28 year-old Bedwyn Lloyd-Phillips has recently taken the baton at Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra - one of the oldest amateur orchestras in the land. Having made a name for himself in the West Midlands, Bedwyn recently secured his first professional opera conducting job with OPRA Cymru - a new Welsh-language opera touring Wales this winter. Katy Rink recenty caught up with Bedwyn to find out more about his journey so far.

Tell us how your musical journey begin? 

When I was in Year 3, at school in rural Wales, near Bala Lake, my grandad gave me a piece of copper pipe and showed me how to blow a raspberry through it - that was what made me want to take up the trumpet. 
None of my family are musicians (I’m from a rural farming background) but I went to a very musical primary school with lots of singing and we took part in the Eisteddfod every year. 

I nearly quit the trumpet, but my mum urged me to carry on and I’m so glad she did. Joining Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra as a trumpeter in the sixth form was a big deal. I was playing at the Philharmonic Hall (the home of Sir Simon Rattle!) doing amazing pieces, like Stravinsky’s Firebird, and playing side by side with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. 

How did you know you wanted to be a conductor? 

It was watching the BBC Proms in 2013, when Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the Rotterdam Phil in a performance of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. I’d never heard music like that before. You could tell that he was loving it - the way he was with the orchestra, and the way they were responding to him. He was having so much fun, I knew I wanted to do that. 

Why choose conducting over trumpeting?

We were doing Mahler’s Fifth Symphony with Richard Howarth, who is a well known conductor in the North West. The second trumpet part is one of the most brilliant second trumpet parts ever. I suddenly realised I didn’t want to be playing second trumpet, nor would I want to be playing first trumpet - I wanted to be up on the podium conducting. Richard has since been very supportive of me and given me lots of opportunities depping for him with the Blackburn Symphony Orchestra, which led to me being invited by the orchestra to lead concerts with them.

What was your first conducting gig? 

My first ever real conducting ‘gig’ was in 2017, the day before I went to the University of Birmingham (to study Music). I’d organised a concert with the support of a few Wrexham Symphony Orchestra players, in Mold. I hadn’t had training or anything before. I’ve no idea why they let me do it!

Who are you working with now? 

As a conductor, to get ahead, you have to be prepared to put in the miles. In the next two terms I am working with Shrewsbury, Wrexham, Blackburn, and Chester orchestras. I am currently the Principal Conductor of the Shropshire Chamber Orchestra, and have just done a full opera (for charity) - La Fanciulla del West - with Verismo Opera in Shrewsbury Abbey. It is a different challenge doing things on a shoestring or in a limited timeframe - you have to know what to prioritise to aim for an impactful performance overall, rather than getting hung up on small details. 

What excites you about conducting? 

It’s the palate, the range of sounds that every instrument in itself can achieve and then when you put them all together, it’s awesome. I love talking to players to see what their instruments can do - the different colours and techniques - and using that to inform my conducting. 

I also like the insane mental gymnastics - having to be 20 pages ahead (in the opera pit), with all the conversations going on in your head, knowing when tricky bits are coming up, working with the orchestra and singers at the same time and appreciating what is going on off stage. It’s relentless, but I don’t think there is anything more satisfying in the world. 

What’s been your most memorable concert so far?

I was conducting Elgar’s First Symphony with Wrexham Symphony Orchestra, and we got to the slow movement - it was strange that the orchestra had never played it like that before. Everyone came up at the end and said they’d felt the same thing. I don’t know if it’s explicable. It was just total cohesion and a single wanting of an outcome. 

You can pinpoint different moments when something has been transcendental or special, although sometimes you can’t explain why. 

What have you most enjoyed about conducting amateur orchestras?

You get a different level of proudness and joy from doing a good job of it, with non pro orchestras. The players are such different characters, with diverse backgrounds and jobs and life stresses - and this one thing brings them together once a week. 

I get a lot of pleasure out of making sure everyone enjoys the music even if they might not like the piece!

What makes a good conductor? 

A good conductor needs to be adaptable yet immovable in their commitment and belief. Being a good communicator is vital. The English word ‘conductor’ fascinates me; in German it is ‘der dirigent’, a director and the Welsh word ‘arweinwyr’ has the sense of being a leader, or guide. But you really are conducting the energy, emotion and meaning of the score from the orchestra to the audience and vice-versa. It’s one of the rare instances where English is more poetic! 

A conductor needs to have personality to get people to bring people on board, but the journey belongs to the score, to the orchestra and to the audience.

What kind of conductor are you? 

Music theory for me is secondary to the emotional and historical side - and the colours you can encourage an orchestra to get out of it. So my approach is less academic and more felt and experienced. 

The days of dictatorial conductors are gone. For me, it’s about being committed to the music yourself and bringing people on that journey with you. That influences the language I use in rehearsals - I will say ‘let’s try this’, not ‘do it like this’.  I’m not on an ego trip up there! It’s such an honour to be part of the process.

How do you get a lucky break? 

It’s about building your network and being someone that people want to work with. It sounds basic, but it’s absolutely vital that players come out of the other end having enjoyed the process and wanting to work with you again.

What are you looking forward to? 

I am delighted to have been asked to conduct a new commission written by Welsh composer Gareth Glyn (who has written for the BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Royal Ballet Sinfonia, among others) on tour with OPRACymru. I am a native Welsh speaker (I only really started learning to speak English aged 11), so I’m excited to work on a Welsh language opera. I think it will suit the way I work. I have always loved Grace Williams’ music as I see how the phrasing and melodies would work with Welsh words. 

I’m giving up my teaching job in North Wales and focusing on my conducting career, where I hope to unlock some doors, whether that is getting a fellowship with an orchestra or more invitations to tour internationally. There is no clear career path in conducting - so it is a risk, obviously, but I will remain professionally curious and embrace the opportunities as they come my way. And I would, of course, love to conduct the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in the future

The Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra Autumn Concert takes place at Shrewsbury School's Alington Hall on Sunday 22 November at 3pm. Tickets cost £17.50 and are available from ticketsource.com/shrewsbury-symphony-orchestra