Celebrated Welsh tenor dies, 80

The death has been reported of Ryland Davies, a busy tenor who was selected by Georg Solti at Covent Garden and went on to perform internationally, making many records.

In recent years he taught at the Royal Academy of Music.

He was married early on for 15 years to the outstanding mezzo Anne Howells, who died last year.

Linda Kitchen writes: I want to join the many singers who are deeply saddened by the death of Ryland Davies. In my time teaching alongside him and Dennis O’Neill at WIAV, I saw the other side of the beautiful singer we all knew him to be. Apart from the warmth of his voice and personality; apart from the smile in his eyes and the genuine empathy with his colleagues; apart from the pride he took in his wife and family and in his students…..Ryland was a fierce and passionate advocate on behalf of young singers and his fellow teachers, as well as the rigorous teaching method he grew up with at the RNCM (then known as the Royal Manchester College of Music). He was a man we all loved and he will be missed hugely. RIP Ryland