Ceredwen

Biography

Ceredwen (ker-ED-win) is comprised of the duo Renée Riach and Andrew Fryer. The name comes from the Celtic goddess of inspiration and legendary mother of Taliesin, King Arthur’s bard and “Keeper of the Cauldron.”

Renée Gray was born in a small village in South Wales and brought up in Brynaman, a village at the foot of the Black Mountains. Born into a family steeped in the arts and encouraged to sing and perform, Renée learned to play piano and guitar and has competed since the age of five in local and National Welsh Eisteddfod. She was educated at Aberystwith University and for the past ten years has been a singer, guitarist and keyboard player with The Lucy’s, a folk-rock band performing Welsh, Irish and English folk songs and tunes.

Andrew Fryer comes from a distinguished English lineage with ancestors who include de Bayeux, arriving in Britain in 1066 and Knight at the court of “William the Conqueror” and Edward Juby, an actor in William Shakespeare’s company at the Globe Theatre in London around 1600. Andrew’s grandfather, Arthur Juby, is a member of the “Ancient Order of Druids,” Keeper of the Clock (Big Ben) at the Palace of Westminster, London. His immediate family includes members of the British Magical Society, the medical profession and the priesthood. Andrew attended Ipswich School and studied music with applied physics at Surrey University. He formed a folk band when he was thirteen and has been involved in music ever since. Andrew has worked as an independent record producer, written theme music for World Service and BBC Radio and is currently a songwriter for Warner Chappell Music in London.

All of the singing is done by Renee, which she describes as traditionally Welsh with its harmony, then combined with modern techno sounds and folk influence. For O’r Mabinogi, Andrew recorded himself playing phrases on many of the original instruments (pennywhistle, flute and bodhran, and uilleann pipes) and then sampled them for greater control. Renee wrote the melodies and the lyrics and then the two put their work together in the studio for an album acclaimed by reviewers and listeners alike.

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