Paul Drayton: Masterpiece Context Paul Drayton was born in the East of Yorkshire, 1944. After taking an academic route at a young age, Drayton successfully completed his advanced performing diploma of the Royal Academy of Music by the time he was sixteen. After this, he went to study his undergraduate degree Read more…
Florence Price: Moon Bridge Context Born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1887, Florence Beatrice Smith Price received early musical training from her mother. Price went to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1906 with a Soloist’s Diploma in Organ Performance, and a Teacher’s Diploma in Read more…
Paweł Łukaszewski: Daylight Declines Context Regarded as one of Poland’s greatest musical talents of his generation, Paweł Łukaszewski is perhaps best-known for his choral works. As well as an active composer, Łukaszewski is also a conductor and is currently the Artistic Director of the Musica Sacra choir in Warsaw. Łukaszewski Read more…
Giuseppe Verdi: Dies Irae Context Born in October 1813, Giuseppe Verdi grew up in Le Roncole, a small village in Italy. After learning the organ, Verdi showed a real interest in learning music, to which he parents acknowledged and bought him a spinet for the family house (a spinet is a Read more…
Jessica Curry: All the Earth Context British composer Jessica Curry is a well-known voice on classical radio stations such as Classic FM. She is also known for her stand-out video game soundtracks, such as her music for the 2015 game Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, which won her a BAFTA. Read more…
Eric Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby Context Shortly after attending the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in 2004, Eric Whitacre was soon contacted by a big film studio asking for a meeting. The studio were looking into creating a new classic animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s The White Seal. After reading Read more…
Edward Elgar: The Music Makers Context Edward Elgar is fondly remembered as one of the forefront English composers of the late 19th/early 20th century. His music is often incorporated into international concerts, with some of his most famous compositions including Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Enigma Variations and his Cello Concerto. Whilst all of these works Read more…
Karl Jenkins: Adiemus Context Karl Jenkins composed his “new age” song Adiemus as part of the Adiemus project, which was officially released on Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary in 1995. Jenkins collaborated with vocalists Miriam Stockley and Mary Carewe for the original recording. The work also features a group of vocalists Read more…
Christopher Tin: Sogno di Volare Context Award-winning American composer Christopher Tin is perhaps best-known for his film and video game music. His output shows that he is a talented orchestral and choral composer, with his influences spanning both Eastern and Western musics. Tin has won two Grammy Awards for his Read more…
Steven Stucky: Lulajże, Jezuniu Context Steven Stucky (1949-2016) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer who wrote music for a range of different ensembles. He is perhaps most well-known for his orchestral works such as Dreamwaltzes (1986), Jeu de timbres (2003) and Rhapsodies for Orchestra (2018). Stucky also wrote a Read more…