Tag: Titania Meadows

The Meadows are a young and vibrant Celtic-Classical Crossover band who draw their inspiration from a wide range of musical genres including Celtic, classical, folk traditions from around the world, Tudor and contemporary. They perform regularly, having played concert tours and numerous sets including Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre (simulcast live), various festivals, Aberglasney – including a concert opening the newly restored Great Hall alongside stars of Welsh music and the Hollywood actor, Damien Lewis. They also present very popular interactive music workshops in schools. The enthusiastic response following their 2013-14 tour for the Velindre Cancer Centre spurred them on to play a wider-reaching tour for Wales Air Ambulance who they continue to support, and their charity work has recently added Rays Of Sunshine which helps very sick children. They regularly feature on radio, and airplay has included local, international and BBC Radio Wales, along with articles in the press including Celtic Guide and Celtic Life International.

Melody is the eldest of the siblings. Although she has played the piano since she could balance on the stool, followed by violin, she began to learn the flute later. Taking to this instrument like a duck to water, she devoured everything her teacher threw at her and achieved distinction at Grade 8 in little over two years and soon moved on to diploma. She continued to progress her art through regular violin masterclasses with Prof. Barry Haskey (retired associate leader of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Professor of Music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), Christopher Williams (pianist with BBC Chorus and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cardiff University and R.W.C.M.D.), Matthew Featherstone (Principle Flute of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and R.W.C.M.D.), Eva Stewart (Principle Piccolo of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and R.W.C.M.D.), and has studied cutting-edge extended techniques with the world-renowned flute composer Prof. Ian Clarke (Guildhall). He has encouraged her to explore creativity through composition along with her sister Fantasia on piano. As well as piano, violin and flute, Melody plays guitar, recorder and Irish whistle. Alongside her work with The Meadows, she has played solo Classical sets at Ammanford’s Miner’s Theatre, the Llandeilo Fawr Festival of Music and at the Wales Millennium Centre accompanied by Christopher Williams. She teaches piano and flute students, further enabling her to share her love of music with others.

Fantasia is a Celt at heart, loving the Traditional music of Celtic culture. She has masterclasses with Prof. Barry Haskey and Christopher Williams. In keeping with her love of Celtic music, she also enjoys playing Irish whistles. Having accompanied Melody on piano during her masterclasses with Ian Clarke, through his encouragement she discovered a love of writing music and in 2013 she debuted her composition ‘An Evening Stroll Through Aberglasney’. She teaches violin and piano, and enjoys writing novels for children, making rag dolls, dress-making and watercolour painting.

Harvey is the quiet ‘creator’ of the family. He has been taught piano by his eldest sister and was honoured to appear in an A.B.R.S.M. High Achiever’s Concert in Swansea. He takes violin masterclasses with Prof. Haskey, also enjoying playing guitar, bodhrán and composing. Harvey’s other passion is painting in oils and his work is being exhibited in fine art galleries in Cardiff and Carmarthenshire.

Titania is the youngest member of the family. Growing up in a musical household made it almost inevitable that she too would become a musician. She takes piano and violin lessons under Fantasia and Melody’s tutelage and writes pieces of her own including ‘May Mountains Howl’ which debuted on BBC radio and was performed during the Wales Air Ambulance tour. When Titania was only a few months old, she astounded her family when, out of the blue, she joined in singing with her siblings before she could even talk and has not stopped since, pointing forward to her present role in the quartet! She loves performing and outside of her music she enjoys writing stories.

Artists’ website: www.facebook.com/TheMeadowsMusic