Gary Griffiths
Encyclopedia
Gary Griffiths is a Welsh
baritone
from the village of Pembrey
, near Llanelli
, Wales
.
and grew up in the village of Pembrey
, Carmarthenshire
. He is engaged to Welsh Harpist Hannah Stone
.
, Llanelli (secondary school, ages 7–18). He then trained as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
in London where he was awarded a Dance and Drama Award and gained a BA(Hons) in Acting. He went on to study singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
where in 2009 he won the prestigious Gold Medal
, gaining BMus and MMus degrees, both with First Class Honours.
singing the role of Guglielmo (Così fan tutte
), future roles there include Masetto (Don Giovanni
), Claudio (Beatrice and Benedict) and Schaunard (La bohème
). Concert performances include song recitals with Iain Burnisde and collaborations with conductor Martyn Brabbins
(Belshazzar's Feast
) and at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago. Other roles include Belcore (L'elisir d'amore
) for British Youth Opera
and The Dog and the Inn Keeper (The Cunning Little Vixen
) for Grange Park Opera
.
As a concert singer he has given recitals at many of the UK's major concert halls including the Wigmore Hall
with Sir Thomas Allen, Barbican Hall with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, Kings Place
with Iain Burnside, Bridgewater Hall
, Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Sage, Gateshead
.
He was recently selected as a rising star in BBC Music Magazine
. In his native Wales he has been highly successful in many competitions including MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the year 2008.
Show, Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol on Welsh TV channel S4C
. He has also appeared on BBC News 24
promoting Twitter the Opera for the Royal Opera House
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
from the village of Pembrey
Pembrey
Pembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
, near Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, 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...
.
Personal life
Griffiths was born in CarmarthenCarmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
and grew up in the village of Pembrey
Pembrey
Pembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. He is engaged to Welsh Harpist Hannah Stone
Hannah Stone
Hannah Stone is a Welsh Harpist from Swansea, Wales.- Personal life :Stone was born in Swansea and grew up in Treboeth and Mumbles. She is engaged to Welsh Baritone Gary Griffiths.- Education :...
.
Education
Griffiths attended Pembrey C.P. (primary school, ages 4–7) and was Head Boy at St. Michael's SchoolSt. Michael's School
-Australia:* St Michael's Collegiate School, Hobart, Tasmania* St Michael's Grammar School, Melbourne* St Michael's Parish School, Ashburton, Victoria* St. Michael's Catholic Parish Primary School-Canada:...
, Llanelli (secondary school, ages 7–18). He then trained as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is an independent drama school situated in the Wood Green area of North London. It was founded in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as 'The Mountview Theatre Club', an amateur repertory company staging a new production for a six-day run every second week...
in London where he was awarded a Dance and Drama Award and gained a BA(Hons) in Acting. He went on to study singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
where in 2009 he won the prestigious Gold Medal
Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
The Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, is awarded in April of each year to the winner of the school's music competition.-List of winners of the Gold Medal:*1910: Myra Hess *1924: Isidore Godfrey *1933: Max Jaffa...
, gaining BMus and MMus degrees, both with First Class Honours.
Career
His career started at Welsh National OperaWelsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
singing the role of Guglielmo (Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
), future roles there include Masetto (Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
), Claudio (Beatrice and Benedict) and Schaunard (La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
). Concert performances include song recitals with Iain Burnisde and collaborations with conductor Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins is a British conductor. He studied at Goldsmiths College, London University, and later was a conducting student of Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory....
(Belshazzar's Feast
Belshazzar's Feast
Belshazzar's Feast is described in the Book of Daniel. The Babylonian king Belshazzar profanes the sacred vessels of the enslaved Israelites. As prophesied by the writing on the wall, and interpreted by Daniel, Belshazzar is killed and Darius the Mede succeeds to his kingdom.There are many...
) and at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago. Other roles include Belcore (L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
) for British Youth Opera
British Youth Opera
Since it was founded in 1987, British Youth Opera has enabled over a thousand singers, instrumentalists, conductors, directors and production staff to gain experience through its annual September performances and workshop and masterclass series....
and The Dog and the Inn Keeper (The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen is an opera by Leoš Janáček, with a libretto adapted by the composer from a serialized novella by Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek, which was first published in the newspaper Lidové noviny.-Composition history:When Janáček discovered Těsnohlídek's...
) for Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera is a professional opera company whose base is The Grange in Hampshire, England. The company was founded in 1998 by Wasfi Kani OBE and Michael Moody...
.
As a concert singer he has given recitals at many of the UK's major concert halls including the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
with Sir Thomas Allen, Barbican Hall with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, Kings Place
Kings Place
Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space, a home for The Guardian newspaper since December 2008 and the headquarters of Network Rail...
with Iain Burnside, Bridgewater Hall
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....
, Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Sage, Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
.
He was recently selected as a rising star in BBC Music Magazine
BBC music magazine
BBC Music Magazine is a magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Reflecting the broadcast output of BBC Radio 3, the magazine is devoted primarily to classical music, though with sections on jazz and world music. Each edition comes...
. In his native Wales he has been highly successful in many competitions including MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the year 2008.
Television
Television appearances include The Shân CothiShân Cothi
Shân Cothi is a Welsh classical singer, presenter and actress. She was born and raised the daughter of a blacksmith in the tiny village of Ffarmers inCarmarthenshire. She graduated in Music and Drama from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth...
Show, Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol on Welsh TV channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
. He has also appeared on BBC News 24
BBC News 24
BBC News is the BBC's 24-hour rolling news television network in the United Kingdom. The channel launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 17:30 as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic television channels, becoming the first competitor to Sky News, which had been running since 1989...
promoting Twitter the Opera for 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...
.