2017/18 English National Opera Harewood Artist, Elgan Llŷr Thomas will make his ENO stage début at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre as Prologue/Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw. Prior to this he will be covering the role of Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville at the London Coliseum.
In 2016, Elgan joined Scottish Opera as an Emerging Artist and made his company and role début as Nemorino in their touring production of The Elixir of Love. A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, Elgan’s appearances include Spoletta in a semi-staged concert performance of Tosca at the 2017 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Sir Bryn Terfel and Kristine Opolais; Lindoro in The Italian Girl in Algiers and Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the Mananan International Festival; Fenton in a semi-staged performance of Falstaff with the Cambridge Philharmonic Society; Titorelli/Flogger/Berthold in The Trial for Scottish Opera; Macduff in Macbeth and Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville for OPRA Cymru and covered the roles of Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Binet in Vert-Vert and Selimo in Maometto Secondo for Garsington Opera. Other operatic performances include Florindo in Le donne curiose and Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; Title Role in Albert Herring and Lampwick in The Adventures of Pinocchio for the Royal Northern College of Music and Johnny Inkslinger in the Welsh National Youth Opera’s Britten Centenary production of Paul Bunyan.
2017/18 is a season of débuts for Elgan with his house début as Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Séville at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris and role début as Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos for Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park.
On demand on the concert platform, Elgan has performed in a Gala Concert with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra in China; Sir Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, Mass for Peace with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Karl at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall; Tippett’s A Child of our Time at the Dartington International Summer Festival, conducted by Paul McCreesh and a concert with Sir Bryn Terfel at Bangor University.
Awards include the 2015 Stuart Burrows International Voice Award; the Kerry-Keane Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2015 Les Azuriales Opera Young Artists programme in Nice and the 2012 Clonter Opera Prize. He has also had considerable success at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and during his first year at the RNCM, he represented the College at the 2009 Kathleen Ferrier Bursary Award and won the Elsie Thurston Prize. He is one of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation.
Elgan is a familiar face on Welsh language television channel, S4C and performed a duet with Sir Bryn Terfel on his 2010 Christmas TV show, Nadolig Bryn Terfel.
He has released an album of Welsh Songs called Llwybrau’n Cân on the SAIN label and in 2017 recorded songs by Gareth Glyn on the album Caneuon Gareth Glyn, again for SAIN.
Artist biographies are updated frequently, so please contact us for the latest version. This biography should not be reproduced or altered without permission.
Bach
Cantata BWV 134
Bizet
Te Deum
Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb
Byrd
Mass for Four Voices
Dvorák
Mass in D Major
Handel
Acis and Galatea
Handel
Israel in Egypt
Handel
Judas Maccabeus
Handel
Messiah
Handel
Samson
Haydn
Creation
Jenkins
The Armed Man - Mass for Peace
Mendelssohn
Elijah
Rossini
Petite Messe Solennelle
Tippett
A Child of our Time
Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb
Byrd
Mass for Four Voices
Jenkins
The Armed Man - Mass for Peace
Rossini
Petite Messe Solennelle
Tippett
A Child of our Time
Beethoven
FidelioJaquino
Britten
Albert HerringTitle Role
Britten
Paul BunyanInkslinger
Britten
A Midsummer Night's DreamLysander
Britten
The Rape of LucretiaMale Chorus
Donizetti
L’Elisir d’AmoreNemorino
Glass
The TrialTitorelli/ Flogger/ Berthold
Jonathan Dove
The Adventures of PinocchioLampwick
Mozart
Così fan tutte Ferrando
Puccini
ToscaSpoletta
Rossini
Il Barbiere di SivigliaCount Almaviva
Rossini
The Italian Girl in AlgiersLindoro
Rossini
Maometto SecondoSelimo
Strauss, Richard
Ariadne auf NaxosBrighella
Tchaikovsky
Eugene OneginLensky
Verdi
FalstaffFenton
Wolf-Ferrari
Le donne curioseFlorindo
Britten
Albert Herring
Title Role
Britten
Paul Bunyan
Inkslinger
Britten
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lysander
Britten
The Rape of Lucretia
Male Chorus
Donizetti
L’Elisir d’Amore
Nemorino
Glass
The Trial
Titorelli/ Flogger/ Berthold
Jonathan Dove
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Lampwick
Mozart
Così fan tutte
Ferrando
Rossini
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Count Almaviva
Rossini
The Italian Girl in Algiers
Lindoro
Rossini
Maometto Secondo
Selimo
Strauss, Richard
Ariadne auf Naxos
Brighella
Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin
Lensky
Wolf-Ferrari
Le donne curiose
Florindo
Opera
The Trial
Titorelli in The Trial for Scottish Opera, January 2017
Seen and Heard International
Elgan Llŷr Thomas made a strong impression in the comic role of Titorelli the painter.
The Elixir of Love
Nemorino in The Elixir of Love for Scottish Opera, September 2016
Opera
At fights sight her [Ellie Laugharne] 'upstairs' Adina and the 'downstairs' Nemorino of Elgan Llŷr Thomas made an unlikely couple, but Thomas, the latest beneficiary of the company's Emerging Artist's programme, gained in stature as the evening progressed. What impressed was his winning smile, the sweet simplicity of his vocal address and his Italianate colouring of the singing line (no affected swooping).
Nemorino in The Elixir of Love for Scottish Opera, September 2016
Herald Scotland
Scottish Opera's emerging artist Elgan Llŷr Thomas gives a persuasive and tender depiction of Adina's lover, Nemorino.
Nemorino in The Elixir of Love for Scottish Opera, September 2016
The Scotsman
Elgan Llŷr Thomas’ love struck Nemorino is as ardent and persistent as the testosterone tormenting his youthful body.
Nemorino in The Elixir of Love for Scottish Opera, September 2016
Glasgow Theatre Blog
Elgan Llŷr Thomas is thoroughly appealing as our love-lorn hero Nemorino and his show-stopping Una furtiva lagrima (one single tear falls silently) is a real crowd-pleaser.
Madama Butterfly
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for Bury Court Opera, March 2016
Opera Now
Elgan Llŷr Thomas performed Pinkerton as if he had been singing the role all his life.
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for Burry Court Opera, March 2016
Opera
The youthful brightness and energy of Thomas's singing in Act 1 conveyed optimism rather than mere cockiness.
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for Bury Court Opera, March 2016
Seen and Heard International
RNCM and Guildhall-trained Elgan Llyr Thomas was wholly sufficient both vocally and in the restrained acting the role requires. Pinkerton has to have poetry about him to match the poetic dreams of Butterfly, and offset the stolidity of the naval officer. All this was forthcoming.
The Rape of Lucretia
Male Chorus in the Guildhall School's production of The Rape of Lucretia
musicOMH
As the Male Chorus, Elgan Thomas reveals a striking tenor and excellent enunciation.
Le Donne Curiose
Florindo in the Guildhall School's production of Le Donne Curiose, November 2015
The Arts Desk
…..while a chance to see Wolf-Ferrari’s patchily inspired comedy Le donne curiose (aka The Nosy Wives of Venice) very humorously staged at the Guildhall School was enriched by a natural Welsh lyric tenor, Elgan Thomas.
Florindo in the Guildhall School's production of Le Donne Curiose, November 2015
The Arts Desk
Vocally, second-cast tenor Elgan Thomas steals the show here: he’s a fully-fledged tenore di grazia who can both grandstand, at least as much as the composer lets him, and sing sweet, soft nothings as girlfriend Rosaura (Nicola Said) hands him the lunchtime plates to dry.
Paul Bunyan
Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan for Welsh National Youth Opera
The Arts Desk
Elgan Llyr Thomas is highly convincing as Jonny Inkslinger
Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan for Welsh National Youth Opera
Seen and Heard
As Johnny Inkslinger, the intellectual drawn into the business world, Elgan Llyr Thomas gave a performance of high intelligence in a well-controlled and purposeful light tenor voice.
Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan for Welsh National Youth Opera
The Guardian
Bunyan may loom largest, but Johnny Inkslinger – a cipher for Auden himself – is the main focus, and here Elgan Llyr Thomas's tenor shone out as a real hope for the future.
Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan for Welsh National Youth Opera
The Good Review
Elgan Llyr Thomas makes an impeccable Jonny Inkslinger; the independent wannabe novelist who arrives at Paul Bunyan’s logging camp in search of food.
Macbeth
Macduff in Macbeth for Opra Cymru, September 2013
TheatreWales.co.uk
The emotional peak is the lament by Elgan Thomas, as Macduff, over the deaths of his family.
Albert Herring
Title Role in Albert Herring for the Royal Northern College of Music
The Times
Elgan Thomas is an outstanding Albert. He makes the role very much his own…. A dark inner rage colours Thomas's robust tenor; he becomes menacing in his cups; and he finally delivers a full-frontal Freudian verbal assault on his unsuspecting mother.
Title Role in Albert Herring for the Royal Northern College of Music
Seen and Heard International
Elgan Thomas as Albert was outstanding as singer and actor, portraying both the role of conformist, browbeaten son of the opening acts, as well as the wayward who goes on a spree with his prize money, to near perfection. His strong tenor voice had the requisite clarity to go along with his acted conviction.
Title Role in Albert Herring for the Royal Northern College of Music
Manchester Theatre Awards
But the singers are the main thing, in particular Elgan Thomas. The young Welshman has a very fine tenor timbre, and his acting made Albert into someone who, though put-upon, had steel in his soul and was nobody's fool.
