Born and brought up in Pontarddulais, Eric Jones was educated at Gowerton Boys’ Grammar School before graduating in Music from the University of Wales Cardiff. He started his teaching career in Llanelli, and subsequently became Head of Music and Creative Arts at Mynyddbach School, Swansea. After a period as Deputy Headmaster at Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr, he became in 1997 Headmaster of Ysgol Bro Myrddin, the Welsh medium comprehensive school at Carmarthen, retiring in 2006. He holds both the Licentiate and Fellowship diplomas of the Trinity College of Music, London, and a Masters degree of the Open University. He adjudicates frequently at the National Eisteddfod in vocal and composition competitions, and was admitted as an honorary member to the Ovate Order of the Gorsedd of Bards in 1996 for his services to music in Wales.

In 2010 he was further honoured with admission to the Druid Order for long and distinguished service to the Eisteddfod and the Gorsedd. As a composer he has published six volumes of songs and a large number of choral works. In 2007 Gomer Press published Maestro, his biography of the choir’s founder conductor, Noel Davies. As part of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 2010 he completed a history of the choir entitled Brothers Sing On, published by Y Lolfa. He became President of Côr Meibion Pontarddulais in 2004 having been the Accompanist of the choir for a period of eighteen years between 1973 and 1991.

A native of Murton on the Gower Peninsular, Clive John Phillips was born in 1959 and educated at Bishopston Primary and Gowerton Comprehensive schools. He received music tuition from Professor John Edmunds LRAM, Brenda Llewellyn LRAM ARCM (Piano) and John Morgan Davies LWCMD FTCL LRAM ARCM (Organ). Clive was first appointed as an accompanist to a local choir at the age of 12 and in 1977 became the accompanist and deputy conductor to the Llanelli Male Choir, a position he held until he became the Musical Director of Aberavon Male Choir in February 1983. Following a short period as Associate Musical Director of the Dunvant choir, Clive was appointed the Musical Director of Burry Port Male Voice Choir where he remained until he was invited by Noel Davies MBE JP, to become the accompanist of the Pontarddulais Male Choir, a position he held from 1991 to 2002, when he was appointed Musical Director. He was, for a number of years the Musical Director of the Black Mountain Chorus of Wales and founder Musical Director of Llanelli Musical Players.

Clive has conducted concerts at many venues throughout the United Kingdom including The Royal Albert Hall, London, Chelmsford Town Hall, Oxford Town Hall, Lincoln Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral. He has also conducted massed male choirs at the Richard Burton Memorial Concert, and the opening concert at the 2006 Swansea National Eisteddfod. He also had the honour of conducting in concert a number of the famous military bands including The Royal Marines, The Scots Guards, The Coldstream Guards and The Welsh Guards.

As an organist he has made over 30 recordings with various choirs and has played at many venues including The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, Central Hall Westminster, Coventry Cathedral, Birmingham Town Hall, St David’s Hall Cardiff and the Brangwyn Hall Swansea. He has given organ recitals at various churches in the Swansea and Llanelli areas. Clive was organist at the 1980 National Gymanfa Ganu of North America when it was held in Vancouver.

His pursuits as a solo accompanist have seen him accompanying many world famous singers, including Delme Bryn Jones, Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans and more recently Sir Willard White, Jason Howard, Alfie Boe and Elin Manahan Thomas. He also accompanied the distinguished astronomer Patrick Moore who was performing his own xylophone music at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Clive Phillips is currently organist at Tabernacle Chapel, Mumbles.

On 13 May 2017 Clive received a well-deserved award from the Gowertonian Society for outstanding service to the community, namely for all his work with music and choirs in the area.

David has performed worldwide as a musical director and accompanist, and is well respected as an orchestrator and arranger. He has performed in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, South Africa, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Cyprus, France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Gibraltar, Jersey, Ireland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Poland, Hong Kong and on a cruise around the Baltic region, including performances in Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, New York.

David rejoined Pontarddulais Male Choir as principal accompanist in 2012, previously having accompanied the choir between 2001 and 2007. He has accompanied them to victory at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod and three wins at the Royal National Eisteddfod. He was accompanist for the British and Irish Lions Male Choir, and accompanied them on both piano and organ in both Sydney Opera House (2005) and Sydney Town Hall (2013), as well as venues around the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. In 2008 he accompanied a massed male choir and Bryn Terfel on both piano and organ at Carnegie Hall, New York, and he has also accompanied Morriston Orpheus, London Welsh and Wessex male choirs, Katherine Jenkins, Beverley Humphreys, Shân Cothi, Sian Hopkins, Anthony Stuart Lloyd, Rebecca Evans and, shortly before the Grand Slam of 2005, the Welsh rugby team. He also worked alongside Dr Haydn James with the 2017 British and Irish Lions squad.

David was musical director of Cardiff Arms Park Male Choir between 2001 and 2016, and musical director of Dowlais Male Choir between 2007 and 2012. He has conducted massed choir events at St David’s Hall, the Wales Millennium Centre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, taken charge of three hundred musicians from eight different countries for six performances in front of audiences up to 20,000 at the Festival Interceltique Lorient, conducted live on BBC Grandstand, at the Millennium Stadium and on the Champs Élysées. He has conducted Hayley Westenra, Peter Karrie, Max Boyce, the Cory Band and the Welsh Sinfonia, though sadly not all at the same time.

David is Course Leader for Performing Arts at the University of Gloucestershire and lectures in voice and musical theatre as well as musically directing their performances. He has composed a number of full-scale musicals in addition to his numerous arrangements and orchestrations.