Luke Bedford

Luke Bedford (born 25 April, 1978 in Wokingham, Berkshire) is a British composer.

He was educated at St Crispin's School in Wokingham. [ [http://www.crispins.co.uk/headnews/newslets/july00_u.html Headmaster's letter to parents, Summer 2000.] ] He studied composition with Edwin Roxburgh and Simon Bainbridge at the Royal College of Music. This was followed by post-graduate study with Simon Bainbridge at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2007 Bedford signed to Universal Edition London.

Awards include the 2000 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize for composers under 29 and the 2004 BBC Radio 3 Listeners' Award at the British Composer Awards. In 2007, Bedford became the first compositional recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Artists' Award since David Sawer in 1993. 2007 also saw him receive a nomination for the Royal Philharmonic Society large-scale composition prize, for his song cycle "Or Voit Tout En Aventure".

Bedford's latest commission, "Wreathe", was premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on the 7th December 2007 under Thierry Fischer. Bedford is currently working on a commission for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, "Good Dream She Has", which will be premièred later in 2008 at the CBSO Centre.

On the 24th January 2008, director of the Wigmore Hall John Gilhooly announced Bedford as the venue's first ever Composer-in-Residence. “Luke Bedford is an important young voice and a distinctive musical force, and we are very pleased that he has accepted our invitation to become our Composer-in-Residence from 2009. The position will involve composition as well as working with the Hall’s Community & Education programme.”

Works

Five Abstracts (2000-2001) for 14 players

Catafalque (2002) for large ensemble

Catafalque (2002) for piano

Chiaroscuro (2002/2005) for violin, violoncello and piano

Man Shoots Strangers from Skyscraper (2002) for 8 players

Rode with Darkness (2003) for orchestra

Slow Music (2005) for 8 players

Or Voit Tout En Aventure (2006) for soprano and 16 players

Outblaze the Sky (2007) for orchestra

Wreathe (2007) for orchestra

Good Dream She Has (2007) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and chamber ensemble

References

External links

* [http://www.universaledition.com/truman/en_templates/view.php3?f_id=14137&spr=en Universal Edition - Luke Bedford]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,1404819,00.html Tom Service, 'I'm inspired by Stockhausen, Xenakis ... and Seinfeld'. "The Guardian", 4 February 2005]
* [http://soundadventures.lso.co.uk/?page_id=75 Interview with Luke Bedford, LSO and UBS Sound Adventures]
* [http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/tomservice/story/0,,2183658,00.html Tom Service, 'The sounds of the future' "The Guardian", 4 October 2007]