Paul Carey Jones (born 11th March 1974 in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

) is a Welsh-Irish

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

opera singer.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Cardiff, to a Welsh father (from Carmarthenshire) and an Irish mother (from

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

), and is a dual-nationality citizen of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. He attended the Welsh-medium schools Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd (primary school, ages 4–11) and

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf (''Taff Bank Welsh Language Comprehensive School'') is a Welsh-medium coeducational secondary school in Llandaff North, a district in the north of Cardiff, Wales; it is the largest of its kind in the country. Of the ...

(secondary school, ages 11–18), and remains a fluent Welsh speaker. He then studied

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at The

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

University, where he was awarded a Styring Exhibition in 1993, but "became increasingly aware that the course of the rest of my life was going to diverge from Physics". After completing a PGCE teacher training course at the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

Institute, Cardiff, he then returned to Ysgol Glantaf to teach Physics for two years, before resigning in 1998 to study singing at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

and then the

National Opera Studio The National Opera Studio in London, England was established in 1977 by the Arts Council as a link between the music colleges and the six main UK opera companies. It was resident at Morley College in Lambeth until 2003, when it gained use for th ...

in London, supported by

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...

. He appeared in the first round of ''

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

'' as team captain for the

, in 1999.

Career

Jones has appeared as a principal guest artist several times for

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish Op ...

and

Northern Ireland Opera Northern Ireland Opera is Northern Ireland's national opera company. The company is based at the Carnegie Building, Donegall Road, Belfast, and its major funder is the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The company's patron is Sean Rafferty, and ...

, as well as for the Royal Opera,

The Icelandic Opera The Icelandic Opera (''Íslenska óperan'') is an opera company based in Reykjavík that produces operas and concerts. Its productions emphasize Icelandic artists, but regularly involve foreign artists as well. The company performs between October a ...

Teatro Comunale di Bologna The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season. While there had been various theatres presenting opera in Bologna since the early 1 ...

, Teatro Comunale Bolzano, Teatro Rossini, at the

Wexford Festival Wexford Festival Opera () is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in south-eastern Ireland during the months of October and November. The festival began in 1951 under Tom Walsh and a group of opera lovers who quickly gener ...

, Buxton Festival, for

Opera Holland Park Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances, staged under a temporary canopy in front of the remains of Holland House, a Blitz-damaged building in Holland Park, west central London. The venue ...

Longborough Festival Opera Longborough Festival Opera is an opera festival which presents a season of high quality opera each June and July in the English Cotswolds village of Longborough in north Gloucestershire. It began in 1991 as Banks Fee Opera by presenting concerts ...

, Opera East,

Bampton Classical Opera Bampton Classical Opera is an opera company based in Bampton, Oxfordshire and founded in 1993. It specialises in the production of lesser known opera from the Classical period. Performances are always sung in English. ''Opera today'' called the c ...

, Diva Opera, and Lyric Opera Dublin.

Wagnerian roles

Jones was joint winner of the 2013 Wagner Society Singing Competition, and has since performed several of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's heldenbariton roles. He appeared for Longborough Festival Opera as

Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...

in '' Die Walküre'' (2021) and ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' (2022), and is due to reprise the role in their full cycle of '' Der Ring des Nibelungen'' in 2024, in a production directed by Amy Lane and conducted by Anthony Negus.

Contemporary music

Jones has given world premiere performances of works by the composers

Stephen McNeff Stephen McNeff (born 6 September 1951) is an Irish composer, best known for his work in contemporary theatre and opera. Biography Stephen McNeff was born in Belfast and grew up in south Wales. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music ...

(the oratorio ''Cities of Dreams'' in 2007; the role of

Elisha Elisha ( ; or "God is my salvation", Greek: , ''Elis îos'' or , ''Elisaié,'' Latin: ''Eliseus'') was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eli ...

in the opera ''The Burning Boy'' in 2017; and the role of Y Bon Pebr in the opera ''2117 / Hedd Wyn'' in 2022); Stuart MacRae (his ''Prometheus Symphony'' at the 2019 Lammermuir Festival);

Conor Mitchell Conor Mitchell is a Northern Irish composer, librettist and theatre-maker. His play, ''The Dummy Tree'', was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre for their 2009 New Connections series. Conor has been a great supporter of Youth Music Theatre ...

(the title role in ''The Musician'', Belfast 2021), John Metcalf (the roles of Dancing Williams, Sinbad Sailors, Willy Nilly, Mr Pugh, Mr Pritchard and Mr Floyd in '' Under Milk Wood: An Opera'', Metcalf's adaptation of

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

' play for voices); Peter Wiegold (his short opera based on the movie '' Brief Encounter'' in 2004); Jonathan Owen Clark (his opera ''Hidden States'' in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

in 2004); Richard Elfyn Jones (his oratorio ''In David's Land'' at

St David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail abo ...

's Cathedral in 2006, and his set of songs ''Four Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins'' in 2008);

Jonathan Dove Jonathan Dove (born 18 July 1959) is an English composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birmin ...

(his opera for television, '' Man on the Moon'', in 2006);

Keith Burstein Keith Burstein born 1957 as Keith Burston (the anglicised form adopted by his father of the surname, which Burstein later dropped) is an English composer, conductor and music theorist with Russian family origins. He is noted for his fervent cha ...

(playing the role of Mohammed in the opera ''

Manifest Destiny Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept: * The special vir ...

'' at the

2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

); David Power (his set ''Forever and Other Songs'');

Emily Hall Emily Hall (born 1978) is a composer of classical music, electronica and songs. Her music has been performed by the Duke Quartet, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Brodsky Quartet, the London Sinfonietta, and the Philharmonia; it has been broa ...

(four settings of words by Toby Litt at the 2010 Grimsby St Hugh's Festival); Sadie Harrison (''Heartoutbursts''); and Timothy Raymond (''From Dark to Dark''). For Northern Ireland Opera in 2012 he created the roles of the Policeman in Ed Bennett's ''Jackie's Taxi'', the Father in Christopher Norby's ''The Girl Who Knew She Could Fly'' and the Father in Brian Irvine's ''May Contain Flash Photography''. His work in contemporary opera has also included the role of Blazes in

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

' ''

The Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower aiding marine navigation. Light House, Lighthouse, or The Lighthouse may also refer to: Art and architecture Actual lighthouses Buildings called "Light House" or "Lighthouse" * Light House (Aarhus), a skyscraper under ...

'' at the Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte di

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome b ...

, Sam in

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's ''

Trouble in Tahiti ''Trouble in Tahiti'' is a one-act opera in seven scenes composed by Leonard Bernstein with an English libretto by the composer. It is the darkest among Bernstein's "musicals", and one of only two for which he wrote the words and the music. (He ...

'' for Second Movement,

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

in the Italian premiere of

Michael Daugherty Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and Postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired ''Metropolis Sym ...

's '' Jackie O'' at the Teatro Rossini in Lugo and the

, The Priest in the Scottish premiere of ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and pr ...

'' by

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

and Pacheco in the world premiere of the revised version of ''

Ines de Castro Ines or INES may refer to: People * Ines (name), a feminine given name, also written as Inés or Inês * Saint Ines or Agnes (), Roman virgin–martyr * Eda-Ines Etti (stage name: ''Ines''; born 1981), Estonian singer Places * Doña Ines, a volca ...

'' by

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...

, both for Scottish Opera, and The Colonel in the Icelandic premiere of Daniel Bjarnason's ''Brothers'' for The Icelandic Opera.

Collaboration with Oliver Mears

Jones works regularly with the director Oliver Mears. Their collaborations include Scarpia (''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

''), Verdi's ''Macbeth'', Father ('' Hansel and Gretel'') and Noye (''

Noye's Fludde ''Noye's Fludde'' is a one-act opera by the British composer Benjamin Britten, intended primarily for amateur performers, particularly children. First performed on 18 June 1958 at that year's Aldeburgh Festival, it is based on the 15th-century ...

'') for Northern Ireland Opera; Scarpia (''Tosca'') and Speaker (''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'') for

Nevill Holt Opera Nevill Holt Opera is an arts festival at the end of June and beginning of July that is held at Nevill Holt Hall in Leicestershire, the home of Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross. History Nevill Holt Opera launched its first independent s ...

; and Sam (''

'') and Monsieur Juste (''The Three Wishes'') for

Second Movement ''Second Movement'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris and pianist/vocalist Les McCann recorded in 1971 and released on the Atlantic label.

Collaboration with Llŷr Williams

As a member of

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

's ''Live Music Now!'' scheme he gave over 200 concerts, mainly in partnership with the pianist

Llŷr Williams Llŷr Williams (born 1976) is a Welsh concert pianist. Childhood Williams was born in the village of Pentre Bychan in Wrexham, Wales. He inherited an interest in opera from his father, and before the age of seven he was attending performances ...

, with whom he continues to collaborate; their debut album of classical songs, titled ''Enaid – Songs of the Soul'', was released in November 2007 by Sain. In November 2008 they premiered a set of songs, ''Four Poems of

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

'', written specifically for them by the composer Richard Elfyn Jones, in a recital at Cardiff University, and in August 2011 they appeared at an evening recital at the

Machynlleth Festival The Machynlleth Festival takes place in the Auditorium of The Tabernacle, Machynlleth, Wales in late August every year. During the week eminent performers take part in events ranging from recitals for children to jazz. Events The festival begin ...

, giving their first performance of

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 wor ...

's ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert ( D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two song cycles on Müller' ...

''.

Recordings

Jones' debut album of classical songs, titled ''Enaid – Songs of the Soul'', was released in November 2007 by Sain., with the pianist Llŷr Williams. A track from the album was included on Sain's 2009 compilation album, ''The Welsh Gold Collection''. His second solo album, ''Songs Now'', of songs by contemporary British composers, was released in August 2012 by

Meridian Records Meridian Records is a British independent record label based in London. Having been founded in 1977, Meridian has celebrated more than a third of a century of recording classical music in its well regarded 'natural sound'. Meridian has tradit ...

, with the pianist Ian Ryan. His third solo album, of songs by Clara Schumann and

Rhian Samuel Rhian Samuel (born Aberdare, Wales, 1944) is a Welsh woman composer who resided in the USA for many years. She has composed over 140 published works, including orchestral, chamber, vocal, and choral music. She now divides her time between mid-Wa ...

, with soprano Katharine Dain and pianist Jocelyn Freeman, was released in 2019 by Ty Cerdd Records under the title ''Song Lied Cân''. Jones sings the roles of Squire Allworthy and Dobbin on

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...

' recording of Edward German's '' Tom Jones'', released in August 2009. He appears in various roles, including Dancing Williams, Sinbad Sailors and Mr Pugh, on the original cast recording of John Metcalf's ''Under Milk Wood: An Opera'', released by Ty Cerdd in 2014, and in Stephen McNeff's ''2117 / Hedd Wyn'' as Y Bon Pebr, also from Ty Cerdd in 2022, with a libretto by

Gruff Rhys Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys (; born 18 July 1970) is a Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals, which obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He formed ...

. On DVD, Jones appears as

on Dynamic's 2009 recording of

's '' Jackie O'', and in various roles on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's 2005 film of

Rachel Portman Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman,
FilmReference.com Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...

's aria ''Questo Amor'' was used on the soundtrack of San Banarje's multi-award-winning 2010 film ''

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

''.

Writing

Jones publishes a long-running blog under the title ''Ranitidine & Tonic''. His regular posts on the response of the classical music industry to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

were published in late 2020 in

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

, hardback, Kindle and audiobook editions (the latter narrated by the author) under the title '' Giving It Away: Classical Music in Lockdown and other fairytales''.

Campaigning Work

Since 2021 Jones has been a member of the steering group of the voluntary campaigning organisation ''Freelancers Make Theatre Work'', being particularly active on the impact of

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

on the performing arts industry in the UK."British Musicians Face Up to Brexit's Perfect Storm", 29 March 2021
/ref>

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Paul Carey 1974 births Living people Welsh-language singers Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Welsh operatic baritones Singers from Cardiff 21st-century Welsh male opera singers People educated at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf Contestants on University Challenge