Rossini Hayward

Rossini Hayward (born October 25, 1981) is a classical guitarist, composer and arranger. He has released four CDs and published numerous works predominantly for solo guitar with Ut Orpheus[1] and Edition Margaux.[2] He has recorded under the label NAXOS.[3]

Early life and education

Rossini Hayward was born in London. He studied Engineering Science and St. Anne's College, Oxford, where he was a scholar and graduated in 2005 with a First.[4] It was at Oxford that he took his first guitar lessons with Gilbert Biberian. Subsequently he was awarded a scholarship to study the classical guitar an The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with John Mills, where he obtained a BMus. He went on to study a Masters in Music at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg with Sonja Prunnbauer, graduating in 2012 with the highest honours.[5]

Recordings

Pieces of Mind: Classical Guitar Compositions and Arrangements (2018)

Rossini's first CD Pieces of Mind was recorded in a church Weston, England with John Taylor. It features a wide range of his arrangements for solo guitar and some of his original compositions.[6]

Stille Nacht: Christmas Carols for Guitar (2020)

Stille Nacht was recorded with Romin Katzer in his studio in Nürnberg, Germany during the pandemic lockdown between March and June 2020.[7] It comprises Rossini's arrangements of well-known Christmas Carols. In this recording he added overdubbed vocals and percussive effects to several tracks.[8] The recording was released with the label NAXOS and has enjoyed considerable success being streamed millions of times.[9] It has received air time on various radio stations including BBC Radio 3[10] and ABC Classics.[11]

Themes for Dreams (2025)

Themes for Dreams is a recording of lullabies for solo guitar. It was recorded in the St. Josef's church in Melkendorf, Germany on 9–10 August 2025. In addition to Rossini's arrangements of well-known lullabies he has included some personal original compositions. A Dream for Eliot is a piece dedicated to his son. Goodnight Klara is dedicated to his wife and won the second prize in the 10th International Fidelio Composition Competition for Guitar.[12][13]

Come Away (2026)

Come Away is a recording of songs by John Dowland and Henry Purcell. It features the singer Christina Röckelein and was recorded in St. Josef's church in Melkendorf, Germany. A number of tracks feature Dowland's original four-part vocal harmonies, for which Christina sung the soprano, alto and tenor lines with Rossini singing the bass.[14]

Selected List of Publications

Solo guitar

  • Through Twilight Woods Edition Margaux em1178 (2019)[15]
  • Christmas Carols for Guitar Ut Orpheus CH345 (2020)[16]
  • Canon in D Ut Orpheus CH364 (2021)[17]
  • Prelude and Prayer Edition Margaux em 1188 (2020)[18]
  • Being Edition Margaux em1200 (2020)[19]
  • Variations on a Lullaby Ut Orpheus CH384 (2023)[20]
  • Rheingold Fantasy Edition Margaux em 1211 (2023)[21]
  • Leviathan Edition Margaux em 1222 (2024)[22]

Guitar quartet

  • Cantus Maris Morientis em 4043 (2024)[23]

Teaching

Rossini teaches guitar at the University of Bamberg[24] and the Städtische Musikschule Bamberg.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Hayward, Rossini: Variations on a Lullaby per Chitarra (2023)". Ut Orpheus Edizioni (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  2. ↑ "Shop - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Recordings by Hayward Rossini | Now available to stream and purchase at Naxos". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  4. ↑ "Rossini Hayward". HIGHRESAUDIO. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  5. ↑ "Recordings by Rossini Hayward | Now available to stream and purchase at Naxos". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  6. ↑ News (2018-08-22). "Recent Albums: A Mixed Recital by Tengyue Zhang, Creative Arrangements from Rossini Hayward, and Petri Kumela Plays Sor". Classical Guitar. Retrieved 2026-05-10. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ "Stille Nacht - Christmas Carols for Guitar (R. Hay.. - 8.574269 | Discover more releases from Naxos". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  8. ↑ "Classical CDs Weekly: Christmas CDs 2020". theartsdesk.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  9. ↑ "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  10. ↑ "BBC Radio 3 - Words and Music, A Seasonal Journey". BBC. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  11. ↑ Burslem, Brought to you byABC ClassicPresented byMegan (2025-12-07). "Classic Breakfast". ABC listen. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  12. ↑ Themes for Dreams CD liner notes
  13. ↑ "Ganadores de años anteriores. Los ganadores aparecen en esta página". Décimo Concurso de Composición para Guitarra Fidelio Vía Internet (2025) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  14. ↑ Come Away CD liner notes
  15. ↑ "Through Twilight Woods für Gitarre solo - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  16. ↑ "Christmas Carols per Chitarra". Ut Orpheus Edizioni (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  17. ↑ "Pachelbel, Johann: Canone in Re per Chitarra". Ut Orpheus Edizioni (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  18. ↑ "Prelude & Prayer für Gitarre - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  19. ↑ "Being für Gitarre solo - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  20. ↑ "Hayward, Rossini: Variations on a Lullaby per Chitarra (2023)". Ut Orpheus Edizioni (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  21. ↑ "Rheingold Fantasy für Gitarre solo - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  22. ↑ "Leviathan für Gitarre solo - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  23. ↑ "Cantus Maris Morientis für Gitarrenquartett - AMA Music". www.amaverlag.com. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  24. ↑ "Research entitities - Music Pedagogy and Music Didactics. University of Bamberg".
  25. ↑ Bamberg, Stadt. "Herr Hayward / Stadt Bamberg". Stadt Bamberg (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-28.
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