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 and Edition Margaux. He has recorded under the label NAXOS.

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. 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.

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.

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. It comprises Rossini's arrangements of well-known Christmas Carols. In this recording he added overdubbed vocals and percussive effects to several tracks. The recording was released with the label NAXOS and has enjoyed considerable success being streamed millions of times. It has received air time on various radio stations including BBC Radio 3 and ABC Classics.

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.

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.

Selected List of Publications

Solo guitar

Guitar quartet

Teaching

Rossini teaches guitar at the University of Bamberg and the Städtische Musikschule Bamberg.

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.