Rhian Samuel facts for kids

Rhian Samuel was born in Aberdare, Wales, in 1944. She is a Welsh composer who lived in the USA for a long time. Rhian Samuel has created over 140 published musical pieces. These include music for orchestras, small groups of instruments (chamber music), singers (vocal music), and choirs (choral music). She now spends her time between mid-Wales and London. She lives in the coastal town of Aberdyfi.

About Rhian Samuel's Music

Rhian Samuel is known for her many different types of music. She writes for large orchestras and also for smaller groups of instruments. Her music has been performed by famous orchestras and choirs.

Orchestral and Choral Works

Rhian Samuel has written important pieces for orchestras. One of her early orchestral works is Elegy-Symphony, first played in 1981. Later, she composed Tirluniau/Landscapes for the BBC in 2000. This piece was even performed at the BBC Proms, a big music festival.

In 1983, she won the ASCAP/Rudolf Nissim Prize in the USA. This award was for her work called La Belle Dame sans Merci, which combines music for choir and orchestra. Another one of her pieces, Clytemnestra, was nominated for a Gramophone Award in 2020. This work was for a singer (soprano) and orchestra.

Music for Voices

Rhian Samuel has written many songs for singers and piano. These songs are often grouped into "cycles," which are collections of songs. She has written these for major music festivals. For example, she wrote Wildflower Songbook for the Oxford Lieder Festival. She also created A Swift Radiant Morning for the Three Choirs Festival. This piece used poems by a World War I poet.

She has also composed music for many different choirs. These include the New College Choir in Oxford and the BBC Singers. She even wrote for choirs at the universities where she taught.

Other Contributions to Music

Besides composing, Rhian Samuel has also written about music. She helped edit a big dictionary called the New Grove (Norton) Dictionary of Women Composers. In this role, she helped highlight the music created by women composers. She also wrote about the operas of Harrison Birtwistle. The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden asked her to write essays for their programs.

Many of her compositions are available on CDs. One CD, Light and Water, features only her chamber music. Another CD, Songs of Earth and Air, has her music for a male singer (baritone) and piano.

Awards and Recognition

Rhian Samuel has received special honors for her work. In 2006, she was given the Glyndŵr Award. This award recognizes people who have made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Wales. In 2016, the University of Wales gave her an honorary Doctor of Music degree.

Her piece Path Through the Woods was first performed in 2011. It was played by a recorder player and the Welsh Sinfonia orchestra.

Education and Teaching

Rhian Samuel studied music at Reading University in the UK. She also earned her master's and doctorate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis in the USA.

She joined the teaching staff at City University, London, in 1995. There, she became a Professor of Music in 1999. She is now an Emeritus Professor, which means she has retired but still holds the title. While at City University, she also guided advanced students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Later, from 2007 to 2016, she taught composition at Magdalen College, Oxford. Before these roles, she taught at the University of Reading from 1984 to 1995. She was even the Head of the Music Department there for some time. She also taught at the St. Louis Conservatory in the USA.