CLAIRE JONES: 

Official Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales

One of Wales's brightest young talents – Claire recently gained a 1^st Class B.Mus. Honours degree at the Royal College of Music, London, under her mentor Professor Ieuan Jones.  Claire will now continue as a postgraduate Scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, under Professor Skaila Kanga.  She is one of the first recipients of the newly announced Prince of Wales Advanced Study Awards Scheme, aimed at helping Wales’ most outstanding young musical talent.

At the age of 14 Claire gained Distinctions at her Grade 8 examinations in Harp, Violin and Piano firmly demonstrating the innate musicality that she possesses.

Already a seasoned Royal Performer, Claire performed as a soloist for Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 16, and in July 2006 performed for HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.  Other performances include playing at The Houses of Parliament, Portcullis House, Kensington and St. James' Palace.  She has performed as a Soloist with the National Youth String Academy of London at the Fishguard International Music Festival and the Aberystwyth Musicfest (2005). Claire has also performed at many corporate events, impressing many distinguished guests.  She has also been privileged to take part in masterclasses with some of the world’s finest harpists, including Marisa Robles.

Since winning the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1999, she has gone from strength to strength, in 2006 she was finalist at the 3^rd International Harp Competition in Lille, France, she won the Royal College of Music Harp competition, the solo harp competition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales 2006 and gained 2nd place in the Camac Harp competition, North London.

2007 includes performances for The Prince, appearances at the European Harp Symposium Cardiff, Cambridge Summer Music Festival, and a number of events in Wales. Highlights of 2008 include the premier of the Lazarus Requiem (Patrick Hawes) at the Cadogan Hall, London, The Plaxtol Music Festival and the Howden Music Festival, the development of an innovative Trio, called TRINIQUE, with Dewi Ellis Jones and Rhys Taylor and appearances in support of the Charity “Wellbeing of Women”. Claire’s first CD is called “Touching Gold/Wrth Gyffordd ag Gaur”.

In 2005 Rhys graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, with First Class Honours. Taught by Nicholas Cox, Principal Clarinet with the RLPO, playing with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Orchestra and Big Band, Rhys gained a wide experience, and in his final year  Rhys was awarded the prestigious PPRNCM diploma for his performance of Debussy’s ‘Premiére Rhapsodie’ and Adam Gorb’s ‘Sonata’.  In 2006 Rhys was awarded the Ysgoloriaeth Bryn Terfel.

Among Rhys’ solo performances have been concertos by Mozart, Weber, Copland and Artie Shaw, and in March 2005 came Rhys’ proudest moment when he performed Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, at Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.

Rhys is now putting that experience and his musical ability into recording and performances.  He is continuing his classical career performing with Orchestras, Ensembles as well as smaller groups and also has a captivating repertoire with various single accompanists.  In his CD Rhys is performing with strings, piano, bass and percussion to bring you the two sides of his musicality, the easy listening and the classical.  With astounding ease the music flows from his clarinet and touches you as if for the first time.  Even well known tunes have that unique slant under Rhys’ brilliant technique and musicality and it is this uniqueness and exceptional musicality that makes Rhys so very worth listening to.

2007 seems Rhys bring his arrangements to ensembles that include Catrin Finch, Dewi Ellis Jones and Claire Jones, Harpist to The Prince of Wales. 2008 will see the launch of TRINIQUE, a unique Trio comprising Rhys with Percussion (Dewi Ellis Jones) and Harp (Claire Jones).