Rhian Samuel (b. Aberdare, Wales, 1944) is the composer of over 110 published works.  After 16 years in the USA, she returned to the UK, teaching at Reading University, then City University, London (where she is now Professor Emeritus) and Magdalen College Oxford.  

 

Works for full orchestra include Elegy-Symphony (1981, St Louis SO commission, Leonard Slatkin); La belle dame sans merci (joint winner, ASCAP-Rudolph Nissim Award, USA, 1983); Tirluniau/Landscapes (2000, BBC Proms, BBCNOW, Tadaaki Otaka), and Clytemnestra (BBC commission, 1994, Della Jones, soprano, BBCNOW, performed again and re-broadcast twice with Ruby Hughes, 2016, 2017). 

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She co-edited the New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers and has written on Harrison Birtwistle's operas for the ROH and scholarly journals. She received the Glyndŵr Medal for services to the Arts in Wales in 2006 and an Hon. D.Mus. from the University of Wales, 2016; she became Tŷ Cerdd composer-in-residence, National Youth Ensembles of Wales in 2017.