Biography
Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales, Mealor studied composition privately with William Mathias and John Pickard and then read music at the University of York (1994–2002). He studied composition at York with Nicola LeFanu, and in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen (1998–99). [1]
From 2003 to 2024 he was Professor of Composition at the University of Aberdeen. In 2003 he founded the University of Aberdeen Music Prize for composition. [2] [3] [4]
He took early retirement in October 2024 and the university honoured him with a lifetime Emeritus Professorship. Since October 2023 he has been the Artistic Director of the North Wales International Music Festival.
He has held visiting professorships in composition in institutions in Scandinavia and the United States. [5] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and since 2011 has been published by Novello. Also in 2011, he signed to Decca Records. [1] His first album for Decca, A Tender Light – a collection of sacred choral anthems – spent six weeks at No 1 in the Classical charts.
Mealor's motet, a setting of Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (rearranged as Ubi Caritas et Amor), was commissioned by Prince William for his marriage to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, when it was sung by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal conducted by James O'Donnell. [6] [7] [8] [9] Later that year, Mealor was commissioned to write the music for Wherever You Are , a song setting a text compiled from letters written to British Army military personnel deployed on active service in the Afghanistan War by their wives or partners, as part of the BBC Two television series The Choir: Military Wives . [10] The single, released on 19 December 2011, became the 2011 Christmas number one in the UK Singles Chart and raised money for military charities. [11] In the 2012 Classic FM Hall of Fame, he was voted the 'nation's favourite living composer' and succeeded in achieving the highest placing of any new entry in the history of the Hall of Fame with Wherever You Are charting at No 5. [12]
In 2012, he was appointed a Free Burgess of the City of Aberdeen. [13]
In 2013, Mealor composed the song "With a friend like you" for the final of the second season of the BBC 2 series "The Choir: Sing while you work". All three choirs of the final presented the song at Ely Cathedral. The P&O choir was declared winner.
In April 2014, Mealor's follow up album to "A Tender Light" titled "I Saw Eternity" was released. It reached No 1 in the Specialist classical charts.
In September 2014, it was announced that he had been appointed President of Tŷ Cerdd (which promotes Welsh Music to the world), and Patron of the Welsh Music Guild. [13]
In January 2018, he was appointed as an Officer of the Venerable Order of St John (OStJ) by HM Queen Elizabeth II. [13] [14] In March 2023 he was promoted to Commander (CStJ) [15] by HM King Charles III.
In May 2019, he was appointed to the Order of the Scottish Samurai (OSS) at Great Shogun Level. [16]
In March 2020, he was appointed a Commander of The Catholic Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem (CLJ) and in November 2020 he was awarded The Saltire Society Fletcher of Saltoun Award for his outstanding contribution to arts and humanities in Scotland. He is only the second composer, after Sir James MacMillan to be given the award.
In 2021, he composed, along with Grahame Davies (as lyricist), the official hymn for Her Majesty's Royal Air Force, Per Ardua ad Astra. [17]
Mealor's compositions featured in three of the four national services of thanksgiving for the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. His, 'I shall not Die but Live' (a setting of Psalm 118 in Scots Gaelic) was written especially for the service and sung by Karen Matheson at Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. [18] His 'A Welsh Prayer' was also sung at Llandaff Cathedral at the Welsh National Service of thanksgiving. [19]
In 2023, Mealor was commissioned to create a brand new piece for the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. [20] His work, "Coronation Kyrie" – set in the Welsh language – was sung by Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel – the first time that the Welsh language was sung at a Coronation. [21]
Also in 2023, he was commissioned to compose three works for the Scottish Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla – Balmoral Flourishes, a Gaelic Psalm setting and the closing recessional march, The Call of Lochnagar. [22] For this, he was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in the 2024 New Year Honours. [23]
