Judith Bingham (born 21 June 1952) is an English composer and

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

singer.

Life

Bingham was born on 21 June 1952, in Nottingham. Her parents are Jack Bingham and Peggy Bingham (née McGowan). She was educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, and attended the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

from 1970 to 1973, where she received the Principal’s Prize for Music in 1972 and was elected as an associate in 1997. Her teachers included

Malcolm MacDonald Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is an English former professional footballer, manager and media figure. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Macdonald was a quick, powerfully built prolific goalscorer. He played for Fulham, Luton Town, Newcastle U ...

Eric Fenby Eric William Fenby Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 April 190618 February 1997) was an English composer, conductor, pianist, organist and teacher who is best known for being Frederick Delius's amanuensis from 1928 to 1934. He helped Delius ...

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed pro ...

and

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

(composition) and Jean Austin-Dobson (singing). After graduation, she continued her composition studies privately with

Hans Keller Hans (Heinrich) Keller (11 March 19196 November 1985) was an Austrian-born British musician and writer, who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as being a commentator on such disparate fields as psychoana ...

(1974–80). She is a Fellow of the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

. She was a member of the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers are a British chamber choir, and the professional chamber choir of the BBC. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time professional British c ...

from 1983 to 1995. Bingham was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to music. In 1985, she married Andrew Petrow but the marriage dissolved in 2011.

List of works

* ''Flynn'', opera, subtitled ''Music-theatre on the life and times of Errol Flynn, in three scenes, three solos, four duets, a mad song and an interlude'', 1977–78. *''Chartres'' (orchestral), 1988 *''Beyond Redemption'' (orchestral), 1994–5 *''The Temple at Karnak'' (orchestral), 1996BBC – Music – Judith Bingham
''www.bbc.co.uk'' *''Passaggio'' (concerto for

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and orchestra), 1998 *''The Shooting Star'' (concerto for trumpet and orchestra), 1999 *''Salt in the Blood'' (for choir and brass orchestra), 1995 *''The Darkness Is No Darkness'' (for choir and organ), 1993 *''The Snows Descend'' (for brass orchestra), 1997 *''First Light'' (for choir and brass orchestra), 2001 *''Bright Spirit'' (for wind ensemble), 2001 *''Mass'' (2003) *''The Secret Garden'' (Botanical fantasy for SATB and organ), 2004 *''Leonardo'' (concerto for bassoon and thirteen Strings), (2012) *''Ghostly Grace'' (for choir and organ), 2015 *''Watch With Me'' (Anthem for Somme 100 Vigil), 2016

References

*S. Fuller and N. LeFanu, eds.: 'Reclaiming the Muse', ''Contemporary Music Review'', xi (1994), 37 *'Composer in interview: Judith Bingham':

Mark Doran Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

in conversation with Judith Bingham, ''Tempo'', Vol 58, No.230 (2004)

Notes

External links

MusicWeb page about Bingham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Judith 1952 births Living people 20th-century British composers 21st-century British composers Brass band composers British women classical composers English composers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music People educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls People from Nottingham