Role

:

Composer Conductor

Country

:

United Kingdom

Birth

:

January 30, 1934 in Oxford, England

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Choral

 

 

Orchestral

 

Bryan Kelly was a British composer who was born on June 22, 1934, in Bath, England. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. His father, Reginald Kelly, was a composer and conductor, and his mother, Winifred, was a pianist. Bryan Kelly showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of four. Kelly attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied composition with Lennox Berkeley and piano with Harold Craxton. He graduated with a degree in composition in 1956 and went on to study at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, with Goffredo Petrassi. Kelly's early works were influenced by the neoclassical style of Stravinsky and Hindemith. His first major composition was his Piano Concerto No. 1, which was premiered in 1957 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with the composer as soloist. The concerto was well-received and established Kelly as a promising young composer. In the 1960s, Kelly began to explore new musical styles, including serialism and aleatoric music. He also became interested in electronic music and collaborated with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on several projects. One of his most famous works from this period is his electronic composition "Requiem for a Planet," which was commissioned by the BBC and premiered in 1967. Kelly's output was prolific, and he composed in a variety of genres, including orchestral music, chamber music, choral music, and music for film and television. He was also a prolific composer of music for children, and his works in this genre were widely performed and recorded. One of Kelly's most famous works is his "Divertimento for Strings," which was composed in 1960 and has become a staple of the string orchestra repertoire. The piece is characterized by its lively rhythms and playful melodies, and it has been performed by orchestras around the world. Kelly was also known for his choral music, and his works in this genre were often inspired by his Catholic faith. One of his most famous choral works is his "Missa Brevis," which was composed in 1963 and has been performed by choirs around the world. In addition to his work as a composer, Kelly was also a respected music educator. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and he was a visiting professor at several universities in the United States. Kelly's music has been widely recorded, and his works have been performed by some of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles. He received numerous awards and honors during his lifetime, including the Ivor Novello Award for Best Film Score in 1970 and the Order of the British Empire in 1995. Bryan Kelly died on April 24, 2018, at the age of 83. He left behind a legacy of music that continues to be performed and enjoyed by audiences around the world.

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