Role

:

Composer Performer

Birth

:

1959

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

Richard Barrett is a British composer who was born on February 9, 1959, in Swansea, Wales. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a classical pianist. Barrett began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the trumpet and guitar. He attended the University of York, where he studied composition with David Blake and Bernard Rands. Barrett's early works were influenced by the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen and other avant-garde composers. He was also interested in improvisation and electronic music, and he began experimenting with computer-generated sounds in the 1980s. In 1986, he co-founded the electroacoustic ensemble FURT with Paul Obermayer, and the group has since released several albums and performed around the world. Barrett's music is known for its complexity and virtuosity, often featuring intricate rhythms and extended techniques. He has written for a variety of ensembles, including orchestras, chamber groups, and solo performers. Some of his most notable works include "Opening of the Mouth," a large-scale work for orchestra and electronics; "Codex IX," a piece for solo percussionist and electronics; and "CONSTRUCTION," a series of works for various ensembles that explore the relationships between sound, space, and time. In addition to his work as a composer, Barrett is also a respected musicologist and educator. He has written extensively on contemporary music and has taught at several universities, including the University of Huddersfield and the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. He has also been a visiting professor at institutions around the world, including Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego. Throughout his career, Barrett has received numerous awards and honors for his work. In 2010, he was awarded the Giga-Hertz Prize for Electronic Music, and in 2013 he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has also been commissioned by many prestigious organizations, including the BBC, the London Sinfonietta, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Despite his many accomplishments, Barrett remains committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary music and exploring new sonic possibilities. His work continues to inspire and challenge audiences around the world, and he remains one of the most innovative and influential composers of his generation.

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