Welsh operatic baritone John Ieuan Jones graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2019, where his studies were kindly supported by the Drapers’ Company, the D’Oyly Carte Trust, George Henry Peters Scholarship and the Gwilym Gwalchmai Jones Award. He continues his studies privately with Russell Smythe and Caroline Dowdle.
Ieuan has been fortunate to have won several awards and scholarships, including the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the Help Musicians UK Sybil Tutton Award, first prize in the RNCM James Martin Onken Song Prize and runner up in the prestigious Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Prize. The Eisteddfod has played a big part in Ieuan's career, and he has been successful at a National level, winning both main prizes for singing, the Blue Ribband Osbourne Roberts Scholarship and the W. Towyn Roberts Memorial Scholarship.
His operatic roles include Boyar Sheloga/Bomley in Ivan the Terrible, Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo and Male 1 in The Life and Death of Alexander Litvinenko with Grange Park Opera, the title role in Brundibar by Krasa with Welsh National Opera, Antonio (cover) in Le Nozze di Figaro at Longborough Festival Opera, Masetto in Don Giovanni with The Merry Opera Company, the title role in Der Diktator by Krenek with Oxford Alternative Orchestra and Marcello in La Boheme with Outreach Opera.
In 2022, Ieuan performed in the one man, one act opera Il Maestro di Cappella with the Haffner Orchestra and his 2023 season includes Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte with Opra Cymru, Maximilian in Candide with Welsh National Opera, Mr Fogg and Sweeney Todd cover in Sweeney Todd with Wets Green House Opera and Claudio in Beatrice and Benedict with Mid Wales Opera.
As an in demand concert singer, Ieuan has performed internationally as a guest soloist, having performed throughout the UK, in Europe and the USA. Highlights include being the guest soloist at the London Welsh Festival of Male Voices at the Royal Albert Hall, an opera gala at the Bridgewater Hall, sharing the stage with Sir Bryn Terfel in the opening concert of the National Eisteddfod at the Millennium Centre and an opera gala at St David's Hall Cardiff. Internationally, Ieuan has performed in France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and in 2018 sang in the North America Festival of Wales in Washington DC. In 2022, Ieuan sang in a series on concerts in Philadelphia including in the Greek Hall at Macy's and in the Perelman Theatre. This year, Ieuan will be travelling to Canada to perform at the Ontario Welsh Festival.
Ieuan also works in theatre having played the Count in a national tour of new musical, The Marriage of Kim K by Leo & Hyde, Leon Czolgosz in Sondheim's Assassins and in 2022, made his National Theatre debut in The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams, directed by Dominic Cooke. Ieuan is a familiar face on Welsh television channel S4C, as a performer and presenter.
Ieuan is passionate about education and spreading the joy of music and theatre to the younger generation. His work includes creating, performing and directing workshops and shows for children and was recently a keynote speaker at the Association of School and College Leaders, talking about his career and the impact the arts has on the lives of young people. During the pandemic, Ieuan completed his PGCE in secondary music and uses his experience and knowledge in his outreach work.
Ieuan's lockdown video with Sir Bryn Terfel