Elfyn Jones

Dr Elfyn Jones was brought up in a Welsh-speaking family in North Wales. He is a composer, opera maker, sound designer and music educator. He taught at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, led creative music projects for Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and St David’s Hall Cardiff, and was a Core Group Leader for ENO Baylis for ten years before moving to South West England in 2004.

Currently he directs Sonopera®CIC, and is a music consultant for Devon and Torbay Music Education Hubs. In this capacity he co-directs Devon Youth Choir. He teaches composition for Junior Trinity’s Distance Learning A level and tutors on the Creative Music Maker course at Trinity Laban, and has a portfolio of freelance engagements as a composer, musician and music educator.

His music has been performed in the UK, the USA, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. Commissions include opera, musical theatre, music for dance, music for orchestra, chamber music and music for a number of plays. His symphony The Journey was premièred by De Havilland Philharmonic in 2011 and featured by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in their Composers’ Day 2013. Opera includes The Nightjar, (Tête à Tête 1999), The Dead of Night (Opera North 2003), Jacko’s Hour (Opera Engine 2009), The Trial of Jean Rhys (Opera Europa 2011 and ROH 2011-2012), and Nine Stories High (WNO 2012), and three operas for his PhD, namely Vicky and Albert (2018), Her face was of flowers (2019) and The Trilobite, Or The Fall Of Mr Williams (2020). Last year he created a musical, BOAT, for Exeter College’s UAL Musical Theatre students, and has been invited back this year to create another, INFLUENCE, to be performed May 2024.

Elfyn gained a Natural Sciences degree from Cambridge University in 1989, before changing course for a career in music. He trained at Cardiff University (BMus 1st 1993), Guildhall School of Music and Drama (MMus 1995), and on attachment with London Sinfonietta (1994/5). He gained his PhD Sound design for the opera composer: concepts and methods at Goldsmiths, University of London in 2022.


Specialisms

  • Piano/Keyboard
  • Song-writing/composition

Teaching types

  • Ensembles/group music-making
  • Whole Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET)
  • Workshops

Membership Organisations and Professional Bodies

  • Incorporated Society of Musicians

Legal documentation

  •   Enhanced DBS Disclosure with Children’s Barred List
  •   Child protection/safeguarding training certificate
  •   Public Liability Insurance

Contact Elfyn Jones

Elfyn Jones prefers to be contacted by email: sonopera@sonopera.com

www.sonopera.com