Rhian Samuel
Encyclopedia
Rhian Samuel, born in Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...

, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 in 1944, is a Welsh composer.

She was educated in Britain and the United States, and joined the teaching staff of City University, London
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....

 in 1995 becoming Professor of Music in 1999. Previously, she taught in the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...

 (Head of Department, 1993–1995) and the St Louis Conservatory, St Louis, USA.

She has composed over 80 published works and her music has been performed in many countries. She has written chamber, vocal, choral, and orchestral music spanning from Elegy-Symphony (St Louis Symphony Orchestra (1981) to TIrluniau/Landscapes (BBC commission, BBCNOW, Proms 2000); in 1983 she won the ASCAP/Rudolf Nissim Prize for La Belle Dame sans Merci. She has also written about music; as co-editor of the New Grove (Norton) Dictionary of Women Composers, she has been at the forefront of issues concerning gender and music. She also writes on the operas of Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...

, having been commissioned by the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...

, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...

, to write programme essays on both Gawain
Gawain (opera)
Gawain is an opera with music by Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by David Harsent. The story is based on the Middle English romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The opera was a commission from the Royal Opera House, London, where it was first performed on 30 May 1991. Rhian Samuel has...

and The Minotaur
The Minotaur (opera)
The Minotaur is an opera in two acts, with 13 scenes by English composer Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by poet David Harsent, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The work premiered at the Royal Opera House on April 15, 2008 and was shown on BBC2 television on June 7,...

. Her most recent CD, Light and Water, is issued on the Deux-Elles label. In 2006 she was awarded the Glyndŵr Award
Glyndwr Award
The Glyndŵr Award is made for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales. It is given by the Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust to pre-eminent figures in music, art and literature in rotation...

 for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales.

Her work 'Path Through the Woods' for recorder and strings, was premiered in April 2011 by Pamela Thorby and the Welsh Sinfonia
Welsh Sinfonia
The Welsh Sinfonia is a professional chamber orchestra based in Cardiff and is a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. It employs between 15 and 35 musicians, led by Robin Stowell...

, conducted by Mark Eager
Mark Eager
Mark Eager is an English-born conductor and former BBC National Orchestra of Wales Principal Trombone. He lives in Salisbury, United Kingdom.-Biography:...

.

External links

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