Huw Edwards is a Welsh conductor. Edwards' conducting career began at age seventeen when he became music director of the Maidstone Opera Company in England. He later attended the
University of Surrey, where he conducted the college orchestra along with an ensemble that he formed himself. At age twenty-three, he won a conducting competition which sent him to
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas. He then held a lecturer position at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in Chicago, where he was also a doctoral candidate. Edwards was conductor and music director of the
Portland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910, when music teacher Mary ...
from 1995 to 2002 followed by the
Seattle Youth Symphony from 2002 to 2005. He served as music director of the
Portland Columbia Symphony from 2000 to 2012 and with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2020.
Early life and education
Born in
South Wales, Edwards moved with his parents to England and sang in choirs as a child. He witnessed his first opera (
Giuseppe Verdi's ''
Un ballo in maschera
''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''.
Th ...
'') at eleven years old when his parents took him to the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) 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. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...
in
Covent Garden.
Seven years later, he was conducting
Gilbert and
Sullivan's operetta ''
H.M.S. Pinafore
''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...
'' on that same podium. Edwards played violin and trumpet through grammar school and high school but abandoned performance for conducting.
Edwards has been conducting since age seventeen when he became music director of the Maidstone Opera Company in England, a position he held for six years.
Edwards attended the
University of Surrey, where he conducted the college orchestra along with an ensemble that he formed himself. He won a conducting competition in 1988 which sent him to
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas at twenty-three years old.
There he experienced "culture shock", being "accustomed to the rolling hills of England and the cosmopolitan buzz of London".[ He held a lecturer position at ]Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in Chicago, where he was also a doctoral candidate. Four years later he moved to the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his lifetime, Edwards has received instruction from Anshel Brusilow (Dallas), chorus leader Simon Johnson (London), Eduardo Mata
Eduardo Mata (5 September 19425 January 1995) was a Mexican conductor and composer.
Career
Mata was born in Mexico City. He studied guitar privately for three years before enrolling in the National Conservatory of Music. From 1960 to 1963 he ...
, Barry Wordsworth
Barry Wordsworth (born 20 February 1948, Worcester Park, Surrey, U.K.) is a British conductor.
Wordsworth is Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet and has had a long relationship with company. He was first appointed as Assistant Cond ...
, and Victor Yampolsky (Northwestern University).
Career
Prior to joining the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Edwards had written extensively about music. He contributed to ''Stagebill'' in Chicago, Dallas, London and Washington, D.C. and wrote program notes for Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
and the Guarnari Quartet. He had also conducted opera and orchestras throughout Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Edwards has performed with the Annas Bay Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Symphony, Memphis Symphony Orchestra The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Memphis, Tennessee. The orchestra's primary performing venue is the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.
Prior to the formation of the orchestra, classical orchestras had existed ...
, Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. I ...
, Rose City Chamber Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Yakima Symphony.[ He has been invited to speak at the ]American Symphony Orchestra League
The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members.
Based in New York Ci ...
convention in Boston and assisted with the organisation's "Meet for the Millennium" project.
Portland Youth Philharmonic
Edwards became conductor and music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910, when music teacher Mary ...
(PYP) in 1995, following Jacob Avshalomov
Jacob Avshalomov (March 28, 1919 – April 25, 2013) was a composer and conductor.
Early life and education
Jacob Avshalomov was born on March 28, 1919, in Tsingtao, China. Note: Profile by David Campbell. His father was Aaron Avshalomov, the ...
's forty-year tenure to become the orchestra's third conductor. He was selected unanimously by a twelve-person committee from a field of more than one hundred candidates, and was officially handed the baton by Avshalomov at the season opening Riverside Classics concert on 30 August.[ Note: Article was published between 31 August and 4 September 1995, based on text indicating days of week in relation to concerts; exact date unknown.] After Avshalomov conducted the first half of the concert, Edwards completed PYP's set with performances of works by Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...
, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The program for the first subscription series concert, which received positive reception, included: Giuseppe Verdi's ''Nabucco
''Nabucco'' (, short for Nabucodonosor ; en, "Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblical books of 2 Kings, J ...
'' Overture, Ralph Vaughan Williams's '' Serenade to Music'', and Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
's '' Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber''.[ In addition to the four season subscription concerts performed at the ]Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (opened as the Portland Publix Theatre before becoming the Paramount Theatre after 1930) is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon, United States. Part of the Portland Cent ...
, the 1995–1996 season included performances at the Newport Performing Arts Center in Newport and The Resort at the Mountain near Mount Hood, as well as in Eugene, Salem, and Newberg. In 1996 the first interactive Children's Concert was broadcast live via satellite across Oregon. The collaboration between PYP and Multnomah Community TV continued beyond 1996; in 1998 concerts were streamed as far away as Tucson, Arizona, and a 1999 recording became a finalist in the national Hometown Video Festival.
Released on 27 March 1998, ''Fountain of Youth'' became the orchestra's sixth commercial recording on Compact Disc (previous recordings were vinyl or cassette). The compilation album included works recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (opened as the Portland Publix Theatre before becoming the Paramount Theatre after 1930) is a historic theater building and performing arts center in Portland, Oregon, United States. Part of the Portland Cent ...
during seasons seventy-three and seventy-four. In January 1999, ''Portland Parent'' published an article by Edwards titled "The Role of Classical Music in the Lives of Young People", which discussed the benefits of classical music to child learning development. The 1998–1999 season included performances in Salem, Newberg, Welches, St. Helens, and Milwaukie and Longview, Washington
Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...
in addition to the regular subscription series. On 10 February 1999 the orchestra opened a Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
game at the Rose Garden
A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...
performing ''The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
''.
During Edwards' seven years with the orchestra, he and other PYP representatives established a peer mentor Peer mentoring is a form of mentorship that usually takes place between a person who has lived through a specific experience (peer mentor) and a person who is new to that experience (the peer mentee). An example would be an experienced student being ...
program which partnered orchestra musicians with low-income students with little access to music education, and earned the ensemble its second ASCAP award for "Adventurous Programming and Commitment to Contemporary Music".[ He made five recordings and led the orchestra on two tours: in April 1998 the Philharmonic represented the United States at the Banff International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Canada,][ and the orchestra toured Australia and ]New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in 2000.[ The tour included performances in Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Armidale, Newcastle, Sydney, and Melbourne. Edwards also recorded Gabriel Fauré's '' Requiem'' at St. Mary's Cathedral as a collaboration with Cantores in Ecclesia.][ Edwards left PYP in 2002 and was succeeded by ]Mei-Ann Chen
Mei-Ann Chen (; born 1973) is a Taiwanese American conductor. She is currently music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and conductor laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Early life and education
A native of Taiwan, Chen wanted to be ...
.[ Guest conductors during PYP's 2007–2008 season included Ken Selden, director of orchestral studies at Portland State University, former ]Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra also serves as the accompanying orchestra for the Seattle Opera.
History
Beginnings
The orchestr ...
conductor Alastair Willis Alastair Willis is a Grammy-nominated conductor and music director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Willis is the brother of Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German o ...
, along with former PYP conductors Edwards and Chen.
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra
He became music director of the Seattle Youth Symphony at the start of its sixtieth season (2002–2003), putting him in charge of 1,000 young musicians participating in the symphony and its four preparatory orchestras as well as the organisation's outreach programs and the Marrowstone Music Festival program. Edwards increased the Seattle orchestra's repertoire by performing works by British composers of the 20th century and by premiering works by American composers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
such as John Mackey. One ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States.
The newspaper was f ...
'' contributor wrote that Edwards made a "fine choice" for the ensemble, noting that he "nurture coache and encourage his musicians". Furthermore, she claimed that his program notes were a "model of clarity and fascinating detail". Edwards remained music director of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra until 2005.[ He has stated the following about working with young musicians:
]
Portland Columbia Symphony, Olympia Symphony Orchestra
Edwards began serving as music director of the Portland Columbia Symphony in 2000. His year-long audition process for the music director position with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra began during the 2002–2003 season.[ The season also marked his fifth with the Marrowstone Summer Music program, where he remained until 2005.][ In 2010, Edwards was one of four finalists for the conductor position with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra.][
In April 2012 Edwards announced his resignation at the end of his twelfth season with the Portland Columbia Symphony, citing exhaustion from the commutes between Olympia and Portland as the reason. He has been named Conductor Emeritus and Principal Guest Conductor and returned for the 2012–2013 season finale concert.
During the final performance of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra's 2014–15 season it was announced that Edwards had signed a ten-year contract extension as its conductor. In September 2019, he announced that although several years remained on his contract, the 2019–2020 season would be his final season with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra.
]
University of Puget Sound
In May 2012, Edwards accepted the orchestra conductor position at the University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...
, a private liberal arts college located in Tacoma, Washington.
Interests
Dedicated to music education, Edwards enjoys conducting Beethoven for youth orchestras.[ He has admitted that he did not envision a career conducting youth orchestras but also that he "did not rule them out".][ His favourite composition is '']Parsifal
''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival ...
'' by Richard Wagner; other favourites include unaccompanied choral music, cello suites by Bach, quartets by Beethoven and jazz, including Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...
.[ Apart from music, Edwards likes the Chicago Bears, ]CrossFit
CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...
, golf, kayaking, '' Masterpiece Theater'', poetry, and Rhône wine
The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) designations. The region's major appellation in production volume is Côtes du Rhôn ...
along with the winemaking
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
process.[ Edwards is an avid sports fan and fitness advocate; he is a former rugby player, enjoys running and playing squash, and believes there are similarities between how music and sports affect the community.][ He was sometimes referred to as "coach" by musicians of the Portland Youth Philharmonic.][ Edwards has shared that he would want to work at a vineyard or winery, or be a sports radio host or travel correspondent for a publication if he were not a conductor.][
]
See also
* List of people from Swansea
* List of Southern Methodist University people
* List of University of Surrey people
* List of Welsh people
* Music education for young children
* Music of Wales
The Music of Wales (Welsh: ''Cerddoriaeth Cymru''), particularly singing, is a significant part of Welsh national identity, and the country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song".Davies (2008), pg 579.
This is a modern stereotype ba ...
References
External links
"Huw Edwards and the Olympia Symphony"
a photo gallery by ''The Olympian
''The Olympian'' is a newspaper based in Olympia, Washington, in the United States.
History
Olympia was home to the first newspaper to be published in modern-day Washington, ''The Columbian'', which published its first edition on September 11, ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Huw
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
20th-century American musicians
20th-century British conductors (music)
21st-century American musicians
21st-century British conductors (music)
Alumni of the University of Surrey
American music educators
British male conductors (music)
British music educators
Musicians from Swansea
Northwestern University alumni
Northwestern University faculty
Portland Youth Philharmonic conductors
Southern Methodist University alumni
Welsh conductors (music)
Welsh emigrants to the United States