Elaine Hugh-Jones songs have recently been performed in recital by Roderick Williams, Elizabeth Watts, James Gilchrist and Diana Moore. In 2015 her songs made their Royal Opera House debut, performed in a lunchtime concert by mezzo-soprano, Fiona Kimm with David Cyrus at the piano. Her songs are finding an increasing audience, as singers become aware of her unique talents in setting poetry to music. She is particularly drawn to 20th century poets including Edward Thomas, Wilfred Owen and Walter de la Mare, but has also made very memorable settings of Shakespeare and American 19th century poets. Elaine has recently added settings of poems by A E Housman and Yeats to her list of works.

Elaine was born in London and grew by the Solway Firth, near Carlisle. She has enjoyed a busy career as a pianist, composer and teacher. Her keyboard training was with Dr. F. W. Wadeley, Harold Craxton and Julius Isserlis. In the post-war years, Elaine was an official accompanist for  radio and television programmes with the BBC, work which she combined with teaching at Derby High School, where she was appointed Director of Music in 1949.

From 1956 to 83, she continued her radio (and latterly, television) work for the BBC in Birmingham whilst teaching at Kidderminster High School from 1955, and from 1963 at Malvern Girls' College and then at Malvern College.

Elaine Hugh-Jones has developed her work as a composer mostly over the last 30 years.  The emphasis of her creativity has been in the vocal and choral category, in which there are to be found song-cycles, songs, choral music and a number of instrumental pieces, as well as songs with instrumental accompaniments. Much of her work has been broadcast by the BBC radio networks. She received lessons in composition from Lennox Berkeley and orchestration from John Joubert.

The tenor and Swingle Singer John Potter was instrumental in promoting Elaine’s songs, introducing them to  soprano, Dr Jane Manning, who has performed her songs in recital and on BBC Radio 3.

Elaine’s first cycle of songs, Eight Songs of Walter de la Mare was written over a period of 21 years, the last song of the cycle, The Raven's Tomb, being added in 1989. The cycle has been broadcast several times on BBC Radio 3. Further cycles have followed including, Songs of War, settings Wilfred Owen poems and Strange Journey, settings of poems by Edward Thomas. Other notable song collections include Six Songs of RS Thomas and A Cornford Cycle - settings of Edwardian poet, Frances Cornford.

Elaine’s songs have been championed by a range of musical organisations. Four of Elaine’s songs were performed in the 2013 English Song Weekend at Ludlow by soprano Elizabeth Watts and pianist Iain Burnside. Elaine’s songs have also received performances at Celebrating English Song, Tardebigge, where her Songs of War and world premiere of High Flight were recently included in a concert by James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook. The Welsh College of Music and Drama gave a concert consisting entirely of her music in December 1995 and gave a performance of her Christmas anthem, Torches in 2013. The University of Bangor also featured her music in a major concert in 2012.

Elaine’s music is included in the archives of Welsh music in the Welsh National Library, Aberystwyth and also also held at Sound and Music UK, the national agency for new music.

Elaine Hugh Jones is published by OUP, Caradoc Press and the Hildegard Publishing Company, Philadelphia. Her songs appear in Vol.3 and Vol. 5 of A Century of English Song published by Thames (Music Sales).