Welcome Croeso
B I O G R A P H Y
Born in Aberystwyth, Rhys started playing the clarinet aged 8 and by the age of eleven he was a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, where he realised his dream of becoming a professional clarinettist.
In 2005 Rhys graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, gaining First Class Honours and has performed many concertos with various orchestras since then, including many renditions of Mozart’s clarinet concerto and one of Rhys’ career highlights, Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
November 2006 saw the release of Rhys’ debut album, ‘In Two Minds / Mewn Dau Feddwl’, on the ‘Kissan’ record label.
Comfortable on the international circuit, Rhys nevertheless retains a strong sense of the musical passions of his roots. ‘Eisteddfodau’ are very close to Rhys’ heart and he has gained a superb record of gold medals whilst competing over the years. At the age of 18 he won the 18-25 Open Instrumental competition at Llangollen International Eisteddfod and in September 2006, won the ‘Bryn Terfel Urdd Scholarship Award’, of which he was appointed Musical Director 2 years later. In 1997 at the very young age of 14 Rhys gained his druid robes and became a member of Gorsedd y Beirdd (the ‘Bards Circle’ of Wales). Over the years Rhys has worked in many different roles in the National Eisteddfods including performer, adjudicator, TV and radio pundit, master of ceremonies and writer and performer for many gigs and evening concerts.
Rhys’ orchestral experience is extensive and is now regularly playing with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Welsh Sinfonia and Welsh National Opera.
Also comfortable in Musical Theatre, Rhys has a wide experience in musical direction and pit playing. Rhys has worked as a flute, clarinet and saxophone player on the UK national tours of ‘Oliver!’, ‘West Side Story’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘My Fair Lady', ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Billy Elliot’, ‘Miss Saigon’ and ‘Matilda’. Over recent years Rhys has also began arranging and composing and has arranged music for TV, radio and live concerts for artists such as Bryn Terfel, Ruthie Henshall, Ben Forster, Lucie Jones, Marisha Wallace and Kerry Ellis and in 2016 arranged and orchestrated the score for ‘The Golden Age of Dance’ at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Wales Millennium Centre.
Rhys runs and performs with 3 of his own bands; ‘RT Dixieband’ is a 6 piece traditional New Orleans jazz band, who’s debut album ‘Gwena’ was released on the Sain record label in 2022, ‘RT Big Band’, which is a full swing band performing anything from Sinatra to Stevie Wonder, and ’50 Shêds o Lleucu Llwyd’, who formed for the 2018 National Eisteddfod in Cardiff Bay, and since then gone on to perform on Television, Radio and in parties and festivals across the country.
Rhys’ first original musical theatre composition ‘Nyrsys’ premiered in the autumn of 2018, touring welsh theatres with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, gaining critical acclaim. Amongst Rhys’ recent compositions have been ‘Sing Together / Pawb i Ganu’n Un’, composed for ABC of Opera and viewed over 13,000 times on Youtube, and also ‘Brethyn’ – a song composed for SATB choir for Ceredigion’s hosting of this year’s Royal Welsh Agricultural Show.
