Role

:

Composer  

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Chamber

 

David Evan Jones was a Welsh composer born on August 28, 1950, in Llanelli, Wales. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a conductor and his mother a singer. Jones began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the organ. He attended the University of Wales, where he studied music and composition. Jones' early works were heavily influenced by Welsh folk music and the choral tradition of Wales. His first major composition, "Cantata Memoria," was written in 1984 to commemorate the Aberfan disaster, a tragic event in which a coal waste tip collapsed onto a school in Aberfan, Wales, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The cantata was performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1985 and received critical acclaim. Jones continued to compose choral works throughout his career, including "The Bard," a cantata for choir and orchestra based on the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and "The Road of the Loving Heart," a setting of Welsh poet Waldo Williams' poem of the same name. Jones' choral works often feature lush harmonies and intricate counterpoint, and are known for their emotional depth and sensitivity. In addition to his choral works, Jones also composed orchestral and chamber music. His "Concerto for Oboe and Strings" was premiered by the Welsh Chamber Orchestra in 1990 and has since been performed by orchestras around the world. Jones' chamber music includes works for string quartet, piano trio, and solo piano. Jones was also a respected music educator, teaching at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the University of Wales. He was a Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and a member of the Welsh Academy of Music and Drama. Jones' music has been performed by some of the world's leading orchestras and choirs, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. His compositions have been recorded on numerous labels, including Chandos, Naxos, and Sain. Jones passed away on December 19, 2020, at the age of 70. His legacy as a composer and educator continues to inspire musicians and audiences around the world.

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