Elaine Hugh-Jones
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Name
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Elaine Hugh-Jones
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Bio
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Elaine Hugh-Jones songs have recently been performed in recital by Roderick Williams, Elizabeth Watts, James Gilchrist and Diana Moore. In 2015 her songs made their Royal Opera House debut, performed in a lunchtime concert by mezzo-soprano, Fiona Kimm with David Cyrus at the piano. Her songs are finding an increasing audience, as singers become aware of her unique talents in setting poetry to music. She is particularly drawn to 20th century poets including Edward Thomas, Wilfred Owen and Walter de la Mare, but has also made very memorable settings of Shakespeare and American 19th century poets. Elaine has recently added settings of poems by A E Housman and Yeats to her list of works.
Elaine was born in London and grew by the Solway Firth, near Carlisle. She has enjoyed a busy career as a pianist, composer and teacher. Her keyboard training was with Dr. F. W. Wadeley, Harold Craxton and Julius Isserlis. In the post-war years, Elaine was an official accompanist for radio and television programmes with the BBC, work which she combined with teaching at Derby High School, where she was appointed Director of Music in 1949.
From 1956 to 83, she continued her radio (and latterly, television) work for the BBC in Birmingham whilst teaching at Kidderminster High School from 1955, and from 1963 at Malvern Girls' College and then at Malvern College.
Elaine Hugh-Jones has developed her work as a composer mostly over the last 30 years. The emphasis of her creativity has been in the vocal and choral category, in which there are to be found song-cycles, songs, choral music and a number of instrumental pieces, as well as songs with instrumental accompaniments. Much of her work has been broadcast by the BBC radio networks. She received lessons in composition from Lennox Berkeley and orchestration from John Joubert.
