Biography
GRUFFYDD HARRIES is a musician, performer, lecturer, broadcaster, an educator and an arts administrator who currently lives in Swansea. As a flautist and saxophonist he's worked all over the UK and extensively in Europe with a wide range of prestigious ensembles including The British Symphony Orchestra, The National Symphony Orchestra, The QE2 Orchestra and the internationally renowned jazz group "Loose Tubes". Griff considers it an honour to have performed for Royalty and for President Carter of The United States of America. As a proud Welsh speaker, Griff was delighted to be made an Honorary Member of the Gorsedd of The Bards at The National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2016, for his services to music and the arts in the Principality. Throughout his career he has created opportunities for young and old, amateur and professional alike, to enjoy and become involved with music in every way possible. In 2016 he was presented with an award for his "Outstanding Contribution to Culture" by the Vice-Chancellor of the Anglia Ruskin University. This is where Griff graduated with a degree in Geography, so receiving this honour was particularly pleasing. Griff works extensively in television and film - conducting his Orchestra and soloists for a special edition of "Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol" (S4c - Avanti Media) and performing on the soundtracks of the multi award winning "Sean the Sheep and the Farmer's Lamas" (BBC -Aardman Animation) and "Brief Encounters" (ITV -CPL Productions). He was the music associate and orchestral contractor for the feature film of "Under Milk Wood" produced by Kevin Allen (fFatti fFilms), the Welsh version of which - "Dan Y Wenallt" - was shortlisted for an "Oscar". He is the founder/director of the Chamber Orchestra of Wales which has performed dozens of televised concerts with the likes of Sir Karl Jenkins, Sir Bryn Terfel, Sir James Galway and Dame Kiri te Kanawa . For well over a decade, Griff has been the Musical Director of the Pantomimes at the Grand Theatre Swansea. (Qdos and UK Productions). He is the longest serving member of the Gower Festival committee - having been its Artistic Director for five successful years. Griff is a consultant Music Officer to the City And County of Swansea. As a bilingual Producer/Presenter for Swansea Sound (Independent local radio) for a number of years, Griff's responsibilities included general music programmes, a weekly arts programme, Swansea festival radio, celebrity interviews, specialist music (Jazz and Classical). He wrote and produced critically acclaimed documentaries and undertook the administration of the Swansea Sound Showband, Big Band and Sinfonia. Copies of his interviews and documentaries are stored at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, where - along with recordings of the above ensembles - they will be kept for posterity and are available for public access. Griff has been fortunate to find extensive free-lance employment as a Musical Associate/Music Producer to over 20 broadcasting organisations throughout the UK. This has given him the opportunity to work closely with producers, directors and artists of the highest calibre on over a hundred television programmes/films for the British and European market. A list of the great and good with whom Griff has had the honour of working reads like a "Who's Who" of entertainment and ably demonstrates his ability to work in a variety of genres and styles. It ranges from such late great favourites as Sir Harry Secombe, Frankie Vaughan, Danny La Rue, Eric Sykes and Sir Geraint Evans to present day luminaries Ronan Keating, Barbara Dixon, Timothy West, Martine McCutcheon and Cathryn Zeta Jones. Griff is one of the founders of both the National Youth Jazz and National Youth Wind Orchestras of Wales, as well as of the highly successful Swansea Community Orchestra. As an educator, Griff has tutored in the music departments of UWTSD in Carmarthen and University College Swansea, as well as the Performing Arts course at Neath College. He has conducted the LEA Youth Orchestra in concerts and recordings, including performances at the Edinburgh International Festival of Youth Orchestras. For the National Eisteddfod of Wales, Griff conducted his Orchestra (The Chamber Orchestra of Wales) in the world premier performance of a new work by the winner of the Festival's prestigious Composer's Prize. This was televised live. For the production company DT JAZZ he produced and directed a touring version of Stan Tracey's "Under Milk Wood Jazz Suite". This won great acclaim and toured to festivals and venues throughout the UK, including the Barnaby Festival, the North Wales Festival and London's Fitzrovia Festival. He is writing and producing a work for the company IVY TOWER ARTS based on the centenary of the end of the Great War. This will be called THE ARMISTICE SUITE and will undertake an extensive theatre and festivals tour. Griff has been a judge for BAFTA Wales in the "Best Original Music" category and he has been an adjudicator for the prestigious "BBC Young Musician" competition.
