Elgan Llŷr Thomas

Welsh tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas studied at the Royal Northern College of Music — where he was recently appointed an associate — and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is a former English National Opera Harewood Artist and a former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist.

A 2017-18 Opera Awards Foundation Bursary recipient, he also won 2015 Stuart Burrows International Voice Award; the 2015 Kerry-Keane Prize and Audience Prize at Les Azuriales Opera Young Artists Programme. He was one of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation, and has had considerable success at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

For English National Opera, his roles have included Prologue/Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Johnny Inkslinger in Paul Bunyan at Wilton’s Music Hall; Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore; and Nanki-Poo in The Mikado.

Engagements during 2022-23 included singing the part of Dr. Richardson in Breaking the Waves for his début at Opéra Comique; Young Lover in Il tabarro and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi for Scottish Opera’s new production of Il trittico; the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto for Opera Holland Park; and A Child of Our Time with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

His current engagements include Don José in La Tragédie de Carmen for the Buxton International Festival; Gérald in Lakmé for Chelsea Opera Group; Prunier in La rondine for Opera North; Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Opera Holland Park; Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress with Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Barbara Hannigan; A Child of Our Time at King’s College, Cambridge; and recitals at Ludlow English Song and Machynlleth festivals.

He made his debut at the Royal Opera in London as First Noble of Brabant in Lohengrin, and his engagements since then have included Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore; Titorelli/Flogger/Berthold in The Trial; Dr. Richardson in the European premiere of Breaking the Waves; Fenton in Falstaff for Scottish National Opera; Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at both Opéra national de Bordeaux and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; and at Grange Park Opera, Cassio in Otello and Steuermann in Der Fliegende Holländer. He also sang Gonzalve for Grange Park Opera in the filmed version of L’heure espagnole. As a member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium project, he has sung Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress at the Aldeburgh, Klara, and Ojai music festivals.

His concert engagements have included singing the part of Orbin in Elgar’s Caractacus with the Orchestra of Opera North; Handel's Messiah with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall; Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: Mass for Peace with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer; Mozart's Requiem with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra; and a gala concert with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra.

His discography includes Havergal Brian’s "Faust" for Dutton Epoch; "Caractacus" for Hyperion; and his debut song recital "Unveiled" with Iain Burnside and Craig Ogden, featuring music by Ruth Gipps, Benjamin Britten, and Sir Michael Tippett, and his own song cycle composition for Delphian.