FOSTER
,
IVOR LLEWELYN
(
1870
-
1959
),
singer
;
b. at
Tramroad
,
Pontypridd
,
1 March 1870
, son of
Ebenezer
Foster
and
Sarah
(née
John
)
of
Peny-graig
,
Rhondda
,
Glamorgan
. He left school at the age of 12, and when he was 16 and
working in a business with his uncle
,
William
Richards
,
Dinas
,
Rhondda
, he started to learn old notation in his spare time and
competed in
eisteddfodau
. He won singing prizes at the
Porth annual
eisteddfod
in
1892
,
1893
and
1894
, and twice on the baritone solo in the
national
eisteddfod
(
Caernarfon
1894
and
Llanelli
1895
). Following his success in
Llanelli
some of his friends in the
Rhondda
arranged concerts for him to help him to obtain tuition in music; he went to the
Royal College of Music
in
London
in
May 1896
and he was there for four years studying voice with
Henry
Blower
, harmony with
James
Higgs
and opera with
Villiers
Stanford
. He
won a gold medal
during his first year and before the end of the course
Sir
Hubert
Parry
said that he was one of the best baritones to have studied in the college. He portrayed the character
Don Pedro
in a performance of
Standford
's Opera
Much ado about nothing
at
Covent Garden
in
1901
. Later he
sang in the promenade concerts
and in
Boosey
's ballad concerts in
London
and he appeared over 27 consecutive seasons in the
Royal Albert Hall
. He also
sang in musical festivals
, including the
Cardiff
festivals on three occasions and he recorded
Welsh
songs on the
Winner
label. After retiring from public performances he set up as a
music teacher
.
He m.,
29 May 1897
,
Mary Ann
Jones
,
Tonypandy
(she d.
1971
). He d. in his home at
Porth-cawl
29 Mar. 1959
and was cremated at
Llanishen
,
Cardiff
. In
1962
his family gave £300 to set up memorial prizes in his name in the open baritone and the baritone under 25 competitions in the
National
Eisteddfod
.
Bibliography:
-
Who was who?
;
-
Y Cerddor
,
May 1902
;
-
information from his son,
Rupert Foster, Porth-cawl
.
Author:
Huw Williams, (1922-2002), Bangor / Prestatyn
