Edward Elwyn Jones (born 27 April 1977) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

conductor and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

Life and work

Edward Elwyn Jones is a conductor, organist and choirmaster. As the Gund University Organist and Choirmaster at Harvard University, a post he has held since 2003, Mr. Jones directs the music program in Memorial Church, located in the midst of Harvard Yard, and leads the 180-year-old Harvard University Choir in its daily choral services, broadcasts, tours, commissions, and recordings. Recently appointed Music Director of Lowell House Opera, New England's longest-running opera company, Mr. Jones also serves as Artistic Director of the Harvard Radcliffe Chorus, and is a frequent collaborator with Yale’s Schola Cantorum. As a conductor, he has guested with such organizations as Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Grand Harmonie, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Boston Camerata, Emmanuel Music (Boston), Longwood Symphony Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra, and led opera productions with Iceland’s Reykjavic Summer Opera Festival, Opera Boston, Lowell House Opera, Harvard Early Music Society, and Mannes Opera, among others. Jones studied music at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he was Organ Scholar of Emmanuel College. He was also the conductor of three university orchestras. Upon moving to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1998, Jones served firstly as Organ Scholar and then as Assistant Organist in the Memorial Church at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Jones was the Assistant Organist of Christ Church United Methodist on

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from 2000 to 2003, while earning a master's degree in orchestral conducting at Mannes College of Music. Jones has focused particularly on conducting

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

, which he has pursued with the Harvard Early Music Society, Mannes Opera, Lowell House Opera Society, and the Reykjavík Summer Opera Festival in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. In April 2003, Jones was appointed Gund University Organist and Choirmaster of the Memorial Church at

. In this position, Jones is the current director of the

Harvard University Choir The Harvard University Choir, more commonly referred to as the University Choir or simply UChoir, is Harvard University's oldest choir. It has provided choral music for the Harvard Memorial Church and its predecessor church for over 180 years, and i ...

. Jones was appointed Music Director of Lowell House Opera ''in 2015.'' He is married to soprano

Amanda Forsythe Amanda Forsythe (born 1976) is an American light lyric soprano who is particularly admired for her interpretations of baroque music and the works of Rossini. Forsythe has received continued critical acclaim from many publications including ''Ope ...

References

External links

Harvard University Choir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Edward Elwyn 1977 births Welsh conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Welsh classical organists British male organists Living people Harvard University staff Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century organists 21st-century British male musicians Male classical organists