Three Choirs Festival

Born in St Asaph, North Wales in 1975, Paul Mealor studied composition privately as a boy with William Mathias and later with John Pickard, and at the University of York (BA Hons, 1997, PhD, 2002) and in Copenhagen with Hans Abrahamsen and Per Nørgård. Since January 2003 he has taught in the Music Department at the University of Aberdeen where he is Professor of Composition.

'The most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias’ (New York Times, 2001).

'marked by something outside of himself that is beautifully spatial and evocative of landscape… it illuminates both our past and our future’ (The Guardian, 2011)

Topping the Classical Charts for six weeks with his bestselling album, ‘A Tender Light’ (featuring Tenebrae Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) in November 2011, he also broke records by being the first classical composer to hold both the classical and pop chart No 1’s at the same time in December 2011, securing the UK Christmas No 1 with his piece for The Military Wives Choir and Gareth Malone, ‘Wherever You Are’.

Below is a recording of Paul's setting of Ubi Caritas, which was also performed during the wedding of TRH the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011.

At Worcester 2024, Paul is the second of the Three Choirs Festival's commissions, which will be performed on Thursday 1 August with the Three Cathedral Choirs.

For a further exploration into Paul's music, listen to the Spotify playlist below.