Name Errollyn Wallen Role Composer | Albums Moodswings | |
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Education King's College London, Goldsmiths, University of London Similar People Sting, Meredith Monk, Elvis Costello, Bjork, Ron Sexsmith | ||
Composer errollyn wallen on full fathom five for melodia women s choir
Errollyn Wallen (born 10 April 1958) is a Belize-born British composer. She was the first black woman to have a work performed at The Proms ("Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra").
Contents
- Composer errollyn wallen on full fathom five for melodia women s choir
- Cello Concerto by Errollyn Wallen
- Life
- Compositions
- Recordings and Publication
- Awards
- References
Cello Concerto by Errollyn Wallen
Life
Errollyn Wallen moved to London with her family when she was two. While her parents moved to New York, she and her three siblings (one of whom is the trumpeter Byron Wallen) were brought up by an aunt and uncle.
Wallen studied composition at Goldsmiths' College and at King's College London, and earned an MPhil at King's College, Cambridge.
Compositions
Wallen's music draws on a wide range of influences, including avant-garde classical music as well as popular songwriting. Her work has been performed in leading concert halls and theatres around the world.
Compositions include the "multi-media song cycle"Jordan Town (2001), Dervish for cello and piano (2001), La Luga for guitar quintet (2002), the opera Another America: Earth (2003) and All the Blues I See for flute and string quartet (2004).
In 2006 she co-wrote a song with the astronaut Steve MacLean while he was aboard the space shuttle STS-115.
In 2007, Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Leipzig Ballet performed her work, The Tempest, with choreography by James McMenemy. Her opera The Silent Twins, with a libretto by April De Angelis, was first performed by the Almeida Opera in 2007.
In June 2008, she had a World Premiere of Carbon 12- A Choral Symphony with the Welsh National Opera.
In 2010, her piano quintet Music for Tigers was performed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City as part of the Summergarden concert series.
In 2012, her song Daedalus from the album Errollyn served as the opening and closing theme for the BBC drama One Night, and her "Principia", which has lyrics about science, was featured in the London Paralympics Opening Ceremony.
In 2014, Melodia Women's Choir of New York City commissioned and performed the World Premiere of Full Fathom Five.
In 2017, her work, Mighty River, which marks the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in England, was performed at the Southbank New Music Biennial.
Recordings and Publication
In 2004, Wallen recorded an album of her own songs and solo piano music, entitled Errollyn. Her CDs include: The Girl In My Alphabet, Meet Me at Harold Moores, featured on Brodsky Quartet Mood Swings alongside Björk, Sting and Elvis Costello.
Wallen's music is published by Peters Edition.
Awards
She was made an MBE for services to music in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2007