ABOUT

As a composer I work within a variety of musical genres with an emphasis on collaborative work. Working with voice is often at the centre of my work, and this influences the sense of lyricism and line in much of my music.

Over the last four years my output has been dominated by opera, having written two chamber operas (The Nightingale and The Rose (2010) and The Shadow of The Wave (2011) I am currently finishing my third MICROmegas, a two act adaptation of Voltaire’s short story. With the premiere of Nightingale I co-founded the Shadow Opera Group with director Deborah Cohen. Since then Shadow Opera has performed in Cardiff, Gloucester and London including two productions at the Tete a Tete opera festival.

In 2010 I was involved in the Music Theatre Wales and WNO MAX ‘Make an Aria’ project and was also commissioned by the Tete a Tete opera festival to write a miniature opera, Everyone is Staring. In addition to writing and conducting opera I am involved with opera outreach work. In 2012 I worked as a composition mentor for the Royal Opera House and MIT ‘Personal Opera’, which involved a 6 month project working with the elderly.

Outside of opera my work still tends to use human voice. As well as an interest in song, I have written several choral works for Gloucester Cathedral, the Liturgical Music Course and the Blossom Street Singers.

Born and raised in Devon I attended the Woodroffe School before studying composition at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (first class BMus (hons)). I then studied for a masters degree at the Royal Academy of Music with Gary Carpenter and Chris Austin. During my studies I was awarded the William Elkin memorial prize (RAM, 2013), the Evans senior scholarship prize (RAM, 2012), the Principal’s award for music (RWCMD, 2011), the Erwin Thomas scholarship prize (RWCMD, 2010) as well as the prestigious Worshipful Company of Musician’s silver medal (2011).