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Who's who
Penny Ryan - Director. Brought up in Skewen, Penny was awarded a State Scholarship and graduated in English at King’s College, London, afterwards reading Education at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. She later studied music and singing at the then Welsh College of Music and Drama, winning several prizes and being awarded three major performance diplomas before gaining a University of Wales Masters degree for research into musical ability. As a singer, she recorded with the Morriston Orpheus Choir for EMI, was a founder member of Brecon Cathedral Singers and sung at many major concert halls. She has written and broadcast on the Arts in Education and on Women in Management. After a headship at Mynyddbach School, she became Principal of Gorseinon College. Since leaving, she has concentrated on teaching music and singing encouraging her pupils to achieving outstanding examination results and helping gain entry to conservatoires and universities. She works at All Saints Oystermouth as choral director, also setting up and directing the annual Festival of Literature and Festival of Music there. She has recently formed a youth choral group called the Ariosa Singers who have already made successful tours of Dublin and Prague and given several concerts locally. Having served as a member of the Welsh Arts Council, she is now a governor and Audit Chair of Trinity College, Carmarthen, and a director and Audit Chair of Estyn, Her Majesty’s Education and Training Inspection Body. She is a trustee of the Austin Bailey Foundation and chairs the newly formed Diocesan RSCM committee; Penny is President of Swansea Save The Children, a past President of the Philharmonic Choir and a Vice President of Dunvant Male Choir. She received a Woman of the Year commendation for her work as a charity fundraiser and was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts for her work in artistic enterprise as well as the OBE for her services to education.
Hywel Evans - accompanist was born in Swansea and attended Grange and Bishop Gore Schools before being awarded a sixth form scholarship to Chethams School of Music, Manchester. In 2005, he gained an honours Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he studied under international recital pianist, Richard McMahon, Head of Keyboard Studies. Whilst a student he participated in several college masterclasses directed by internationally renowned artists including Alexei Skravronsky, Bernard Roberts and Malcolm Martineau, and he accompanied at a Walton song masterclass in college attended by Lady Walton. He is an accomplished, very experienced and versatile accompanist playing for many concert performances as well working with Penny Ryan coaching students for advanced and diploma examinations, helping them achieve consistently outstanding results. He has frequently accompanied for auditions at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As a freelance pianist, he accompanies many local choirs and soloists. He is a member of the music staff of Morriston RFC Choir and Dunvant Male Choir as well as being professional accompanist to the Ariosa Singers. He was highly praised in their recent Dublin and Prague concert tours. Hywel has played for Ballet Russe masterclasses working with Nona Shestakova, dancer and teacher at the world famous Kirov Ballet, St Petersburg. Yvonne Gabriel is Administrator to the Ariosa Singers. She has been in business all her life and applies her skills to the smooth running of the choir. Yvonne sings in All Saints Church Choir, Oystermouth and is an administrator for the Swansea Philharmonic Choir. |
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