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Joanna Marsh is a British composer who has gained recognition for her works in classical music. Born in 1983, Marsh grew up in a musical family in the town of Basingstoke, Hampshire. Her mother was a music teacher, and her father played the piano and the organ. Marsh started playing the piano at the age of four and later learned to play the violin and the clarinet. Marsh's interest in composition began when she was a teenager. She started writing music for her school orchestra and choir and later went on to study music at the University of Bristol. During her time at university, Marsh was introduced to the works of contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt, which had a significant influence on her own compositions. After completing her undergraduate degree, Marsh went on to study for a master's degree in composition at the Royal College of Music in London. During her time at the college, she was awarded the prestigious Mendelssohn Scholarship, which allowed her to study with the composer Judith Weir. Marsh's early works were mainly for chamber ensembles and solo instruments. Her compositions were characterized by their use of repetitive patterns and minimalist techniques. One of her early works, "The Space Between," was written for a string quartet and was inspired by the paintings of the artist Agnes Martin. In 2010, Marsh was commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra to write a piece for their "Discovery" series. The resulting work, "The Wild Blue Yonder," was a concerto for clarinet and orchestra and was premiered by the clarinetist Mark Simpson. The piece was well-received and helped to establish Marsh as a composer to watch. In 2012, Marsh was commissioned by the BBC to write a piece for the Last Night of the Proms. The resulting work, "Proms Plus," was a short piece for orchestra that was played as an encore at the end of the concert. The piece was notable for its use of a traditional British folk tune, which was woven into the fabric of the composition. Marsh's compositions continued to gain recognition, and in 2014, she was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize. The prize was awarded for her work "Tundra," which was written for a large orchestra and was inspired by the landscape of the Arctic. In recent years, Marsh has continued to write works for a variety of ensembles and solo instruments. Her compositions have been performed by orchestras and ensembles around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. One of Marsh's most recent works is "The Great Animal Orchestra," which was commissioned by the BBC Proms in 2019. The piece was inspired by the book of the same name by the bio-acoustician Bernie Krause and was written for a large orchestra and a choir. The piece was notable for its use of recorded sounds of animals and birds, which were integrated into the composition. Overall, Joanna Marsh is a composer who has gained recognition for her innovative and engaging works in classical music. Her compositions are characterized by their use of repetitive patterns and minimalist techniques, as well as their incorporation of elements from the natural world. Marsh's works continue to be performed and recorded by orchestras and ensembles around the world, and she is considered to be one of the most exciting composers of her generation.

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