Nia's Full Biography
Nia grew up in North Wales where singing and choral music played a central part in her musical upbringing. After reading music at Robinson College, Cambridge, she won a full scholarship to study with Simon Halsey on his collaborative Master’s course between the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the University of Birmingham, where she graduated with distinction.
She has served at Gloucester Cathedral since 2014, presently as Assistant Conductor. She was the inaugural Conductor of the Girl Choristers, following their historic admission in 2016. Currently, she assists with the training of the Cathedral Choristers, runs the Cathedral’s St Benedict’s Singers, and leads the Cathedral’s Singing Academy, which strives to provide singing opportunities for young people from across Gloucestershire to find their voices. She has also performed at the Three Choirs Festival, directing youth singing projects, including operas and dramatic narratives, accompanied by musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Nia was conductor of the National Youth Choir of Wales in 2015, and directed the choir on tour in Argentina as part of the Patagonia 150 celebrations. She also directed the National Youth Training Choir of Wales in 2016. She has adjudicated the choral competitions at the National Eisteddfod of Wales - an annual celebration of Welsh language and culture.
She has worked with the symphonic choruses of the CBSO and LSO. She was for a time an Associate Conductor of the London Symphony Chorus, where she worked alongside Sir Simon Rattle. She has also been invited to conduct the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on television, in concert and on the Radio.
Nia is an experienced and respected broadcaster. She was a Senior Producer in Religion and Ethics at the BBC in Wales until May 2025, producing content for Radio 4, Radio 3 (Choral Evensong) and Radio Wales. A native Welsh speaker, Nia has presented the flagship classical music programme, Swyn y Sul, on the BBC’s Welsh Language Radio station, Radio Cymru
