Paul Carey Jones British opera singer, baritone Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Paul Carey Jones
2. Education and Early Career
3. Operatic Roles and Premieres
4. Collaborations and Performances
5. Contemporary Opera and Concerts

Biography of Paul Carey Jones

Paul Carey Jones is a British opera singer and baritone, born in 1974 in Cardiff, Wales. He attended Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd primary school and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf secondary school. After studying physics at The Queen's College, Oxford University, Jones realized that he did not want to spend his life in a physics laboratory.

Education and Early Career

Jones completed pedagogical courses at the University of Wales in Cardiff before returning to his former school, Ysgol Glantaf, to teach physics for two years. In 1998, he left his teaching position to become a student at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied vocal artistry. He further honed his skills at the National Opera Studio in London, supported by the Welsh National Opera.

Operatic Roles and Premieres

After completing his training in 2004, Jones performed several opera roles, including Osmin in Mozart's unfinished opera "Zaïde" at the Aldeburgh Festival, Escamillo in "Carmen" at Stowe Opera, and various roles at Scottish Opera, Wexford Festival, Buxton Festival, Opera East, Bampton Classical Opera, Diva Opera, and Lyric Opera Dublin. He frequently collaborates with contemporary composers and has participated in world premieres of their compositions.

Collaborations and Performances

Jones participated in the premiere of Stephen McNeff's oratorio "Cities of Dreams" at Brangwyn Hall in 2007. In 2004, he performed in Peter Wiegold's short opera "Brief Encounter," based on the film of the same name. He also took part in the premiere of Jonathan Owen Clark's opera "Hidden States" in Newcastle. Jones collaborated with Richard Elfyn Jones on the oratorio "In David's Land" and the song cycle "Four Poems of Gerald Manley Hopkins." Additionally, he appeared in Jonathan Dove's television opera "Man on the Moon" and Keith Burstein's opera "Manifest Destiny" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Contemporary Opera and Concerts

Jones has performed roles such as Sam in Leonard Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti," Andy Warhol in Michael Daugherty's "Jackie O," Richard Nixon in John Adams' "Nixon in China," and Jaufre Rudel in Kaija Saariaho's "L'Amour de Loin" for English National Opera. As a participant in Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now!" program, Jones has given over 200 concerts, often accompanied by pianist Llŷr Williams. Their debut album, "Enaid - Songs of the Soul," was released in November 2007. Together, they also presented Richard Elfyn Jones' song cycle "Four Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins" at Cardiff University.

Overall, Paul Carey Jones is a versatile baritone who has established an impressive career performing in operas and premiering works by contemporary composers.