Elen Hydref, Sain SCD2683

Elen Hydref

Elen was born in 1987 and brought up in Porthmadog, North Wales. She started singing in local Eisteddfodau at an early age before learning to play the piano, harp and flute. At the age of sixteen, having studied with Dylan Wyn Rowlands and Elinor Bennett in Wales, Elen began her studies at The Purcell School of Music, followed by the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Skaila Kanga and Catherine White. She graduated with a BMus First Class Honours degree from the Academy in 2011 followed by an MA with distinction and a DipRAM in 2012 which was kindly funded by The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Arts Council of Wales, Musicians Benevolent Fund and The Arts and Humanities Research Council.

As a soloist, Elen has been performing at venues across the UK and Europe since an early age. At the age of 12 she was chosen to perform in the ABRSM National Concert for High Achievers at Covent Garden. She performed at the European Harp Symposium in Lyon in 2004 and the World Harp Congress in Dublin in 2005. Elen has given recitals at Chichester Festivities, Colston Hall, ‘Harp Masters’ Switzerland and most recently at the 40th Anniversary Festival of Camac Harps in Ancenis, France. In March 2012 she performed Debussy’s ‘Danses’ with The Orchestra of St John’s at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Elen’s orchestral work include concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the English Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and attended the 2011 London Sinfonietta Academy. She is currently a member of the Joe Wright Octet and has performed with them in Jazz Venues across London. Elen has won many prizes in various Eisteddfodau and Gwyliau Cerdd Dant, including the Instrumental Blue Ribband under 16 at the 2002 National Eisteddfod. She was awarded second prize in the 2003 Texaco Young Musician of Wales competition and received the Walter Todds Prize in the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. In 2011 she won the Camac Harp Competition in London and the Nansi Richards Scholarship.

During her time at The Royal Academy of Music she won several awards including the Guy Magrath Harp Prize and the Renata Scheffel Stein Prize for the best harp final 2011 and 2012. She was a finalist in the Academy’s 2012 Patron’s Award at the Wigmore Hall and was highly commended in the RAM Club Prize 2012. She is a 2012 Martin Musical Scholarship Fund award winner.

Tracks -

1: Barcutan - 'Chwarae Plant' gan Gareth Glyn

2: Tryc - 'Chwarae Plant' gan Gareth Glyn

3: Olwyn Ddŵr - 'Chwarae Plant' gan Gareth Glyn

4: Chwyrnas - 'Chwarae Plant' gan Gareth Glyn

5: Overture - 'Suite for Harp op.83' gan Benjamin Britten

6: Toccata - 'Suite for Harp op.83' gan Benjamin Britten

7: Nocture - 'Suite for Harp op.83' gan Benjamin Britten

8: Fugue - 'Suite for Harp op.83' gan Benjamin Britten

9: Hymn (St. Denio) - 'Suite for Harp op.83' gan Benjamin Britten

10: Exosphère - 'Suite Galactique Op. 39' gan Caroline Lizotte

11: Hymne au Bon Combat - 'Suite Galactique Op. 39' gan Caroline Lizotte

12: Scherzo del Pueblo - 'Suite Galactique Op. 39' gan Caroline Lizotte

13: Allegrement - 'Sonatine' gan Marcel Tournier

14: Calme et Expressif - 'Sonatine' gan Marcel Tournier

15: Fièvreusement - 'Sonatine' gan Marcel Tournier.

Ganwyd Elen yn 1987 a chafodd ei magu ym Mhorthmadog. Dechreuodd ganu mewn Eisteddfodau lleol pan yn ifanc cyn dysgu chwarae’r piano, y delyn a’r ffliwt. Yn 16 oed, ar ôl astudio gyda Dylan Wyn Rowlands ac Elinor Bennett yng Nghymru, dechreuodd Elen ei hastudiaethau yn Ysgol Gerdd Purcell, cyn symud ymlaen i’r Academi Gerdd Frenhinol i astudio gyda Skaila Kanga a Catherine White. Graddiodd gyda BMus Dosbarth Cyntaf o’r Academi yn 2011 ac yna gydag MA (Distinction) a DipRAM yn 2012 gyda chefnogaeth The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, Musicians Benevolent Fund a The Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Fel unawdydd, mae Elen wedi bod yn perfformio mewn lleoliadau ar draws Prydain ac Ewrop ers pan yn ifanc. Pan oedd yn 12 cafodd ei dewis i berfformio yn Nghyngerdd Cenedlaethol ABRSM ar gyfer y rhai a lwyddodd yn aruchel, a gynhaliwyd yn Covent Garden. Fe berfformiodd yn yr European Harp Symposium yn Lyon yn 2004 ac yn y World Harp Congress yn Nulyn yn 2005. Mae Elen wedi rhoi datganiadau yn Chichester Festivities, Colston Hall, ‘Harp Masters’ Y Swistir ac yn ddiweddar yng Ngwŷl Penblwydd 40 Telynau Camac yn Ancenis, Ffrainc. Yn mis Mawrth 2012, perfformiodd ‘Danses’ gan Debussy gyda Cherddorfa St. John’s yn yr Amugeddfa Ashmolean yn Rhydychen. Mae Elen yn rhan o ‘The Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme’.

Mae gwaith cerddorfaol Elen yn cynnwys cyngherddau gyda’r Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra a’r English Philharmonic Orchestra. Bu Elen yn aelod o Gerddorfa Ieuenctid Prydain, Cerddorfa Ieuenctid Cymru a chymerodd ran yn y London Sinfonietta Academy 2011. Ar hyn o bryd mae’n aelod o’r Joe Wright Octet ac wedi chwarae gyda hwy mewn lleoliadau jazz ar hyd a lled Llundain. Mae Elen wedi ennill llawer o wobrau mewn amryw o Eisteddfodau a Gwyliau Cerdd Dant, gan gynnwys y Rhuban Glas offerynnol i rai dan 16 yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn 2002. Fe enillodd yr ail wobr yng Nghystadleuaeth Cerddor Ifanc Cymru Texaco 2003 a derbyniodd wobr Walter Todds yng Nghystadleuaeth Cerddor Ifanc BBC Prydain 2004. Yn 2011 fe enillodd Gystadleuaeth Telyn Camac, Llundain ac Ysgoloriaeth Nansi Richards. Yn ystod ei hamser yn yr Academi mae wedi ennill llawer o wobrau, gan gynnwys Gwobr Delyn Guy Magrath a Gwobr Renata Scheffel Stein am yr arholiad terfynol telyn gorau 2011 a 2012. Fe gyrhaeddodd rownd derfynol Cystadleuaeth ‘Patrons Award’ yr Academi yn Neuadd Wigmore 2012 a chafodd ‘Highly Commended’ yn y ‘RAM Club Prize’ 2012. Mae hi’n un o enillwyr gwobr ‘Martin Musical Scholarship Fund’ 2012.

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