Bach@Bath275

Huw Williams is Director of Music at Bath Abbey, where he directs its renowned choirs of boys, girls and lay clerks. A recently released recording with the Abbey choirs called ‘Caritas’ was chosen as a featured Classic FM recording and was described as ‘a record of a choir at the peak of its powers’ (Church Music Quarterly) and ‘I expected to like this disc; but readers, I loved it’ (Choir and Organ).  The Abbey choirs have received critical acclaim with John Rutter saying ‘‘Huw Williams and his music team’s truly outstanding achievement is in bringing the ambition and standard of the music in Bath Abbey to the level of any leading cathedral in Britain. …. it serves as a shining example of what can be achieved without the benefit of a choir school’ The Abbey choirs perform Handel’s Messiah and a Bach Passion every year and have performed alongside the King’s Singers, Merton College, Oxford, the Gesualdo Six, King’s College, London and several cathedral choirs.

A conductor and award-winning organist of international standing, Huw previously served as Director of Music at Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’ Palace, where his predecessors included Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Henry Purcell. Whilst at the Chapel Royal he conducted the music for Prince George’s Christening, the Queen’s Christmas message, the annual Remembrance Sunday

Service at the Cenotaph, and numerous other events in the presence of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. He was principal organist at St Paul’s Cathedral for ten years, where he played for numerous high-profile and state occasions including The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and for several international television broadcasts. Between 2007-08 he oversaw the rebuilding of the cathedral organ when a new mobile dome organ console was installed. This gives the player more prominence and makes liturgical accompaniment more effective. Whilst at St Paul’s Huw made two solo organ recordings, one of which, “Organ Spectacular” received the Gramophone Editor’s Choice award. A former Assistant Organist at Hereford Cathedral, graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and Organ Scholar of Christ’s College, Cambridge. Choirs under his direction have toured extensively and appeared regularly on television and radio including a performance of Tallis’s Spem in Alium on BBC One’s prime-time The One Show.

Alongside his conducting work, Huw enjoys an international career as an organ recitalist and accompanist. He was invited to give the opening concert on the new organ presented to The Queen by the City of London in 2013, and played the first concert on the restored Henry Willis organ at the Hooglandsekerk in Leiden.  He has played solo concerts at all the London Cathedrals, at Buckingham Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris and performed extensively in the USA and the Netherlands.

Huw features as accompanist on over 20 recordings with St Paul’s Cathedral, The Sixteen and Hereford Cathedral. He has played for a number of famous conductors including Kurt Masur, John Rutter, Harry Christophers, Andrew Davies, Richard Hickox, John Scott, Paul McCreesh, David Hill and Marin Alsop.

A fluent Welsh speaker, born in Swansea, Huw was the subject of a documentary on S4C. Some of his compositions have been published and many have been performed at St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Bath Abbey and further afield. He is one of the editors of the recently published Revised English Hymnal. His musical achievements have led Huw to be awarded the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and more recently he was awarded the Associate of the Royal Schools of Church Music in October 2023.