John Hywel

John Hywel was born in Cemaes Bay, Anglesey in 1941, and began writing music at the age of twelve. He was educated at the Sir Thomas Jones School, Amlwch, and read music at the University College Bangor, graduating in 1962 followed by an M.Mus two years later. After studying composition with Reginald Smith Brindle and William Mathias he went on to study conducting with Maurice Miles at the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the Ernest Read Prize for conducting in 1965.
He was appointed as lecturer in the Department of Music at University College Bangor in 1966, and became Head of Department from 1987 to 1991. His specialist area lay in the field of orchestral and choral conducting, which includes the University Choir, Symphony Orchestra and Opera Society, together with the Seiriol Singers, the Pwllheli and District Choral Association, Cantorion Menai, Côr Meibion Caernarfon, and Côr Meibion y Traeth. Amongst professional orchestras he has conducted are the Northern Sinfonia and the BBC Welsh.
He served as Music Editor and Director for Gwynn Publishing Company from 1984 until 2002. His output of choral arrangements are numerous, which including the set of folk songs My Love is a Venus, Along the Shore, and One Goat Missing? for SATB, in addition to his arrangements of well-known Welsh songs, Famous Songs of Wales.

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