Young tenor Elgan Llyr Thomas is from North Wales and recently completed a four year course at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under the tutelage of David Maxwell Anderson. He is currently on a postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, supported by the Ashley Family Foundation.
In May 2012, Elgan became one of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation. He followed this by winning four major competitions for under twenty five years of age at the 2012 National Eisteddfod of Wales, namely the Blue Riband Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize, the operatic solo competition, the welsh solo competition and the music theatre solo competition. He was also awarded the David Lloyd and Jean Skidmore Memorial prize for the most promising tenor at the Eisteddfod and the London Male Choir Scholarship. Previous prizes and awards include the Bryn Terfel Scholarship and the music theatre solo competition in the 2010 Urdd National Eisteddfod of Wales. During his first year at the RNCM, he won the Elsie Thurston Prize and represented the College at the Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Award in October 2009.
Elgan performed the title role in the RNCM's production of Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. Opera scenes in college include Jaquino in Fidelio, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, Telemaco in Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria and Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte.
Performing highlights include appearing in concert with Bryn Terfel at Bangor University and singing a duet with Bryn on his 2010 Christmas TV show for Welsh TV channel, S4C. Elgan was the soloist in Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, Mass for Peacewith the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool and he also performed in the opening concert of the 2011 Urdd National Eisteddfod singing 'The Music of the Night' with star of the West End and Broadway, John Owen Jones.
Elgan recently performed the role of Macduff in OPRA Cymru’s production of Verdi’s Macbeth which toured Wales. Future plans include Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan for Welsh National Youth Opera and understudy Selimo in Maometto Secondo for Garsington Opera.