helen Woods' "Man Engine Anthem" and Dr. Christopher Wood's "Aberfan", also undertaking the premiere recording of the latter on the band's most recent commercial recording "Brass & Voices of Wales" with the massed choirs of Bridgend & Pendyrus, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes. The band's latest album, a recording of the brass works of Mervyn Burtch, will be released in autumn 2022
Through the latter half of 2020, with the support of the Arts Council of Wales, the band created the project "New Directions", a partnership with a selection of leading composers and performers from across Wales and wider, which saw newly commissioned works from Steve Bingham, Chris Marshall, Christopher Painter and Andrew Powell. Through 2021-23, with the additional support of ACW, the Moondance Foundation and Ty Cerdd, the band has commissioned and will premiere three major new works for band from Chris Marshall (Fulling Mill Lea), Gareth Trott (Eastern Horizons) and Gareth Wood (Under Milk Wood Suite: Rum & Laverbread)
Lewis-Merthyr remain thoroughly committed to supporting our local community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, through the presentation of concert performances across the county borough and wider, supporting local events & functions, and providing tuition for local young brass & percussion musicians through our Youth Band programme. The band looks forward to continuing to represent Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wales at the highest level throughout all our performances across the nation and beyond
Big Hearts International Dance Group
Big Hearts International Dance are a group formed from the Nigerian community of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Many of the group are Masters and Postgraduate students of the University of South Wales, Treforest, and are residents of a number of communities within Rhondda Cynon Taf area
The group performed at St Elvan's for the Festival of Unity in August and, such was their popularity and energy, that they return to open the Oriana Festival with a presentation of their broad and colourful range of costumes, dialects and song
The group's presentation will also form the basis of the free October "Comm-unity Cuppa", which takes place at St Elvan's on the third Saturday of each month
Oriana festival were delighted to partner with Big Hearts International and the RCT Cohesion Team on the presentation of this tremendous vibrant young group
The group performed at St Elvan's for the Festival of Unity in August and, such was their popularity and energy, that they return to open the Oriana Festival with a presentation of their broad and colourful range of costumes, dialects and song
The group's presentation will also form the basis of the free October "Comm-unity Cuppa", which takes place at St Elvan's on the third Saturday of each month
Oriana festival were delighted to partner with Big Hearts International and the RCT Cohesion Team on the presentation of this tremendous vibrant young group
Featured Composers
Mervyn Burtch
Mervyn Burtch was one of the most practical of composers, responding to requests for music from a wide variety of musicians throughout the community over a period spanning some sixty years. His output ranged from operas, concertos and string quartets through to a vast output for brass bands, choirs, community groups and, in particular, children
Born in Ystrad Mynach in South Wales's Rhymney Valley, Mervyn Burtch attended Lewis School at Pengam where he was taught by one of Wales's most significant composers, David Wynne, then the school's music teacher. In due course he took the position of Head of Music at Lewis School for GIrls, until joining the staff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1979. Throughout that time he also produced a continuous stream of music and left over 650 works behind him
Burtch's work always reflected the need to write music of practical use; he probably reached more performers at a grass root level than any other Welsh composer. But his string quartets, chamber music, songs and orchestral work also reveal a composer whose voice was hard won and whose work could also make considerable demands on the listener. His music is often brisk, clear and concise, with an instantly recognisable individual voice
He will be particularly remembered for the large number of operas he wrote for performance by children and young people. He also reached a huge number of amateur musicians through his choral music and works from brass band. He was a keen reader of poetry and his hundred or so songs reflected his deep knowledge of poetry as well as collaborations with many contemporary writers and poets including Mark Morris, Francesca Kay and Simon Rees. But he also set great store by his concertos and the cycle of seventeen string quartets that he completed between 1985 and 2013; perhaps the most significant contribution to the genre to come out of Wales
It is no coincidence that one of the composers he most admired was Haydn; Burtch's music rejoices in the everyday and commonplace, responding to the challenge of providing useful music with a fresh, fertile and lively invention
As a man, Burtch was the best kind of quiet, gentle company with whom it was possible to spend many enjoyable hours in discussion of his wide range of interests, fuelled by his keen sense of humour. He worked tirelessly for the cause of Welsh music, sitting on numerous committees during his life, but also enjoyed nothing more than an afternoon at the cricket ground. He did not marry until the age of seventy-five, but the last ten years of his life spent with his wife, Rita, brought him a sense of deep contentment
Chris Marshall
Chris Marshall, who goes by the professional name ‘Marshall’, balances his performance schedule with his flourishing career as a composer and arranger. Many of Marshall’s works have been performed by some of the World’s leading orchestras such as Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera and the Ulster Orchestra
In 2018 , to mark the 100 year anniversary of the End of WW1, The Welsh Proms commissioned Marshall to write a brand new work called ‘’Homecoming’’ which was premiered on the last night by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
His growing portfolio of compositions, includes the music for Heartstrings (no 1 download on iTunes) which was recorded for Classic FM/Decca in 2012 and was featured on Claire Jones’ album - Girl With The Golden Harp. Marshall has composed Bluestone and arranged many tracks on Claire’s chart topping album Journey. In addition, Marshall has composed music for TV adverts including a track for Clogau, shown internationally, and for ‘Fishermans Friends’ shown in the USA.
In 2017 he was commissioned to arrange and conduct a new album with the Portuguese singing sensation, Yolanda Soares, with whom he has performed at the Tivoli Theatre Lisbon and Colisseum in Porto
His career highlights as a percussionist include appearing with the BBC symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, London Mozart Players, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Chris has also worked on many productions in London's Westend and international touring shows in the UK, Europe and China, these include; We Will Rock You, Wizard of Oz, Zorro, Carousel, West Side Story, Evita, Love Beyond, Big, Bat Out of Hell and Elf the Musical
Chris has a passion for playing instruments from all around the world, and it has resulted in seeing him perform on numerous recording sessions for TV and film. He also performs as part of Deuos with his wife the world-renowned Claire Jones, former Official Harpist to HRH Prince Charles. This unique duo has toured extensively throughout the UK and in the USA. In April 2019, the group performed the premier of Chris’ double concerto for harp and percussion in Richmond, Virgina. In 2021 Deuos plans to tour across the US next year with the UK premiere to follow
Chris Marshall, who goes by the professional name ‘Marshall’, balances his performance schedule with his flourishing career as a composer and arranger. Many of Marshall’s works have been performed by some of the World’s leading orchestras such as Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera and the Ulster Orchestra
In 2018 , to mark the 100 year anniversary of the End of WW1, The Welsh Proms commissioned Marshall to write a brand new work called ‘’Homecoming’’ which was premiered on the last night by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
His growing portfolio of compositions, includes the music for Heartstrings (no 1 download on iTunes) which was recorded for Classic FM/Decca in 2012 and was featured on Claire Jones’ album - Girl With The Golden Harp. Marshall has composed Bluestone and arranged many tracks on Claire’s chart topping album Journey. In addition, Marshall has composed music for TV adverts including a track for Clogau, shown internationally, and for ‘Fishermans Friends’ shown in the USA.
In 2017 he was commissioned to arrange and conduct a new album with the Portuguese singing sensation, Yolanda Soares, with whom he has performed at the Tivoli Theatre Lisbon and Colisseum in Porto
His career highlights as a percussionist include appearing with the BBC symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, London Mozart Players, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Chris has also worked on many productions in London's Westend and international touring shows in the UK, Europe and China, these include; We Will Rock You, Wizard of Oz, Zorro, Carousel, West Side Story, Evita, Love Beyond, Big, Bat Out of Hell and Elf the Musical
Chris has a passion for playing instruments from all around the world, and it has resulted in seeing him perform on numerous recording sessions for TV and film. He also performs as part of Deuos with his wife the world-renowned Claire Jones, former Official Harpist to HRH Prince Charles. This unique duo has toured extensively throughout the UK and in the USA. In April 2019, the group performed the premier of Chris’ double concerto for harp and percussion in Richmond, Virgina. In 2021 Deuos plans to tour across the US next year with the UK premiere to follow
Christopher Painter
"one of the real heavyweights on the Welsh music scene"
Christopher Painter was born at Port Talbot, South Wales in 1962 and studied music at University College, Cardiff. His composition studies were initially with Timothy Taylor and Richard Elfyn Jones and in 1984 he began to study with Alun Hoddinott
He studied full-time with Hoddinott until 1989 and complemented these studies with consultations and masterclasses with Samuel Adler (Eastman School of Music, New York); George Benjamin; John McCabe (London College of Music); Edward Gregson (Royal Northern College of Music); Robert Saxton (Worcester College, Oxford); Robert Simpson and Marek Stachowski (Warsaw University). In addition to his composition studies, Christopher also studied brass band conducting with Edward Gregson; choral conducting with Stanley Saunders (University of Guelph, Canada) and Rod Walker (University of Texas, USA) and latterly, orchestral conducting with Christopher Adey
Christopher Painter was the first recipient of the Afan Thomas Composer's Award and has also won the National Eisteddfod Composition Prize (Newport 1988) and was featured in the Welsh Arts Council's Young Welsh Composer Forum in 1987. In 1997, he was the first Welsh winner of the Gregynog Composer Award of Wales which was given for his Sonata for Harp which was premièred on June 28th at the 1997 Gregynog Festival
Appointed as Composer-in-Association with North Wales based Ensemble Cymru in October 1997, Christopher wrote a number of works for this ensemble, including the children's dance work,Yggdrasil, a Millennium Commission/Techniquest commission as part of the Sounds for Science education project
In 1999 Christopher Painter was Composer-in-Residence with both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Brass Band of Wales. His work, Invisible Cities, for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, not only received performances around the UK but was also subsequently released on CD by the orchestra
The Royal Society of Arts awarded Christopher Painter a Fellowship in December 2003
In August 2005, Christopher won the prestigious Tlws y Cerddor (Musicians Medal) at the National Eisteddfod of Wales for his chamber work, Yr Hanes Swynol (A History of Charms). He won the award for a second time in 2010 for Syniadau’r Serch (Thoughts on Love), a cycle of songs for baritone, violin and harp
Between Autumn 2005 and Spring 2006 Christopher was Composer-in-Residence with the Thueringen Philharmonie in Gotha, Germany. Here he worked closely with Welsh conductor Alun Francis, a long-time champion of his music, and his tenure ended with the première of a major work for the orchestra, Forest of Dreams, which received two performances and was broadcast on German television. The work subsequently received its UK première with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, under the direction of Jac van Steen, in April 2009
In 2010, the Lunar Saxophone Quartet premièred his Lunar Seas on their These Visions tour and the work was released on Signum Classics. This followed an earlier recording, also on Signum, of his Sonata for Alto Saxophone, commissioned by Welsh saxophonist, Lara James
In 2006, his Symphony No.3 - Fire in the Snow received its première in Mexico City where it was twice performed by the Orchesta Filharmonico de la UNAM under the direction of Alun Francis. The second performance was broadcast live on Mexican national television to an estimated audience in excess of one million people
In March 2011, Furnace of Colours was premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and soprano Claire Booth, conducted by Jac van Steen, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3
His most recent works include Hanes Taliesin (Taliesin’s Tale) for solo clarinet and dancer; Images in the Mist for the Richards String Quartet and The Gregynog Suite for solo harp, commissioned by the Gregynog Festival and premièred by Catrin Finch.
Christopher Painter’s works are published by Arcomis Publishing; Maecenas Music; Oriana Publications and Vanderbeek & Imrie
Gareth Wood
Born in Cilfynydd, Pontypridd, Gareth studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London and joined the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as a double bass player in 1972. He later became the RPO's Chair. Gareth has written extensively for brass bands, wind bands and orchestras
His noted brass band works include "Salome", "Brass Triumphant" and more, while his fanfares include those written for HM The Queen, the opening of both the Senedd, Cardiff Bay and the Kravis Centre in West Palm Beach, Florida
Gareth's youth projects are numerous and include the narration piece "Sea Dogs". Originally scored for symphonic brass, the work was transcribed for brass band instrumentation in 2012, and premiered by an ensemble from the Cory Band at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff. Gareth has also written many pieces for multiple harps, multiple double basses, as well as three concertos and three sonatas for double bass. His "Songs of Wales" have been performed at the Last Night of the Welsh Proms very year for more than 25 years
Grace Williams
Two weeks before Welsh composer Grace Williams died in 1977, she wrote a letter to her lifelong friend and fellow composer Elizabeth Maconchy
Although fatally ill with cancer, there was no bitterness in her words, only gratitude that she had had the "great good fortune to be able to respond to so many wonderful things."
Grace Mary Williams, who was to become one of the most important and influential 20th century Welsh composers, was born at the stroke of midnight on February 19/20, 1906 in the coastal town of Barry. The eldest of three children, Grace was encouraged from an early age to pursue her interest in music. Both parents were school teachers who loved music. Her father William was a highly regarded amateur choral director who did not believe in teaching music to his children in the traditional manner of an exercise book and graded exams. Instead, he simply opened his extensive library of music scores to them, an act which enabled them to explore and discover on their own and which ultimately led Grace Williams to find her own highly individual music style
Grace often played the piano for her father's choir rehearsals, and at home, she played the violin in a trio with her brother Glyn, a cellist, and her father, a pianist. She also broadened her knowledge of orchestral music through recordings, which her father collected avidly
As a schoolgirl, she excelled in mathematics, music, and English and developed an abiding interest in French literature which she enjoyed throughout her life. She began to show ability in composing music, and, encouraged by her teacher Miss Rhyda Jones a former pupil of Walford Davies, Grace often sat on the beach at Cold Knap in Barry composing songs and dances. The sea would always be a powerful influence and inspiration in Grace Williams' life as a composer
In 1923, she entered University College, Cardiff on a scholarship, and while she found the social life at the school exciting, the music program was "deadly" for a would-be composer like Williams who found her enthusiasm stifled by academic exercises. After graduation in 1926, she moved to London to attend the Royal College of Music where one of her most important and influential teachers was composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, whom she called "Uncle Ralph"
At the RCM, Grace joined several other gifted young women composers including Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994), Dorothy Gow (1893-1982), and Imogen Holst (1907-1984), the daughter of composer Gustav Holst. Encouraged by Vaughan Williams, the women met frequently to hear and criticize each other's work
In 1930, Grace Williams won the prestigious RCM Octavia Travelling Scholarship which enabled her to complete her training in Vienna with Egon Wellesz (1885-1974). Here she had the opportunity to indulge herself in the music of Wagner, Richard Strauss and Mahler and the late Austro-German Romantic tradition. Although she did not initially care for Mahler's music, it would later influence on her own compositions
After her return to London in 1931, the 25-year-old composer was music master at Camden School for Girls and visiting lecturer at Southlands College of Education. Hen Walia, an orchestral work based on folk tunes with the lullaby Huna blentyn as a centrepiece, was composed during this time and became her first work to receive frequent performances. In 1936, she composed an Elegy for string orchestra which contained hints of the highly individual music that she would compose years later
Prior to World War II, she composed her most ambitious orchestral work, Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon based on the Mabinogion, and in 1941 her brilliant Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes (Jim Cro; Beryn y Bwn; Migildi, Magildi; Si lwli 'mabi; Gee, geffyl bach; Csga di fy mhlentyn tlws; Yr eneth ffein ddu; Cadi ha!) was broadcast by the BBC. It was so well received by the war-weary public in performances throughout Wales that it was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. The Fantasia remains Grace Williams' most popular work
During the war, she composed her Sinfonia Concertante, Symphonic Impressions (Symphony No.1)and Sea Sketches, a highly evocative five-movement work for string orchestra. By the time the war ended, the deprivation and difficulties Williams experienced trying to earn money while spending her free time composing had taken a toll on her. She was in poor physical health and hinted to friends that she might give up composition altogether. In 1947, doctors concerned about a persistent illness suggested that she return to Barry where she could be properly cared for by her parents
The move provided the change that Grace Williams needed, and she never returned to live in London. By the late 40s, Wales was blossoming as a centre for the arts. The BBC had set up a Welsh Broadcasting Region while the Welsh National Opera, the Welsh Office of the Arts Council and a number of music festivals had been established. She began writing incidental music for radio plays and wrote scripts for BBC school broadcasts which included her own arrangements of folk songs from all over the world. In 1948, she became one of the first -- if not the first -- women to write music for film with her score for Blue Scar
In 1955, Grace Williams was 49 years old. While the music she composed up to that time in her life was good, it was not original enough to lift her out of the category of "minor composer." Her compositions with few exceptions were rooted in romanticism, relied heavily on traditional Welsh melodies and images of land and sea, or had been inspired by an event in Welsh history
By the age of 50, Grace Williams had found her own musical voice, one now influenced by the rhythms and cadences of old Welsh poetry and oratory, and penillion and ballad singing. With her music in greater demand, she now began receiving commissions. She was able to put aside much of the necessary busy work that had provided her with an income and devote more time to composition
"You know," she wrote to a friend, "it was a marvellous sensation being asked to write something; someone wanting your music. Once I got going on it, the music absolutely haunted me.... Such was the elation of having a commission, the ideas flowed freely"
In the last 20 years of her life, Grace Williams composed music that marks her as a composer of importance in Wales. Her influence on younger Welsh composers was enormous, and she proved that it is possible to live in a small country and survive as an artist. In a land with a deeply rooted choral tradition, she helped place orchestral music on a new footing, and she brought to the concert hall a distinctly Welsh musical language in works like her Penillion, Ballads for Orchestra, Carillons, Symphony No. 2, the Trumpet Concerto and Castell Caernarfon
Grace Williams did not neglect the vocal music that is the lifeblood of the Welsh people and left some 90 settings for voice, many with orchestra. Her Choral Suite: The Dancers was one of her first successful vocal works and received its premiere by Joan Sutherland singing solo with the Penarth Ladies Choir in 1954! Williams had an affinity for vocal writing and over the years produced large scale choral works like the haunting Ave Maris Stella and her choral masterpiece Missa Cambrensis. In her song settings with orchestra, she selected a broad range of poets from ancient and Medieval Welsh texts to Gerard Manley Hopkins, Siegfried Sassoon, D.H. Lawrence and the American poet May Sarton
For her contributions to music, she was offered the OBE in 1966, but she turned it down. A good performance of her music meant more to her than a decoration. On her 70th birthday in 1976, she received tributes from admirers throughout the world, and the Welsh BBC broadcast a program of her music. Her major orchestra works had been recorded
Three months later, she experienced the first signs of what would prove to be a fatal cancer. Surgery and radiation therapy did not improve her condition and left her debilitated
On January 25, 1977, she wrote a farewell letter to Elizabeth Maconchy to tell her "...all along I've known this could happen and now it has I'm quite calm and prepared and can only count my blessings -- that I've had such a run of good health, able to go on writing -- and just being me with my thoughts and ideas and sensitivity. From now on it won't be so good but even so there are sunsets and the sea and the understanding of friends"
Grace Williams died on February 10 just nine days before her seventy-first birthday
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