IEUAN JONES

Ieuan Jones’s mission has taken him around the world, transfixing audiences with his richly characterful playing - in Spain they dubbed him “Esplendoroso Jones”.

His flair is founded upon a solid basis of technique, acquired over years of study from the age of six to his studies at the Royal College of Music where he is now professor.

Ieuan Jones has toured the world with his harp. He has performed in more than 25 countries, appeared as a soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras and has many recordings to his credit. At home he appears in all the major concert halls, the Albert Hall, Festival Hall, Symphony Hall, Bridgewater Hall, St David’s Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Queens Hall, with varied programmes that include works rarely played on the harp and often with other instruments such as the flute, violin, and a programme of harp quintets with string quartet.

KEVIN GOWLAND

Kevin Gowland was an Exhibition Scholar at the Royal College of Music where he studied the flute with Susan Milan. During his time there he won all the major prizes for his instrument and in 1988 was awarded the RCM's top prize, the prestigious President's Rosebowl for outstanding achievement.

In the same year and at the age of only 22, Kevin was appointed as Flute Section Leader with The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra by Sir Simon Rattle, a position he held for 17 years.

Kevin has appeared as a concerto soloist on many occasions, collaborating with Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, Paavo Jarvi, Sir Mark Elder, Christian Gansch, Nicholas McGegan, Nicholas Kraemer and Richard Farnes, covering a wide spectrum of the flute concerto repertoire.  He has appeared as Guest Principal Flute with the LSO, RPO, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Philharmonia, Halle, RLPO, RSNO, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and BBC NOW.

Kevin made his BBC Radio 3 recital debut in a live broadcast in 1992 and has since appeared as a recitalist at the Purcell Room; Symphony Hall, Birmingham; The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; The Cheltenham Festival; The Warwick Arts Festival and gave the first solo recital in the inaugural week of events at The Howard Assembly Room, Leeds.

From 2005-2018, Kevin was Principal flute with The Orchestra of Opera North.

Kevin joined the RNCM as a Flute Tutor in 2017 and in 2018 was appointed to his current position as Deputy Head of School of Wind, Brass and Percussion/ Director of Woodwind.

Kevin plays on a Brannen-Cooper flute dating from 1983.

GARY RYAN

The British guitarist Gary Ryan is one of the world's leading exponents of the instrument and has pursued a highly varied international career as an acclaimed solo performer, composer and teacher. In 2013 he became the first guitarist since John Williams in 1983 to be awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Music in recognition of his contribution to the instrument and recent invitations to perform include solo appearances in Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, India, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain.

Ryan studied guitar and piano from the age of 8 as a junior exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music, where he won the Director's Prize, later winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music to study with Timothy Walker in 1987. In 1991 he graduated with first class honours and many awards, including the Julian Bream Prize, the John Mundy String Prize and the Dorothy Grinstead Prize for an outstanding all-round musician. He then continued his post-graduate studies with an award from the Fleming Trust, becoming an Associate of the RAM in 1997.

Ryan made his London solo recital debut for the Park Lane Group at the Purcell Room in 1994 to exceptional critical acclaim and was subsequently invited to perform a series of recitals for the Kirckman Concert Society at London's South Bank Centre. In 1996, at the age of 27, he was then appointed as a Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music in London and currently combines a busy freelance career with his role as the RCM's Assistant Head of Strings.

Also well known as a composer, Gary Ryan's celebrated guitar compositions combine traditional classical techniques with more contemporary guitar styles and a rich variety of musical influences from around the world. These include his acclaimed solo concert work, Benga Beat, which was premièred in 2011 and features on YouTube, Scenes from The Wild West, Lough Caragh, Hot Club Français, Shamal, Rossbeigh Strand and Generator (for guitar duo). Other publications include Easy Piazzolla for Boosey and Hawkes and Guitar Star for the ABRSM.

In 2015 Gary Ryan was invited by John Williams to form 6 Hands, a new collaborative guitar trio with the jazz guitarist John Etheridge which has since toured the UK extensively. The trio also have further performances scheduled later in 2019.

OFFICIAL ACCOMPANIST ~ Conal Bembridge-Sayers

Welsh pianist and conductor Conal Bembridge-Sayers is currently a staff accompanist/coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and their Junior Conservatoire, as well as official accompanist for the Oxenfoord International Summer School, Gregynog Young Musician Competition, Urdd Eisteddfod, National Eisteddfodau, and the Bath Choral Society.

Conal's recital performances have taken him to the Leeds Lieder Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Ludlow English Song Festival, St. Martin's in the Field, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, Tenby Arts Festival, Oundle International Festival, the Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall, and St. David's Hall, as well as concerts for HRH Prince of Wales, Dame Shirley Bassey, and performances of The Bear at William Walton's estate, La Mortella on the island of Ischia. As a soloist, Conal has performed Shostakovich's 1st Piano Concerto, Richard Rodney Bennett's Party Piece, and numerous performances of Edward Gregson's Concertante for Piano and Brass Band, of which he gave the Welsh premiere.

Conal has been privileged to play for many outstanding musicians including Rebecca Evans, Adrian Thompson, Kathryn Harries, Gail Pearson, Eric Roberts, Rebecca Afonwy Jones, and Steffan Morris, in addition to accompanying masterclasses with Malcolm Martineau, Alish Tynan, Susan Bullock, John Mark Ainsley, Roderick Williams, Ann Murray, Anna Schwanewilms, Karen Cargill, Louise Alder, and Jamie Barton.

OFFICIAL ACCOMPANIST ~ Russell Medley

Russell Medley is a Senior Vocal Coach/Repetiteur in the School of Vocal and Opera Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. He was born in Cheshire and studied piano from an early age. After his graduation from the RNCM where he studied piano, double bass, composition and conducting, he decided to specialise in accompaniment and spent two years of postgraduate study culminating in a Performer's Diploma with Distinction in Accompaniment.

Russell has spent many years in the coaching and accompaniment of singers and has travelled widely throughout the UK playing for recitals and Master Classes in such venues as the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, the Cheltenham Festival and the Isle of Man. His career has also taken him abroad, performing in the Channel Islands, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Russell has also been involved in many concerts as Assistant Chorus Master to the Halle Choir and Chorus Master of the RNCM Chamber Choir and Opera Chorus. Russell is also Musical Director of the Sale Choral Society, The Lindow Singers and the Northern England Chorale who have toured extensively abroad giving performances in Cyprus, Prague, Vienna and Bratislava.

For over 30 years Russell has been a national and international examiner for the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music.