Investors in Cats
Welsh Icons - Musicians
William Ifor Jones

Welsh Icons
About Wales

and all things Welsh

 Click here to Vote Now

 Back

 Previous

Next

William Ifor Jones
William Ifor Jones (January 23, 1900 � November 11, 1988), was a Welsh conductor and organist. Born into a large coal-mining family and raised in Merthyr Tydfil, Jones studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1920 to 1925. He studied the organ with Sir Stanley Marchant at St. Paul's Cathedral, London; orchestral Conducting with Sir Henry Wood and Ernest Read; and harmony with Benjamin Dale. He was for a time organist at the Welsh Baptist Church in Castle Street, London, worked at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and assisted with the British National Opera Company in the role of prompter.

Jones emigrated to the United States in early 1930. He conducted the New Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia, and The Tudor Singers in Bethlehem, PA. He taught at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD, and at Rutgers University - Douglas College in New Brunswick, NJ. While at Rutgers, he formed a glee club and also performed the complete Organ Works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

At the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music, New York City, he led conducting courses for choirmasters. He was involved with the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, and taught many Summer School Workshops, Clinics and Seminars.

He was at various times organist at the Presbyterian Church in Bound Brook, New Jersey, at the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City, and at the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, PA. He also worked with the Handel Choir in Westfield, NJ, at the Bach Youth Chorale in Bethlehem, PA, and led the Cantata Singers in Quakertown, PA.

In 1939, he made his debut as the third Conductor of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem 1. On February 18, 1946, at Carnegie Hall, the choir performed Bach's Mass in B minor with Ifor Jones, conductor; Ruth Diehl, soprano; Lilian Knowles, contralto; Lucius Metz, tenor; Calvin Marsh, baritone; Edwin Steffe, bass; E. Power Biggs, organ; The Philadelphia Orchestra. In the following year, an estimated 9,200 people attended a performance of The Mass in B Minor at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Ifor Jones conducted The Choir and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

1948 - The Choir records Cantata #78 for Victor Records.
1956 - March 27, Carnegie Hall. Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in b minor
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem with Ifor Jones, conductor; Phyllis Curtin, soprano; Eunice Alberts, contralto; John McCollum, tenor; Mack Harrell, bass; Vernon De Tar, organ; The Philadelphia Orchestra.

1957 - The 50th Bach Festival is held. Ifor Jones opens the Thursday evening rehearsal to the community.
1959 - The Bach Festival Orchestra premieres at the May Festival, replacing the Philadelphia Orchestra.
1962 - The 55th Bach Festival is dedicated to Albert Schweitzer, with a letter from Schweitzer printed in the program.
In October 1965, the Choir sang at the International Choral Festival, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Handel and Haydn Society in Symphony Hall, Boston.

His only known television appearance with the choir was on The Bell Telephone Hour, conducting "Going to Bethlehem"

Publications

  • Bach Cantatas (G. Schirmer, NY)
  • Bach 'Missa Brevis' in G (H.W. Gray, NY)
  • Brahms Part Songs, (C. Fischer, NY)
  • Original Pieces for Female and Men's Voices (Kalmus)

Honors

  • Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London
  • Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London

Honorary Doctorates

  • The American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, IL
  • Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA

Ifor Jones retired in 1969, and died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 


     

    Post this page to: del.icio.us Yahoo! MyWeb Digg reddit Furl Blinklist Spurl

    Comments

    Name
    E-mail (Will not appear online)
    Title
    Comment
    ;-) :-) :-D :-( :-o >-( B-) :oops: :-[] :-P
    To prevent automated Bots form spamming, please enter the text you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.



    [Home] [Food & Drink] [Symbols] [Sport] [Products] [Places] [Buildings] [Artists] [Entertainers] [Events] [Famous Welsh] [Journalists] [Musicians] [Politicians] [Songs] [Writers] [Welsh Info] [About Us] [Vox Pop] [Site Map] [Contact Us] [Forums] [Our Sponsors] [Welsh Produce]

    All copyrights acknowledged with thanks to Wikipedia. Another site by 3Cat Design 2006-2007
    Whilst we try to give accurate information, we accept no liabilty for loss or incorrect information listed on this site.
    If you do spot a mistake, please let us know.
    Email: [email protected]

     

    Key

    Bold Red
    Internal Link

    Red
    External Link

     Admission Charges
     Address
     Arts/Galleries
     Buses
     B&B's/Guesthouses Campsites/Carvans
     Castles
     Credit Cards
     Disabled Facilities
     Email
     Farmers Markets
     Fax
     Film
     Food
     Football
     Gardens
     Golf
     Historic Houses
     Hotels
     Libraries
     Museums
     Opening Hours
     Pubs/Bars
     Rugby
     Shops/Gifts
     Taxis:
     Telephone No.
     Theatres
     Tourist Information
     Trains
     Vets
     Web Address
     Welsh Produce
     Youth Hostels
    llustration(s) or photograph(s) viewable Illustration(s) or
           photograph(s)

     

    This Month

    December 20th

    Geoffrey Howe (politician) born 1925 in Port Talbot

    December 27th

    John Charles (footballer) born 1931 in Swansea

    December 29th

    Aled Jones (singer/broadcaste) born 1970, Anglesey

    December 31st

    Anthony Hopkins (actor) was born 1937