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James Whitbourn (born 1963) is a British composer and conductor.
Biography
James Whitbourn was born in Kent and educated at
Skinners' School
The Skinners' School (formally The Skinners' Company's Middle School for Boys and commonly known as Skinners'), is a British Grammar School with academy status for boys located in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Established in ...
before winning a scholarship to
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
, where he gained his first two degrees. His international reputation as a composer developed from his early career as a programme maker at the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, during which he produced many award-winning programmes and developed a style known for its direct connection with audiences. His close association with the BBC Philharmonic resulted in three large-scale commissions for voices and orchestra. His "Son of God Mass" has had many performances worldwide, especially in the US and Europe. In 2005, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, under
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer.
Early life and education
Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
, premiered his largest choral work''
Annelies'', a setting of the
Diary of Anne Frank
''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...
, at London's Cadogan Hall to wide critical acclaim. The work was later re-scored in an alternative chamber version which was premiered in The Netherlands on Anne Frank's 80th birthday by the British violinist
Daniel Hope
Daniel Hope (born 17 August 1973, Durban, South Africa) is a European classical violinist.
Early life and education
Hope was born in Durban, South Africa, and is of Irish and Jewish German descent, his maternal grandparents, formerly from Be ...
and the American soprano
Arianna Zukerman
Arianna Zukerman (born 1972) is an American lyric soprano who has performed with some of the world's finest orchestras and opera companies. Her voice was described in ''The Washington Post'' as "remarkable" combining the "range, warmth and facility ...
. He wrote a number of works for the late British tenor
Robert Tear
Robert Tear (pronounced to rhyme with "beer"), CBE (8 March 1939 – 29 March 2011) was a Welsh tenor singer, teacher and conductor. He first became known singing in the operas of Benjamin Britten in the mid-1960s. From the 1970s until his ...
, with whom he also collaborated as librettist, including a festal setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
, a cantata for the St Endellion Festival and three Christmas carols. Other major works include the choral work ''Luminosity'', scored for choir, viola, organ, tanpura and percussion and ''The Seven Heavens'' for choir and orchestra, which portrays the life of
C.S.Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
in the imagery of the medieval planets. ''The Seven Heavens'' was premiered at the
Ulster Hall
The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences.
History ...
with the Belfast Philharmonic and the Ulster Orchestra. Since 2006 his compositions have been performed in several major concerts devoted to his music at
Westminster Choir College
Westminster Choir College (WCC) is a historic conservatory of music currently operating on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider's Westminster College of the Arts, the college under which the historic institution has b ...
in Princeton, New Jersey with whom he continues to have a close association. In 2010 the Oxford-based chamber choir Commotio released a disc of his choral music on the Naxos label, ''Luminosity'', which attracted much attention especially in the USA. In 2011, The
Williamson Voices
The Westminster Williamson Voices is an ensemble that specializes in choral music. It is named for Westminster Choir College's founder, John Finley Williamson, who believed that choral music performed at the highest level should be accessible to al ...
released the second Naxos choral disc, ''Living Voices'' with the Saxophonist Jeremy Powell, and Organist
Ken Cowan
Kenneth Andrew Cowan (born December 19, 1974) is a Canadian church and concert organist who currently serves as professor of organ at the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Biography
A native of Thorold, Ontario, he ...
under conductor James Jordan. 2013 saw the release on Naxos of ''
Annelies'', with Arianna Zukerman, The Lincoln Trio, Bharat Chandra and the Westminster Williamson Voices under James Jordan. Television credits include music for the BBC's coverage of the Queen Mother's funeral, and major BBC series ''
Son of God''. Among many international awards and achievements, he has earned three GRAMMY nominations (including Best Choral Performance for ''
Annelies'') and a Royal Television Society Award. He is Senior Research Fellow of St. Stephen's House, University of Oxford, and is a member of Oxford's Faculty of Music. In April 2020, he was appointed Director of Music at
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university ...
.
Career highlights
* 2000 – winner of
Sandford St Martin Premier Award (with poet
Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts FRSL (born 1963 in Preston, Lancashire) is a British poet.
He has published eight collections of poetry, all with Cape (Random House), and has won the Forward Prize, the Costa Book Award and the Whitbread Prize for Poetr ...
) for ''Pika''.
* 2001 – ''A Finer Truth'' – debut album of choral works sung by Clare College Choir Cambridge – released by Et'cetera.
* 2001 – orchestral score of multi award-winning BBC1 series ''Son of God''.
* 2002 – ''Living Voices'' premiered in New York concert on the first anniversary of 9/11.
* 2004 – set prayer by
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...
for the Commonwealth Observance, Westminster Abbey.
* 2005 – movements from ''
Annelies'' performed at the National Holocaust Commemoration, Palace of Westminster.
* 2005 – World premiere of ''Annelies'' given in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer.
Early life and education
Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
.
* 2007 – U. S. premiere of ''Annelies'' by Westminster Choir College's
Williamson Voices
The Westminster Williamson Voices is an ensemble that specializes in choral music. It is named for Westminster Choir College's founder, John Finley Williamson, who believed that choral music performed at the highest level should be accessible to al ...
under the direction of
James Jordan.
* 2008 – Premiere of ''Luminosity'' in Philadelphia Cathedral, US with Daniel Stewart (viola), Westminster Williamson Voices and Schola Cantorum and Blair Academy Singers under James Jordan with Archedream Dance Theater.
* 2009 – The Netherlands premiere of ''Annelies'' in The Hague on the 80th anniversary of Anne Frank's birthday, with Daniel Hope (violin) and Arianna Zukerman (soprano).
* 2010 – release of Naxos disc ''Luminosity''.
* 2011 – release of Naxos disc ''Living Voices''.
* 2012 – two GRAMMY nominations (Best Opera Recording).
* 2013 – release of Naxos disc ''Annelies''. (GRAMMY nomination for Best Choral Performance, 2014)
* 2015 – World premiere of ''The Seven Heavens'', the life of C S Lewis in the imagery of the medieval planets, at the Ulster Hall, Belfast with the Belfast Philharmonic and the Ulster Orchestra.
* 2016 – release of Naxos disc ''Carolae''.
* 2019 - signs as house composer to Oxford University Press
Selected works
* ''Pika'' for tenor, speaker and orchestra (2000)
* ''Son of God Mass'' for mixed chorus, soprano saxophone and organ (2000)
* ''The Wounds'', Passiontide Sequence for mixed chorus, speaker, violin, cello and organ (2000, 2007); words from the Bible and by
Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts FRSL (born 1963 in Preston, Lancashire) is a British poet.
He has published eight collections of poetry, all with Cape (Random House), and has won the Forward Prize, the Costa Book Award and the Whitbread Prize for Poetr ...
* ''Whirlwind'', Cantata for tenor, speaker, gospel choir, orchestra (2002); words by
Michael Symmons Roberts
Michael Symmons Roberts FRSL (born 1963 in Preston, Lancashire) is a British poet.
He has published eight collections of poetry, all with Cape (Random House), and has won the Forward Prize, the Costa Book Award and the Whitbread Prize for Poetr ...
* ''Annelies'' for soprano, choir, orchestra (2004); or for soprano, choir, violin, cello, piano and clarinet (2009); text from ''
The Diary of Anne Frank
''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...
''
* ''Missa Carolae'', Christmas Mass for mixed chorus, organ, piccolo, brass ensemble and percussion (2004)
* ''Luminosity'', Cantata-Meditation for double mixed chorus, viola,
tanpura
The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music.
It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...
,
tam-tam
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
and organ (2007)
* ''The Canticles of Mary and Simeon: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (Eboracum)'' for mixed chorus, viola and organ (2011)
* ''Requiem Canticorum'', Requiem of Canticles for mixed chorus, soprano saxophone and organ (2011)
* ''The Seven Heavens'', the life of C.S.Lewis in the medieval planets for mixed chorus and symphony orchestra (2015)
References
External links
James Whitbourn official siteJames Whitbourn's homepage at G Schirmer IncJames Whitbourn's homepage at Chester MusicEncore publications home pageWWFM composer webcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitbourn, James
Living people
English composers
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
1963 births
Musicians from Kent
People educated at The Skinners' School