Ellen Angharad Williams – Soprano
Praised by the Guardian for her “poise and promise, her voice agile with silvery charm”, Ellen Angharad Williams has performed in theatres and concert venues both internationally and across the UK, including Cadogan Hall, Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, Bridgewater Hall, Venue Cymru, The Wales Millennium Centre, and St. David’s Hall.
Ellen is a recent graduate of the RWCMD Opera course, where she studied with Suzanne Murphy and Michael Pollock and was a recipient of an Aneurin Davies Award, the Elias Singing Prize for Soprano, and a Leverhulme Scholarship. Ellen is also an alumna of Tibor Varga Music Academy in Switzerland, Dartington International Summer School, and COSI Opera Festival in Italy, gratefully supported by the Arts Council of Wales and the Elizabeth Evans Trust.
Equally at home on the operatic stage and concert platform, Ellen has given recitals at Fishguard International Music Festival, Bangor Music Festival where her “poignant performances” engaged audiences (Wales Arts Review), Cowbridge Music Festival, and at the Royal British Legion Wales Festival of Remembrance in St. David’s Hall. Ellen has won numerous awards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including an Eirwen Griffiths Jones scholarship and a Violet Mary Lewis memorial scholarship, and appears regularly on Welsh television and radio with highlights including a performance under the baton of Karl Jenkins in the Welsh premier of The Bards of Wales, and appearing as one of the “10 Divas” on S4C. Concert works include Handel’s Messiah in St. David’s Hall, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in Gloucester Cathedral conducted by Adrian Partington, Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio in Llandaff Cathedral.
Seen and Heard International praised her “convincingly self-absorbed” Semele for Mid Wales Opera: ‘Endless Pleasure’ and ‘Myself I shall adore’ “sang with both grace and agility were among highlights of the evening and revealed distinct promise”. Ellen has also sang Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at the COSI Opera Festival in Italy, Lady Harriet in Flotow’s Martha with Burry Port Opera, First Niece (Peter Grimes) in the Dartington Great Hall conducted by Sian Edwards, Valletto/Fortuna (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with Ensemble OrQuesta, and during her time at the RWCMD a “spirited” Nannetta (ASIW) conducted by Carlo Rizzi, scenes as Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) and Lakmé with the WNO Orchestra under the baton of Simon Phillippo, Barbarina and cover Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Emmie (Albert Herring), Cendrillon by Massenet with Bute Park Opera, and Baroque favourites with Rachel Podger in the Dora Stoutzker Hall. In 2016 Ellen was delighted to perform the final fugue in Verdi’s Falstaff as Nannetta in a celebratory concert for the RWCMD to HRH the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
Ellen also holds an Honours degree in Spanish and French from the University of Exeter where she graduated with Distinction in spoken Spanish.
Joseph Cavalli-Price – Pianist
Joseph is the accompanist of Only Boys Aloud, Only Kids Aloud, Cor Caerdydd, Cardiff Arms Park Male Voice Choir, ReChoir and a keys player with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra. He made his debut at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2018, as guest accompanist of the Festival of Massed Male Choirs. Other notable performances include working as the official accompanist for Wales’ Festival of Remembrance and as the official accompanist for Sir Karl Jenkins’ 75th Birthday Concert at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. A former Organ Scholar at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St David, Cardiff, Joseph accompanied the choir for all the main Cathedral events, highlights of which included a performance for HRH the Prince of Wales and a live broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Born in Neath, Joseph is studying as a Tenor on the Vocal and Opera course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under the tuition of renowned Tenor, Adrian Thompson alongside his studies as a Collaborative Pianist with Michael Pollock.
Described as ‘a rare breed of accompanist, exquisitely sympathetic to the needs of a soloist,’ Joseph has received numerous awards for both his accompanying and singing including; the Layton Watkins Memorial Award, the Richard Harris Memorial Award, the Veal Award for Outstanding Musicianship, the St Elli Masonic Lodge Bursary Award, the Llanelli Grammar School Old Boys and Graig Former Pupils Association Bursary Award. He was also a finalist in the Eleri Evans Memorial Award and a semi-finalist in the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Award.
A talented ensemble singer, Joseph was over the moon to obtain a place in Harry Christopher’s The Sixteen’s Young Artist Scheme, Genesis Sixteen, for 2019/2020. Alongside his studies he has held positions at Llandaff Cathedral, St David’s Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cardiff Oratory and was also a Choral Scholar with the BBC National Chorus of Wales. Joseph was a founding member of the Welsh choir, ‘Only Boys Aloud’ and sang with the choir on in Britain’s Got Talent and in performances for; the Queen and Royal Family in Buckingham Palace for the Coronation Festival, the Royal Opening of the Senedd for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and for HRH Prince Andrew at the Welsh Mental Health Arts Festival.
Joseph has performed in classes and masterclasses for Adrian Thompson, Suzanne Murphy, Elizabeth Atherton, Lorna Anderson, Donald Maxwell, Simon Lepper and Michael Pollock and looks forward to performing in a masterclass with Malcolm Martineau as part of a series of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World events.
Joseph is a passionate believer that music should be accessible for all and was overjoyed to be accepted onto the Live Music Now scheme during 2019. He has performed at charity events for organisations including; Barclays, Clifford Chance, Bloodwise, Childline, Cancer Research, The International Women’s Forum, Cardiff Blues, Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons, Bobath Cymru, European Society of Criminology, Royal Military Police and David Lloyd Clubs.
