Biography
Biography
Welsh soprano Glesni Rhys Jones is currently studying for a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London, supported by the Ryan Davies Memorial Fund. She studies with Raymond Connell and Libby Burgess, and recently performed as a member of the RAM chorus in a production of Carmen (Bizet).
She graduated with First Class Honours from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2025, where she studied with Hilary Summers. During her time in Manchester, she was awarded Manchester Welsh Society Musician of the Year and received an Amanda Ira Aldridge Honourable Mention in the annual Williams-Howard Competition, a competition celebrating the work of under-represented composers, which led to a recital with her pianist Tsukushi Mitsuda at the Buxton International Festival.
A highlight of her training was being a choral scholar with the Hallé Choir, working closely with the renowned conductor Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra. Glesni has also gained valuable international experience, singing with the RNCM Chamber Choir and the German National Youth Orchestra, touring across Europe and performing in prestigious venues including the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg and Musikverein, Vienna.
A proud Welsh artist, Glesni is deeply connected to the Welsh choral and Eisteddfod tradition, and is committed to presenting Welsh repertoire on both national and international stages. She appeared in the finals of the Towyn Roberts Scholarship and the Soprano Solo under 25 at the 2025 National Eisteddfod in Wrexham.
Her operatic experience includes extensive chorus work with the Royal Northern College of Music and Opra Cymru, performing in productions such as L’Étoile (Chabrier), The Snow Maiden (Rimsky-Korsakov), Die Fledermaus (Strauss), Così fan tutte (Mozart) and Don Pasquale (Donizetti). She has also taken part in a creative outreach project at the RNCM, involving the writing and performance of a new opera for children in collaboration with schools across Manchester. Her most recent production was Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan, which was performed in the Susie Sainsbury Theatre. Glesni’s operatic training includes roles in scenes, notably Servilia in La clemenza di Tito (Mozart) and the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Britten).
Alongside her operatic work, Glesni maintains an active and varied solo career, with particular strength in oratorio and concert repertoire. She has appeared as soprano soloist in works including Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat and Haydn’s The Creation with choirs across North Wales. She has also been engaged as a guest soloist at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Caernarfon International Piano Festival, and at Bangor University. She has a strong interest in new and contemporary music, having premiered works by Guto Puw, Paul Mealor and Mererid Hopwood, and performed newly published Welsh repertoire.
Alongside her performing career, she has developed experience in musical leadership and arts administration, including directing choirs and holding elected student leadership roles, reflecting a commitment to collaboration, organisation and the nurturing of musical communities.
Welsh soprano Glesni Rhys Jones is currently studying for a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music in London, supported by the Ryan Davies Memorial Fund. She studies with Raymond Connell and Libby Burgess, and recently performed as a member of the RAM chorus in a production of Carmen (Bizet).
She graduated with First Class Honours from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2025, where she studied with Hilary Summers. During her time in Manchester, she was awarded Manchester Welsh Society Musician of the Year and received an Amanda Ira Aldridge Honourable Mention in the annual Williams-Howard Competition, a competition celebrating the work of under-represented composers, which led to a recital with her pianist Tsukushi Mitsuda at the Buxton International Festival.
A highlight of her training was being a choral scholar with the Hallé Choir, working closely with the renowned conductor Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra. Glesni has also gained valuable international experience, singing with the RNCM Chamber Choir and the German National Youth Orchestra, touring across Europe and performing in prestigious venues including the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg and Musikverein, Vienna.
A proud Welsh artist, Glesni is deeply connected to the Welsh choral and Eisteddfod tradition, and is committed to presenting Welsh repertoire on both national and international stages. She appeared in the finals of the Towyn Roberts Scholarship and the Soprano Solo under 25 at the 2025 National Eisteddfod in Wrexham.
Her operatic experience includes extensive chorus work with the Royal Northern College of Music and Opra Cymru, performing in productions such as L’Étoile (Chabrier), The Snow Maiden (Rimsky-Korsakov), Die Fledermaus (Strauss), Così fan tutte (Mozart) and Don Pasquale (Donizetti). She has also taken part in a creative outreach project at the RNCM, involving the writing and performance of a new opera for children in collaboration with schools across Manchester. Her most recent production was Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan, which was performed in the Susie Sainsbury Theatre. Glesni’s operatic training includes roles in scenes, notably Servilia in La clemenza di Tito (Mozart) and the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Britten).
Alongside her operatic work, Glesni maintains an active and varied solo career, with particular strength in oratorio and concert repertoire. She has appeared as soprano soloist in works including Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat and Haydn’s The Creation with choirs across North Wales. She has also been engaged as a guest soloist at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Caernarfon International Piano Festival, and at Bangor University. She has a strong interest in new and contemporary music, having premiered works by Guto Puw, Paul Mealor and Mererid Hopwood, and performed newly published Welsh repertoire.
Alongside her performing career, she has developed experience in musical leadership and arts administration, including directing choirs and holding elected student leadership roles, reflecting a commitment to collaboration, organisation and the nurturing of musical communities.