Role

:

Composer Conductor

Birth

:

1954

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

John Woolrich is a British composer who was born on May 29, 1954, in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a church organist and his mother a pianist. Woolrich started playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the violin and viola. He attended the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied composition with John Lambert and Nicholas Maw. Woolrich's early works were influenced by the music of Stravinsky, Bartok, and Britten. He was also interested in the music of non-Western cultures, particularly the music of India and Indonesia. In the 1980s, Woolrich became associated with the New Complexity movement, which was characterized by its use of complex rhythms, intricate textures, and extended techniques. One of Woolrich's early works, "In the Mirrors of Asleep," was written in 1982 for the London Sinfonietta. The piece features a large ensemble of instruments, including percussion, piano, and strings. The music is characterized by its complex rhythms and intricate textures, with the different instruments weaving in and out of each other. In the 1990s, Woolrich's music became more tonal and accessible. He began to incorporate elements of jazz and popular music into his compositions. One of his most popular works from this period is "Ulysses Awakes," which was written in 1995 for the London Sinfonietta. The piece is based on a fragment of a song from James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" and features a solo violin accompanied by a small ensemble of instruments. The music is lyrical and expressive, with a strong sense of melody and harmony. Woolrich's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has also collaborated with many prominent musicians, including the pianist Joanna MacGregor and the cellist Steven Isserlis. In addition to his work as a composer, Woolrich is also a respected conductor and educator. He has conducted many of his own works as well as those of other composers, and he has taught composition at the Royal College of Music and the University of Oxford. Woolrich's music has been recognized with many awards and honors. In 1990, he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize for his work "The Ghost in the Machine." He has also been awarded the British Composer Award and the Ivor Novello Award. Overall, John Woolrich is a highly respected composer who has made significant contributions to the world of classical music. His music is characterized by its complexity, expressiveness, and accessibility, and it has been performed and enjoyed by audiences around the world.

More....