My first experience of music was as a choirboy at Bath Abbey, and then at St Paul’s Cathedral. We sang daily as part of the age-old great Anglican choral music tradition. Surrounded by the music of Howells, Britten, Stanford, Parry, Mozart, Bach, Bruckner and Byrd, my ear grew accustomed to lush harmony (especially Howells) and serene melodies, which I tried to imitate on a practice room piano at weekends. Over the years, the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir commissioned many new works by British contemporary choral music composers for the English Anthems CD series, including works by William Mathias, John Taverner and Francis Jackson and Francis Grier. Often, the composers would come in to talk to the choir about the pieces before they were recorded on to disc, which was particularly inspiring for a young composer.
When the War Came is an oratorio for children’s choir, narrator, and orchestra, written in commemoration of World War One
A fresh, invigorating and engaging re-telling of the Christmas story for boys and girls choirs, chamber ensemble and narrator, based on traditional Christmas carols, new carols and the nativity story from the King James’ Bible.
Music Of The Spheres is a space themed song cycle for children’s choir, lyrics by Sue Curtis, commissioned by Shean Bowers and the Melody Maker’s of Bath Abbey
Extraordinary Creatures is a song cycle for children’s choir, solo and piano, with lyrics by Sue Curtis.
A series of meditations on the plight of a poet faced with the task of articulating the most intense and terrifying of human experiences.
