Scoring High Notes - Q&A with Rhydian Jenkins

In anticipation of his debut in our February Secret Concert double bill, Hannah chats with Welsh tenor Rhydian Jenkins.

Discover the impact of his South Wales upbringing, a significant influence that resonates strongly throughout the concert programme!

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Welcome, Rhydian! You're set to make your debut with us at our secret concert double bill in February! Could you share a bit about yourself and let us in on what you're currently up to?

Thank you very much, it’s an absolute pleasure to be here and to be joining DEBUT for the double bill concerts in February!

I am a Welsh Tenor, hailing from Maesteg in South Wales and I am currently a 2023/24 Young Artist at the National Opera Studio. Before studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, I studied a BA in Welsh at Cardiff University, followed by a PGCE Teacher Training Course - a little bit of a journey! Outside of this, I was also a semi-professional rugby player playing for teams including Pontypridd RFC, Bridgend Ravens RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Carmarthen Quins RFC, and of course, my hometown club Maesteg Quins RFC who I always go back and play with every once in a while, when I can – I miss it very much!

As I mentioned, I am currently a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio and am taught by Nicky Spence and Adrian Thompson. I am currently smack bang in the middle of rehearsals for our residency week and performance in Cardiff with Welsh National Opera, where we will be performing our opera scenes production of Et Voila!!, accompanied by the WNO Orchestra. I’m also in the middle of rehearsals for our National Opera Studio lunchtime recital at Wigmore Hall at the end of January too which is also extremely exciting as well. So yes I am keeping myself busy with a lot of things, but it’s all very exciting doing these performances with a great bunch of people!

What age were you when you started singing? How did you get into it?

I’d have to dive into the archives for this one…

I’ve always had a keen interest and passion for singing, and I have always indulged in a good shower sing-a-long (good and bad!) which I will happily admit to!
But I would say I properly started singing when I was around 10 or 11, when competing at the Urdd National Eisteddfod and National Eisteddfod of Wales. My first proper success was in year 6, as a little boy soprano, and since then I haven’t looked back! Eisteddfods are the biggest cultural festival back home in Wales, and I’d argue that almost every Welsh opera singer has competed or taken part in an Eisteddfod in some capacity when they were younger!

My parents and family certainly put the mileage in when driving me to yearly Eisteddfods in every part of Wales throughout the years!

I always wanted to go to a conservatoire and study operatic singing as my voice started to fit better down this avenue, so during my studies at Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University I got in touch with Angela Livingstone who was the former Head of Vocal Studies at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and she immediately put me on the right path and got me in touch with Adrian Thompson and John Fisher – again, 3 people who played a massive part in the start of my operatic training and career, and continue to do so. Ever since then, the rest is history, and here I am!

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

Of course there are such famous operatic singers like Pavarotti and Corelli that you naturally feel inspired by, but one of my first musical memories that really took me back was of somebody a lot closer to Wales - Stuart Burrows (and yes shock, he is a Welsh Tenor!) I remember being in my grandfather’s house at the time and he loved playing old cassette recordings of classical and operatic music on his stereo. I remember one day while I was sitting on the sofa munching away at my extremely buttery toast, a recording of Stuart Burrows singing ‘Shine through my dreams’ by Ivor Novello came on, and I just thought ‘WAW’, what a voice. And since then, I’ve always listened to his recordings of classical and operatic pieces, from Nemorino to Ivor Novello to classical Welsh pieces – I just feel like he has such a beautiful and warm voice, and if I was a quarter of how he was I’d be a happy man! But also, he had such a great personality on the stage and concert platform.

Do you still have time for Rugby with your busy schedule?

Both rugby and singing has been an enormous part of my life since I was a little boy back home in Maesteg in South Wales, to where I am now – I don’t think that will ever change! Ever since my father put a little rugby ball in my hand and kitted me out head to toe in the Wales rugby kit, it was kind of inherited in me!

Unfortunately, given how busy I am here at the National Opera Studio, I don’t have time to play rugby as much as I’d like anymore, which kills me to say! But of course, singing is my priority, so I always knew it was only a matter of time where I’d have to make this switch. Me and my father continue to have our early Saturday evening phonecall ritual to hear of how each of the games have gone on that day. So I’d like to say that I am semi-retired, for now…

Outside of rugby and music, I am also a keen swimmer and tennis fan - I absolutely love these sports, and I try to do them both when I can! I also love meeting up with friends – there’s nothing better than catching up with friends over a coffee! It definitely helps refresh the mind and body from the busy singing schedule!

Finally - what have you got coming up that we NEED to know about?

Coming up as I previously mentioned, is our National Opera Studio residency performance of Et voilà!! with Welsh National Opera down in the Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which will be on Friday 23rd February - and then we will be bringing this back to London and performing it at RADA Studios on Thursday 29th February, so if you fancy coming to watch either, head over to the NOS website for tickets and more information!

This summer then I am extremely excited to be joining Garsington Opera as an Alvarez Young Artist, where I’ll be covering and performing the role of Lysander from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which I cannot wait for! And I’ll also be in the chorus for the performances of Platée (Rameau) and Un giorno di regno (Verdi) – so from April to July it will be a very busy but exciting time with Garsington Opera.

But probably the most exciting news of the lot is… in August following my time with Garsington Opera, I will be joining the International Opera Studio at Oper Köln! I still have to pinch myself that this will be happening! I cannot tell you how equally excited and nervous I am to be making the move to Germany for at least the next 2 years, but it is definitely an opportunity that I will do my best to grasp with both hands! It’s an exciting new chapter for both myself and my family. I am so grateful for this opportunity and also for the love and support from loved ones, friends and teachers. Time to work on my German!