Richard Baker (composer/conductor)

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Richard Baker (born 1972) is a British composer and conductor, known equally for his own highly charged and distinctive music and for his performances of contemporary music, especially the music of his contemporaries in the UK.

[edit] Life

Richard Baker was a chorister in Lichfield Cathedral choir as a child.[1] He read music at Exeter College, Oxford, and spent a year at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague studying under Louis Andriessen, before attending Royal Holloway, University of London, where he received his doctorate.[2] In 2001 he was appointed New Music Fellow at Kettle's Yard, and became fellow-commoner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he was Director of Music from 2005 to 2007. He is also Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[3]

[edit] Work

Baker's notable compositions include 'Los Rábanos' (1998) and 'Learning to Fly' (1999).[2] In 2006, he was commissioned to write a choral piece for the dedication of the new organ in the Trinity Hall Chapel;[4] his anthem The Sacred Organ's Praise was a setting of words from John Dryden's "Song for St Cecilia's Day".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Anne Page, www.ofchoristers.net. History of Lichfield Cathedral Choir School. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  2. ^ a b Composer profile. bmic.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  3. ^ Kettle's Yard, Cambridge. Kettle's Yard and Friends' News Spring 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  4. ^ Trinity Hall, Cambridge. New Organ Dedicated. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
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