Welsh tenor Rhodri Prys Jones made his professional début with Welsh National Opera in Autumn 2018 in the roles of Fyodor and Ivanov in David Pountney’s War & Peace. He subsequently sang the roles in WNO’s revival of War & Peace at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Roles covered for the company include Dhahab, Overseer and High Oracle in Mohammed Fairouz’s Al Wasl Opera, a WNO collaboration in Dubai, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Tamino in The Magic Flute and Ernesto in Don Pasquale.
Rhodri studied for a degree in Music and Media at Trinity University College, Carmarthen before undertaking an M.A. Vocal Studies degree course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. He completed his studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff on the Opera Performance Course where he was taught by Adrian Thompson.
Roles whilst at RWCMD include Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Sam Kaplan in Weill’s Street Scene and Jupiter in Semele - a co-production between Mid Wales Opera and RWCMD in association with the Academy of Ancient Music. In opera scenes, he has performed Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Jenik in Bartered Bride, Almaviva in Barber of Seville, Jaquino in Fidelio, Harlequin in Der Kaiser Von Atlantis, Robert Devereux in Gloriana and El Remendado in Carmen.
Rhodri made his company début for Opera North in 2019 singing Michelis in The Greek Passion. Other roles include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore and Triquet and Lensky cover in Eugene Onegin for Opra Cymru.
In 2016, Rhodri joined Garsington Opera as an Alvarez Young Artist and chorus member in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri and Haydn’s The Creation. He was a member of an eight-part ensemble in Gair ar Gnawd by Pwyll ap Sion for WNO in 2015.
Rhodri’s Chorus experience includes Don Pasquale with Longborough Festival Opera and Francesca Di Foix, The Adventures of Pinnochio, San Giovanni Batista and The Cunning Peasant with Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Rhodri is a popular concert artist. Highlights include his performance as guest soloist in the 2019 Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod’s concert ‘Saints and Singers: The Music of Wales’, his Royal Albert Hall début as guest soloist at the London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs and a Gala Dinner performance for HRH Prince Charles. Rhodri’s concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Stainer’s Crucifixion, Bruckner’s Mass in F Minor, Gounod’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Puccini’s Messa Di Gloria, Haydn’s The Seasons, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, Mozart’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
He has given world premieres of works including Edward-Rhys Harry’s Mass of the Martyrs and Eilir Owen Griffiths’ In Memoriam. In 2017, he recorded a new Welsh language translation of J. S. Bach’s St John Passion (‘Dioddefaint yn ôl Ioan’) in Llandaff Cathedral for broadcast on S4C. Other TV broadcasts include performances on ‘Noson Lawen’, ‘Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol’ and ‘Heno’ for S4C and performing at the UK Ceremony of Remembrance ‘Centenary of Passchendaele, Third Battle of Ypres’ live on BBC One from Passchendaele.
Prizes and awards include the 2017 Ian Stoutzker Prize, the Janet Price Opera Prize, the Glynne Jones Scholarship, Help Musicians Sybil Tutton Award, the Dame Shirley Bassey Award and the Busenhart Morgan-Evans Worshipful Company Award.
Recent engagements include the role of Steva in Jenufa for WNO.
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