Rowland Edward Lee (born August 19, 1960) is a composer, pianist and conductor. In addition to his many published concert works, he is also one of the US's premier TV, theatre and media composers and musical arrangers with over 600 episodes of various series and short films to his credit. Lee is perhaps best known for writing the theme song of the animated TV series ''

Pablo the Little Red Fox ''Pablo the Little Red Fox'' is a British-French pre-school children's animated series which originally ran from 28 September 1999 to 2000 on BBC One and BBC Two (part of CBBC). The hero is a little red fox called Pablo and his siblings called ...

'', ''

64 Zoo Lane 64 or sixty-four or ''variation'', may refer to: * 64 (number) Dates * one of the years 64 BC, AD 64, 1864, 1964, 2064, etc. * June 4th (6/4) ** the date of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre * April 6th (6/4) * April 6 AD (6/4) * ...

'' and for his orchestration of Sir Matthew Bourne's '' Swan Lake'' which is currently the most performed dance production in the world.

Early life

Lee was born in Woking, Surrey to parents Brian and Dilys Lee (née Lucas). He attended Sheerwater Secondary School then transferred to Woking Boys Grammar School and Woking VI Form College. From 1978-1982 Lee was organist and choirmaster of Christ Church, Woking. From 1979-1984 Lee attended The

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

studying music composition (under the tutelage of

Joseph Horovitz Joseph Horovitz (26 May 1926 – 9 February 2022) was an Austrian-born British composer and conductor best known for his 1970 pop cantata ''Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo'', which achieved widespread popularity in schools. Horovitz also compo ...

and Philip Cannon), piano and conducting. In 1982 Lee was elected president of the Royal College’s Student Association in the College's centenary year. He graduated with Honours in 1984.

Career

Prior to graduation from the Royal College of Music, Lee was approached by the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

to compose soundtracks for two films by then animation student, Janet Simmonds. The short films entitled: ''The Waterfall'' and ''Merlin'', taken together, won Lee the 1986 British Film Institute's Anthony Asquith Young Composer Award. This marked the reinstitution of this prize which has been awarded every year since. Subsequently, this led to Lee's writing extensively for animation films and TV soundtracks. In addition to his work in animation, Lee has composed and arranged for Ballet, Musical Theatre and both secular and religious concert music.

Animation

* ''Cloudbabies'' * ''

'' (1999) (UK/International versions) * ''Wilf the Witch's Dog'' (2002) (UK/German versions) * ''

'' (1999-2000) (US/International versions) * ''Salut Serge'' * ''

Engie Benjy ''Engie Benjy'' is a British stop motion pre-school children's television show, broadcast on ITV's children's strand, CITV. Engie Benjy is a blue-haired mechanic who fixes problems with the help of his friends and an assortment of living magic a ...

'' * ''

Crapston Villas ''Crapston Villas'' was a British animated television series, written, created and directed by Sarah Ann Kennedy, in which the characters were made from plasticine and filmed with stop motion clay animation. It was a comedy satire on inner-city ...

'' * ''The Little Reindeer'' * ''

Captain Abercromby ''Captain Abercromby'' is a children's TV show that was on BBC Two in 2002–2003. Its cast are puppets. Series overview Captain Abercromby was a puppet series about a boy named Abercromby, who is raised by his grandfather. After hearing the ta ...

'' * ''

Henry's Cat ''Henry's Cat'' is a British animated children's television series, created by Stan Hayward and directed by Bob Godfrey, who was also the producer of '' Roobarb'' and '' Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk''. The show starring a yellow feline, known o ...

Theatre

* '' A Spoonful of Sherman'' * '' Bumblescratch'' * ''

Ann Veronica ''Ann Veronica'' is a novel by H. G. Wells published in 1909. It describes the rebellion of Ann Veronica Stanley, "a young lady of nearly two-and-twenty", against her middle-class father's stern patriarchal rule. The novel dramatizes the conte ...

'' * ''The Amazons'' * ''Vanity Fair'' * '' Marry Me a Little'' * ''

Ruthless! ''Ruthless! The Musical'' is an all-female musical with music by Marvin Laird and book and lyrics by Joel Paley that spoofs Broadway musicals, like '' Gypsy'' and ''Mame'', and movies such as '' The Bad Seed'' and ''All About Eve''. The musical ...

'' * '' Swan Lake''

Concert Music

* ''Requiem'' * ''Elegy'' * ''Oboe Sonata'' * ''Violin Concerto'' * ''Snow Dance'' (Celesta Concerto)

Awards

* '' The Amazons'' CD received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for "Best Cast Album". * In 1985 Lee became the first recipient of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

’s Anthony Asquith Young Composer Award.

References

External links

Rowland Lee Official Website

"Requiem" by Rowland Lee
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Rowland 1960 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers English classical composers Living people Alumni of the Royal College of Music English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 21st-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians