John Meirion Rea - Cerdd a Sain / Music and Sound

Since leaving Cardiff University and an early career sessioning & arranging for Dave Stewart’s Anxious Records in London, John has subsequently enjoyed a long and successful career as a composer for concert platform, theatre, television and film, also experimenting with sound installation, and sound-art. His numerous interests and abilities find him playing rock and roll piano for The Manic Street Preachers one day, and composing for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales the next...

Alongside numerous nominations, John’s awards include two BAFTA Wales Awards in the ‘Best Original Music’ category: in 1995, and 2000 for specially composed scores: for the BBC commissioned film featuring contemporary dance company Cyrff Ystwyth, directed by Paul Islwyn Thomas, and his orchestral score for the BBC Wales arts series ‘The Big Picture’ directed by Ceri Sherlock.

John’s interest in sound and music first appeared in a groundbreaking piece called Breakbeat for string orchestra and four turntables/samplers (in collaboration with DJ’s Bench & Jaffa) which was shown as part of the S4C series The Composers. Other commissions include work for The BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, The Arts Council of Wales, The Welsh National Orchestra Brass Consort, Element Films, Walk The Plank, The Wales Millennium Centre, KPM Music, Red Bee Media. The list continues to grow!