Terry James 1933 – 2016
May 1963, a historic night at The Royal Albert Hall, the first Welsh Gymanfa was hailed as the greatest ever, a choir of 5000 made up from the London Welch Churches and Chapels, with the great and the good in attendance, you may ask what possible connection does this have to Kidwelly, the connection is brilliant conductor Kidwelly’s own Dr Terry James, described here as “undoubtedly one of the most brilliant conductors of the day”
Royal Albert Hall 1963
Terry pursued his studies at University College, Cardiff, and the Royal Academy of Music in London. During his time at the Academy, the renowned conductor Guido Cantelli recognized Terry’s talent and facilitated further studies for him in Italy. Unfortunately, Cantelli’s untimely death in an air crash curtailed this mentorship.
Terry’s career included composing and conducting music for various recordings. In 1973, he composed and conducted the music for a recording of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” narrated by Richard Harris. He also conducted the Welsh Hymn Singing Festival, Gymanfa Ganu, in 1963, leading a choir of five thousand voices.
In addition to his work in Wales, Terry served as the musical director for John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical revue, “And the World Goes ’Round,” at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago. His contributions to this production earned him a nomination for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Direction in 1996, again nominated 1997 for Award for Musical Direction for “Kismet” at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois then going on to win the prestigious award in 1999 for Musical Direction for “All Night Strut” at the Drury Lane Theatre in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
The Cover of Terry’s 1966 disk.
Living in the United States for over twenty years during the last century, writing music for Hollywood films. He became friends with many of the stars of the film industry, and the actor Richard Harris was his close friend.
He received a gold record for writing the score for ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ in the early seventies, based on a popular novel. Richard Harris read the text on the record.
Speaking about his work and his life with BBC Wales in 2008, Terry said: “I don’t think of myself as a composer in the sense that I get up in the morning and write a symphony. I compose ‘practical’ music, ‘to order’ music so to speak.
“Leading is the first interest and, as a matter of interest, I went to America to make a dream come true. I got to lead in the film studios, on Broadway and of course got to lead orchestras all over the world.”
He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania in 1988 for his contribution to music.
Terry’s career was marked by a blend of traditional Welsh musical heritage and broader theatrical endeavors, reflecting his versatility and dedication to the arts.
After retiring he came back to Wales to live in Carmarthen and continued to be active in the world of music. He lectured weekly on music appreciation at Carmarthen Library, was president of Carmarthen Arts and organized concerts annually to raise money for charities. He also became a familiar face on Welsh television programmes. Terry passed away in 2016 at Glangwili General Hospital aged 83. A private funeral was held according to his wishes and a public memorial service was held for him in St Peter’s Church, Carmarthen.
An anecdote about Terry, he returned home quite often and would pay a visit to the Rugby Club for a drink and some of the craic, on one of his visits he brought a good friend of his, Actor Richard Harris who enjoyed their hospitality immensely.
The 1963 Gymanfa report from the Western Mail.