Glyndŵr Award

Dr David Russell Hulme receives the Glyndŵr Award from Professor April McMahon.

The University’s Director of Music, Dr David Russell Hulme, has been awarded the 2012 Glyndŵr Award.

Dr Hulme was presented the award by Professor April McMahon on Friday 24 August as part of the 2012 Machynlleth Festival.
The award is given annually by Machynlleth’s Tabernacle Trust to pre-eminent figures in music, art and literature, for their ‘outstanding contribution to the arts in Wales’.

Previous recipients include Ian Parrott, Alun Hoddinot, Robin Huw Bowen, Sir Kyffin Williams and Gillian Clarke.

Dr Hulme is a leading authority on late nineteenth and early twentieth century British music, in particular theatre music, operetta and the works of Arthur Sullivan and Anglo-Welsh composer Edward German.

He has published extensively, not only in specialist books and journals but also with programme notes for the BBC Proms and major recording and opera companies. In 2000 Oxford University Press published his ground-breaking edition of Ruddigore ¬– currently in the repertoire of Opera North. This was followed by editions of Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and William Walton’s 2nd Symphony for the press, as well as editions for other publishers.

Dr Hulme’s achievement is unusual in that he has gained an international reputation as both a scholar and an outstanding performer within the same field. A pupil of the legendary Sir Adrian Boult, he has conducted British operetta across the world, notably with the celebrated Carl Rosa Opera Company, with which he has toured Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.

Festival appearances have been as far-flung as Christchurch, New Zealand, the Royal Canada Opera and the Buxton International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. His recording of Edward German’s Tom Jones reached No 3 in the classical charts and was described as a ‘remarkable achievement’ by Gramophone and ‘superbly conducted’ by Opera Now.

A former music student at UCW Aberystwyth, Dr Hulme returned to become its first Director of Music in 1992 and established the University Music Centre, developing a programme that placed the University at the centre of music-making in Wales.

As conductor of Philomusica, Choral Union, the University Sinfonia and Aberystwyth Choral Society his performances have been marked by inspired high standards and imaginative programming. The emphasis on British music has embraced a significant number of works by Welsh and Anglo-Welsh composers, such as Grace Williams, Morfydd Owen, Joseph Parry, Ian Parrott, William Mathias, Arwel Hughes, Edward German and Karl Jenkins.

In particular, Dr Hulme continues to make an important contribution to keeping alive the great Welsh choral tradition of presenting major large-scale such as The Dream of Gerontius, Elijah, the Verdi Requiem – and, of course, Messiah.  

‘I am delighted to receive this prestigious award’, commented Dr Hulme. ‘It is not just a great personal honour, it recognises what has been achieved by the University and the many supportive people who make Aber such a thriving place for music. I was born in Machynlleth and went to school there. I feel very proud to be coming home for this very special occasion.’

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