Julian Grant (born 3 October 1960) is a United Kingdom-born european classical music composer best known for a series of operas of diverse scale, and direct theatrical and musical appeal. He is also known for a series of chamber music works and his challenging children's music. He is active as composer, journalist, broadcaster and music educator.
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Julian Grant was born in London,England educated at Chichester High School for Boys and Bristol University. In 1985 he won a British Arts Council scholarship to attend the Music Theatre Studio Ensemble at Banff, Canada. He returned to England in 1987 and freelanced for, among others, Northern Ballet Theatre, working closely with Christopher Gable on new performing versions of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Chester Music, Novello's (a reduction of Thea Musgrave's Harriet Tubman, a Woman called Moses) and extensive education work with the London opera houses, notably English National Opera's Russian Tour in 1990. In 1996 he moved with his partner Peter Lighte to Hong Kong, where they adopted two daughters. Grant held posts at Hong Kong University, guest conducted for the Academy of Performing Arts and hosted a weekday classical radio show. He lived in Japan from 2000-2. On return to London he became Music Director of St Paul's Girls' School[1] (2002-7), a post previously held by Gustav Holst, Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells. During his tenure there he wrote a series of pieces for the school, including a multi-media celebration of the school's centenary in 2004. He also worked for Birmingham and Scottish Operas (reductions of Beethoven's Fidelio and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin), and wrote numerous articles for the musical press, notably on opera and Russian music. From 2007-10 he divided his time between Beijing and London, and now is composer-in-residence at St Ann's School, Brooklyn and works in the US and London.
While at Banff, Grant produced several small scale operas that culminated in The Skin Drum,[2] which won the 1988 National Opera Association of America's biennial chamber opera competition, resulting in a semi-staged performance to launch the English National Opera's Contemporary Opera Studio in 1990.[3] This led to a collaboration with Marina Warner, The Queen of Sheba's Legs (ENO Baylis) and to Out of Season (Royal Opera House Garden Venture, 1991 - nominated for an Olivier Award). Further works for the opera stage include A Family Affair, a version of an Alexander Ostrovsky play by Nick Dear (Almeida Theatre, 1993), Jump Into My Sack with Meredith Oakes (Mecklenbergh Opera 1996), Heroes Don’t Dance (Royal Opera),[4] Platform 10 and Odd Numbers (Tête-à-Tête Opera), A Very Private Beach (English National Opera Knack 2004) and Shadowtracks (W11 opera, 2007)[5] with regular collaborator Christina Jones. Odysseus Unwound (2006 ), also with Tête-à-Tête, involved traditional knitters, spinners and weavers from Fair Isle and Shetland, the conception of which was featured on BBC television's Culture Show.
He has also written numerous chamber music, instrumental music, orchestral and vocal works, many of which feature his interest and knowledge of Asian music and culture. Recent works include a song-cycle for soprano Sarah Leonard. Tillie's Allsorts, a 50th birthday tribute to pianist Melvyn Tan Double Trouble and an ongoing diary of miniature piano pieces, Shivereens.