Rhys Meirion
Encyclopedia
Rhys Meirion is a Welsh opera and concert singer.
Meirion was born in Porthmadog
, Gwynedd
. He worked as a primary school headteacher at Ysgol Pentrecelyn near Ruthin
before leaving in 1997 to study opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London. He is one of ‘The Three Welsh Tenors’ and his album with Bryn Terfel
, “Benedictus”, was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2006. He has sung the part of Rodolfo
with Frankfurt Opera, West Australian Opera
and at Opera Australia
, and the title role in Gounod's Faust at the Hong Kong Opera Society
.
Unknown to many of his fans and followers Rhys Meirion
has a fond hobby of bee keeping.
He owns his own be harvest. His family have been keeping bees throughout the generations and was soon passed on to Him his wife and kids and have been keeping bees since 1996. He makes jars of honey every year from his hive and is always willing to hand them out to people from the community .
He joined English National Opera
in 1999 and later became Company Principal from 2001 to 2004. There he sang most of the leading tenor roles including Rodolfo in La Boheme
and Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly. He also played the role of Alfredo in La Traviata
, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, Marcello in Leoncavallo’s La Boheme
, Duke in Rigoletto
, Tebaldo in Capuletti e Montecchi, Tamino in The Magic Flute
, title role in Ernani, Sailor in Tristan und Isolde
, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
, Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier
, Froh in Das Rheingold
and Zinovy in Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk.
Meirion was born in Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
, Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. He worked as a primary school headteacher at Ysgol Pentrecelyn near Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
before leaving in 1997 to study opera 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:...
in London. He is one of ‘The Three Welsh Tenors’ and his album with Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
, “Benedictus”, was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2006. He has sung the part of Rodolfo
Rodolfo
Rodolfo is a given name, may refer to:*Rodolfo Raphael Macalintal Brother of Miggy*Rodolfo Vieira , Portuguese violinist*Rodolfo , Hungarian illusionist*Rodolfo Dantas Bispo , Brazilian footballer...
with Frankfurt Opera, West Australian Opera
West Australian Opera
West Australian Opera is the principal opera company of Western Australia and is based at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth.The company formed in 1967 and works in close association with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. As of 2008, the Chairman is Erich Fraunschiel and Artistic Director is...
and at Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
, and the title role in Gounod's Faust at the Hong Kong Opera Society
Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
.
Unknown to many of his fans and followers Rhys Meirion
Rhys Meirion
Rhys Meirion is a Welsh opera and concert singer.Meirion was born in Porthmadog, Gwynedd. He worked as a primary school headteacher at Ysgol Pentrecelyn near Ruthin before leaving in 1997 to study opera at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London...
has a fond hobby of bee keeping.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
He owns his own be harvest. His family have been keeping bees throughout the generations and was soon passed on to Him his wife and kids and have been keeping bees since 1996. He makes jars of honey every year from his hive and is always willing to hand them out to people from the community .
He joined English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
in 1999 and later became Company Principal from 2001 to 2004. There he sang most of the leading tenor roles including Rodolfo in La Boheme
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...
and Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly. He also played the role of Alfredo in La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, Marcello in Leoncavallo’s La Boheme
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...
, Duke in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Tebaldo in Capuletti e Montecchi, Tamino in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, title role in Ernani, Sailor in Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
, Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
, Froh in Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
and Zinovy in Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk.