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Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
hyrwyddo a dathlu cerddoriaeth Cymru
promoting and celebrating the music of Wales
+44 (0)29 2063 5640
Paul Mealor is one of Wales's most successful composers whose international fame is only rivalled by that of Sir Karl Jenkins. Although best known for the transcendental beauty of his choral works, Paul has composed three operas, four symphonies, concertos and chamber music and has also written for film and TV including the score to the BAFTA-Award winning ‘Wonders of the Celtic Deep’.
Now one of the world's most performed living composers, Paul first came to the attention of the wider public when Ubi Caritas was performed at the wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. The ceremony was watched by an estimated audience of two and a half billion people and the recording of the motet went on to top the classical singles charts in the USA, UK, Australia, France and New Zealand. Shortly after this Paul signed deals with Decca Records and the publishers Novello & Co and in December 2011 the success of Wherever You Are, his song for The Military Wives Choir (the fastest selling single since Elton John's Candle in the Wind), made him the first classical composer to hold the number one position in both the classical and pop charts simultaneously.
If there is a heaven, I want it to sound like the music of Paul Mealor
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Frank Daykin, New York Concert Review
Ubi Caritas was a break through work for Paul Mealor
All this was a world away from the quiet North Wales upbringing which Paul enjoyed. He was born and raised in St Asaph where he was a member of the Cathedral Choir. Having always wanted to become a composer, he was fortunate enough to be taught by William Mathias from the age of nine and John Pickard from sixteen. Paul went on to study at York University with Nicola Lefanu and in the Royal Danish Academy of Music Copenhagen with Hans Abrahamsen. In 2003 he was appointed Professor of Composition at Aberdeen University where he taught with distinction for more than two decades. Having stepped down from the role in 2024, Paul is now able to devote more of his time to writing and to his many other commitments, which include the positions of Artistic Director of the North Wales International Music Festival, Curator at JAM on the Marsh Festival in Kent as Composer in Residence with Canada’s leading professional choir, Pro Coro.
Paul’s very significant contribution to the nation's music making has been recognised with numerous awards and honours. He was made 'A Freeburgess of the City of Aberdeen', was appointed to the Order of Scottish Samurai and received fellowships from several prestigious bodies including the Royal Society of Arts and the Learned Society of Wales. Following his involvement in the Royal Wedding of 2011, Paul was commissioned to write music for several other Royal occasions including the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III and he has had a number of honours conferred upon him. He is a Commander of the Venerable Order of St John and in the January 2024 New Year Honour’s List he was appointed to The Royal Victorian Order by the King for his outstanding contribution to Royal Music, making him the first composer to receive this accolade since Sir Arthur Bliss in 1969.
Sir Bryn Terfel, Roderick Williams, Sir Karl Jenkins and Paul Mealor
Paul Mealor with King Charles and Queen Camilla
Paul was described by the New York Times in 2001 as 'the most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias'. His spiritually uplifting music, with melodies and harmonies that are firmly rooted in tradition, exerts a profound effect on its listeners — Frank Daykin for New York Concert Review wrote '... If there is a heaven, I want it to sound like the music of Paul Mealor.'
Find out more about Paul Mealor's life and career in our special interview feature.
If you’re new to Paul Mealor’s wonderful music, you might like to start with the pieces that he has selected for us below.
KEY WORKS
Stabat Mater
This setting of the 13th-century Christian hymn to the Virgin Mary is a deeply personal work for Paul who wrote it following the death of his beloved grandmother. He describes the music to be ‘unashamedly direct and Romantic in spirit’.
Ubi Caritas
The revised version of Paul's 2010 work Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, was commissioned for the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in Westminster Abbey in 2011.
Euphonium Concerto
Inspired by a Gaelic poem about lost love, telling the tale of a fisherman and his wife who accompanies her love to the shores of the sea to wave him off; but tragically he never returns. Each day she returns to the sea and sings to him, but no answer ever comes. In the tradition of Celtic songs it is dark and full of passion and pain.
Symphony No 2 ‘Sacred Places’
Premiered by NEW Sinfonia, directed by Robert Guy at the North Wales International Music Festival in October 2016.
Coronation Kyrie
This was commissioned for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla and performed by Sir Bryn Terfel CBE with the combined choirs, conducted by Andrew Nethsingha with organist Peter Holder.
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