Roxanna Panufnik (born 24 April 1968) is a British composer of Polish heritage. She is the daughter of the composer and conductor Sir

Andrzej Panufnik Sir Andrzej Panufnik (24 September 1914 – 27 October 1991) was a Poles, Polish composer and conductor. He became established as one of the leading Polish composers, and as a conductor he was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Warsaw ...

and his second wife Camilla, née Jessel. Panufnik was born in London. She attended

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventio ...

and then studied at 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 ...

. She has written a wide range of pieces including opera, ballet, music theatre, choral works, chamber compositions and music for film and television, which are regularly performed all over the world. Among her most widely performed works are ''Westminster Mass'', commissioned for

Westminster Cathedral Choir Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic Church, Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands ...

on the occasion of Cardinal Hume's 75th birthday in May 1998, ''The Music Programme'', an opera for Polish National Opera's millennium season which received its UK premiere at the BOC Covent Garden Festival, and settings for solo voices and orchestra of

Vikram Seth Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has won several awards such as Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crosswor ...

's ''Beastly Tales'' – the first of which was commissioned by the BBC for

Patricia Rozario Patricia Maria Rozario is an Indian-born British soprano. Born and educated in Bombay, India, she went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has performed at the English National Opera, Opera North, Glyndebour ...

and

City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English chamber orchestra based in London. CLS performs regularly across the city of London in venues from East London clubs to traditional Central London concert halls. CLS is orchestra-in-residence at Opera ...

. All three Tales are available on disc. Panufnik has a particular interest in world music; a recent culmination of this was ''Abraham'', a violin concerto commissioned by

Savannah Music Festival The Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is dedicated to presenting a world-class celebration of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth, and unite artists and audiences in Sa ...

for

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 ...

, incorporating Christian, Islamic and Jewish music. This was then converted into an overture, commissioned by the World Orchestra for Peace and premiered in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

under the baton of

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...

. Recently premiered was her oratorio ''Dance of Life'' (in Latin and Estonian), incorporating her fourth mass setting, for multiple Tallinn choirs and the Tallinn Philharmonic Orchestra (commissioned to mark their tenure of European Capital of Culture 2011). Her ''Four World Seasons'' for violinist

Tasmin Little Tasmin Little (born 13 May 1965) is an English classical violinist. She is a concerto soloist and also performs as a recitalist and chamber musician. She has released numerous albums, winning the Critics Award at the Classic Brit Awards in 2011 ...

was premiered with the

London Mozart Players London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom. Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon. History B ...

and broadcast live on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

on 2 March 2012, as part of BBC Radio 3's Music Nation, celebrating the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. The Bristol-based

Exultate Singers The Exultate Singers is a choir based in Bristol, UK, made up of 40 adult singers. It has mostly specialised in Christian sacred music. History Exultate Singers was founded in September 2002 by David Ogden to sing a live broadcast of Sunday Wors ...

, under their founder-conductor David Ogden, gave the premiere of Panufnik's ''Magnificat'' and ''Nunc Dimittis'' for the

London Festival of Contemporary Church Music The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music is an annual music festival held in London. History The London Festival of Contemporary Church Music was founded in 2002 by Christopher Batchelor at St Pancras New Church. Batchelor remains ...

in 2012. Of the ''Magnificat'', Panufnik said:

Garsington Opera Garsington Opera is an annual summer opera festival founded in 1989 by Leonard Ingrams. The Philharmonia Orchestra and The English Concert are its two resident orchestras. For 21 years it was held in the gardens of Ingrams's home at Garsington ...

commissioned Panufnik's people's opera '' Silver Birch'' and gave the world premiere on 28 July 2017. With a libretto by writer Jessica Duchen this celebration of music, drama, poetry and dance brought together 180 performers on the stage and in the pit, from local schools and the community, working alongside professional soloists,

Pinewood Group Pinewood Group Limited (formerly Pinewood Group plc and Pinewood Shepperton plc) is a British multinational film studio and television studio company with headquarters in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. The group runs Pinewood Studios an ...

and the Garsington Opera Orchestra. Karen Gillingham, Creative Director of Garsington Opera's Learning & Participation Programme directed and

Douglas Boyd Douglas Boyd (born 1959, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British oboist and conductor. Biography Boyd studied oboe at the Royal Academy of Music, London, as a pupil of Janet Craxton. He later was a student with Maurice Bourgue in Paris. In 1984 he wo ...

, Garsington Opera's Artistic Director, conducted. Inspired by the timeless themes of war and relationships affected by it, the opera draws upon Siegfried Sassoon's poems and the testimony of a British soldier, who served recently in Iraq, to illustrate the human tragedies of conflicts past and present. Panufnik was the inaugural Associate Composer with the

, 2012–2015. She is a Vice-President of the Joyful Company of Singers.

Selected works

* ''Westminster Mass'' (1997), commissioned for Cardinal Basil Hume's 75th birthday, performed in May 1998 at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

* ''Powers & Dominions'' (2001), a concertino for

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

and orchestra * ''Inkle and Yarico'' (1996), a reconstruction of an anti-

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

play of the 18th century * ''The Music Programme'' (1999), a

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...

commissioned by Polish National Opera (based on a novel by Paul Micou) * ''Beastly Tales'' (2001/2), for

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and orchestra * ''I Dream'd'', one of nine choral pieces forming '' A Garland for Linda'' in memory of

Linda McCartney Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, animal rights activist, vegetarian cookbook author and advocate, and entrepreneur. She was the keyboardist in th ...

* ''The Upside Down Sailor'', a collaboration with

Richard Stilgoe Sir Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe (born 28 March 1943) is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician, and broadcaster who is best known for his humorous songs and frequent television appearances. His output includes collaborations with Andrew ...

* ''Spirit Moves'', a quintet for the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble * ''Private Joe'', a work for baritone Nigel Cliffe and the Schidlof String Quartet * ''Odi et Amo'', a ballet for

London Musici London Musici is a chamber orchestra founded in 1988 by Mark Stephenson. It has given over 1000 performances as the associate orchestra for the Rambert Dance Company Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British d ...

and the

Rambert Dance Company Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

* ''Olivia'', a string quartet for the

Maggini Quartet The Maggini Quartet is a British string quartet. Its members are Julian Leaper (Violin 1), Ciaran McCabe (Violin 2), Martin Outram (Viola) and Michal Kaznowski (Cello). Formed in 1988, the Quartet is known for championing the British repertoire, ...

, with optional children's choir * ''Love Abide'' (2006), a piece for

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

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 ...

, organ, harp and strings commissioned by the

Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia Choral Arts Philadelphia (formerly Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia) is a 40-voice choir with an 8-voice professional core and semi-professional and amateur auditioned volunteer singers. The ensemble was founded in 1982 in Philadelphia as a sym ...

for its 25th anniversary * ''Wild Ways'' (2008), a piece for choir, and

shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

commissioned by the Nonsuch Singers and Kiku Day * ''So Strong Is His Love'' (2008) a piece for choir and

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

commissioned by the Waltham Singers for the 25th Anniversary of their conductor, Andrew Fardell * ''All Shall be Well'' (2009), an

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

carol commissioned by

for the 20th anniversary of the

Fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (german: Mauerfall) on 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, was a pivotal event in world history which marked the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain and one of the series of eve ...

* ''The Call'' (2010), an

carol commissioned by

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

* ''Magnificat'' (2012), a piece for choir commissioned by Exultate Singers * ''Nunc Dimittis'' (2012), a piece for choir commissioned by Exultate Singers * ''The Song of Names'' (2012), a piece for choir and chamber orchestra commissioned by

The Portsmouth Grammar School The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day school in Portsmouth, England, located in the historic part of Portsmouth. It was founded in 1732 as a boys' school and is locat ...

for

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

* ''Silver Birch'' (2017), a people's opera commissioned by

* ''A Cradle Song'' (2017), a piece for choir and organ commissioned by the

Royal Choral Society The Royal Choral Society (RCS) is an amateur choir, based in London. History Formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, the choir gave its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872 – the choir' ...

* ''Faithful Journey, a Mass for Poland'' (2018, fp. Katowice, 9/11/18)

References

External links

*
Genesis Foundation Panufnik texts page, accessed 3 February 2010

Guardian review (10 November 2009), accessed 3 February 2010

More information about Silver Birch

Royal Choral Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panufnik, Roxanna 1968 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music British people of Polish descent 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century British composers British women classical composers Musicians from London 20th-century English composers People educated at Bedales School 20th-century English women musicians 21st-century English women musicians 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers