William Ifor Jones
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William Ifor Jones (January 23, 1900 – November 11, 1988), was a Welsh conductor and organist.
Jones was born in Merthyr Tydfil, and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1920 to 1925. He also studied the organ with Sir Stanley Marchant at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and 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.
After working at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the British National Opera Company, he emigrated to the United States, where he conducted the New Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia, and The Tudor Singers, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He taught at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, Maryland, and Rutgers University - Douglas College, New Brunswick, NJ. While at Rutgers, he formed a glee club and also performed the complete Organ Works of JS 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, Bound Brook, New Jersey, the Broadway Tabernacle, New York City, and the Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem, PA. He also worked with the Handel Choir, Westfield, NJ, the Bach Youth Chorale, Bethlehem, PA, and 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 Johann Sebastian 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 was on The Bell Telephone Hour, conducting "Going to Bethlehem"
[edit] 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)
[edit] Honors
- Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London
[edit] Honorary Doctorates
- The American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, IL
- Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA
Ifor Jones retired in 1969, and died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
