Role

:

Composer Conductor

Birth

:

February 21, 1958

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Vocal

 

Simon Holt is a British composer who was born on May 21, 1958, in Bolton, Lancashire. He grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a singer. Holt started playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the clarinet and saxophone. He attended Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, where he studied composition with Anthony Gilbert. Holt went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1980. He then studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he received a Master of Music degree in 1982. While at the Royal College of Music, Holt studied composition with Oliver Knussen and John Lambert. Holt's early works were influenced by the music of Knussen and other contemporary composers such as György Ligeti and Harrison Birtwistle. His music is characterized by its complexity and use of extended techniques, such as microtonality and multiphonics. Holt's music often explores themes of nature and the environment, as well as the human condition. One of Holt's early works is his String Quartet No. 1, which was composed in 1984. The piece is in four movements and is characterized by its use of microtonality and complex rhythms. The quartet was premiered by the Arditti Quartet and has since been performed by many other ensembles. Holt's music gained wider recognition in the 1990s with works such as his orchestral piece Kites, which was commissioned by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 1994. The piece is inspired by the Chinese tradition of kite flying and features a large percussion section. Kites has since become one of Holt's most popular works and has been performed by many orchestras around the world. Another notable work by Holt is his opera The Nightingale's to Blame, which was commissioned by the Almeida Opera and premiered in 1998. The opera is based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen and tells the story of a nightingale who is blamed for the death of a princess. The opera features a large ensemble cast and is characterized by its use of extended vocal techniques. Holt's music continued to gain recognition in the 2000s with works such as his orchestral piece Centauromachy, which was commissioned by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 2005. The piece is inspired by the Greek myth of the battle between the centaurs and the Lapiths and features a large percussion section and brass fanfares. Another notable work by Holt is his piano concerto a table of noises, which was commissioned by the BBC and premiered in 2007. The concerto is characterized by its use of prepared piano and features the soloist playing on a table of objects such as glass bottles and metal pipes. Holt's music has been performed by many orchestras and ensembles around the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Large-Scale Composition in 1995 and the Ivors Classical Music Award in 2016. In addition to his work as a composer, Holt has also been involved in music education. He has taught composition at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and has been a visiting professor at many other institutions.

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