Andrew Downes (composer)

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Andrew Downes (b. 1950) in Handsworth, Birmingham, is a British classical composer. In 1969, he won a choral scholarship to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he gained an MA degree specializing in composition, and in 1974 went on to study with Herbert Howells[1] at the Royal College of Music. Downes was a professor and head of the School of Composition and Creative Studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire from 1992 until 2005, when he retired.[2][3]

Andrew Downes' music has been performed throughout the world, in many leading concert halls and cathedrals, and has been broadcast on BBC Radios 2, 3[4] & 4, BBC TV, ‘France Musique’, Italian TV, Austrian Radio, Dutch Radio,[4] Czech Radio and Central Peking Radio. 12 CDs have been made of his music.

His commissions have included The Marshes of Glynn for the Royal opening of the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham in 1986;[5] Centenary Fire Dances for the City of Birmingham’s Centenary Festival of Fireworks and Music;[5] an Overture for the Three Choirs Festival; songs for the Cantamus Girls Choir;[6] song cycles for mezzo-soprano Sarah Walker and tenor John Mitchinson for broadcast on BBC Radio 3; anthems for the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service; Sonata for 8 Horns for the Horn Octet of the University of New Mexico; Suite for 6 Horns for the Vienna Horn Society; Song of the Eagle for the James Madison University Flute Choir of Virginia;[5] Concerto for Two Pianos for the Duo Scaramouche; Sonata for 8 Pianists for soloists from France, Italy and Britain;[7] Mela Kamavardhani for performances by Indo-Jazz Fusions in Calcutta, Delhi and Bombay; Fanfare for Madam Speaker, for the Installation of the Rt Hon Betty Boothroyd MP as Chancellor of the Open University in 1994; Concerto for Two Guitars for Simon Dinnigan and Fred T. Baker with Strings from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra;[5] Concert Overture 'Towards a New Age' for the 150th anniversary of the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers,[8] premiered in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Suite for Brass Sextet for the Czech Philharmonic Brass Sextet.

As a result of the success of the CD recording of his Sonata for 8 Horns by the Horns of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,[4] Andrew was commissioned to compose a Concerto for 4 Horns and Orchestra for the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,[4] who gave two performances of the work in the Dvorak Hall, Prague, in February and March 2002.[4] In March 2003, the work was recorded by Czech Radio, and will be broadcast in the near future. Andrew will return to Prague next year to hear a performance by the Czech Philharmonic Horns of his 5 Dramatic Pieces for 8 Wagner Tubas.

Recent projects include Songs of Autumn, commissioned by Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and first performed by 1200 schoolchildren and players from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, in October 2003,[9] and an opera, Far from the Madding Crowd, which premiered at the Thomas Hardy Festival in 2006.[10][11]

Faber Music have recently requested the inclusion of Andrew Downes’ motet O Vos Omnes in a forthcoming compilation of works entitled Thirty Choral Masterworks for Upper Voices.

He has a wife, Cynthia, and two daughters, Anna and Paula.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Staff writer. "Piano recital includes Howells' work", The Citizen, Northcliffe Newspapers Group Ltd, 2005-06-10, p. 10. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  2. ^ Staff writer. "Leading pianist's recital", Newsquest Media Group Newspapers, Newsquest Digital Media, 2005-06-09. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  3. ^ Staff writer. "Tribute to composer", Birmingham Evening Mail, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2005-06-14, p. 12. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  4. ^ a b c d e Morley, Christopher. "Culture - Andrew on song with Czech mate", Birmingham Post, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2002-02-28, p. 16. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  5. ^ a b c d Grimley, Terry. "Millennium is a new dawn for Birmingham composer", Birmingham Post, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2000-02-17, p. 13. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  6. ^ Staff writer. "Such an evocative evening", Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, 1999-05-25. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  7. ^ Staff writer. "Perfect eight", Birmingham Evening Mail, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2000-12-02, p. 8. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  8. ^ Staff writer. "Overture to a Celebration", Professional Engineering, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1997-02-26, p. 52. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Steve. "Choir's Real Sisters Act!", Birmingham Evening Mail, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2003-01-03, p. 20. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  10. ^ Staff writer. "Opera adapted from Thomas hardy novel", Western Gazette, Western Newspaper Printers Ltd, 2006-06-29, p. 8. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)
  11. ^ Morley, Christopher. "After the festivals come the proms as CBSO gears up for action", Birmingham Post, Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd, 2006-07-20, p. 15. Retrieved on 2006-09-10. (in English)

[edit] External links

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