Frederick Stocken

James Frederick Stocken (b. 1967 in Birmingham) is an English classical composer, teacher, musician and musicologist.

Education

Stocken was a pupil at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and was subsequently Organ Scholar of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, studying the Organ with Peter Hurford. He won five prizes as an Associate of the Royal College of Organists and three prizes when he became a Fellow.

Works

Stocken's First Symphony was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley in the Royal Albert Hall, London and broadcast on Classic FM (UK). His Second Symphony, 'To the Immortal Memory', was premiered in 2005 at St John's Smith Square, London, by the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Blair. He is still probably best known for his Lament for Bosnia, which was released on CD. He conducted the work at the opening of the Permanent Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum with the strings of the Royal Academy of Music, and also in Sarajevo with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. Other significant commissions include a ballet, 'Alice' for the State Theatre in Gießen, Germany, and a Mass, Missa Pacis, commissioned for the Brompton Oratory in London. In 2004, Top of the Morning for flute and piano was published by Oxford University Press. He has also written, amongst other things, a Violin Concerto which was performed by the violinist Adam Summerhayes with the Surrey Sinfonietta in St John's Smith Square.

Other Work

In addition to composition, Stocken is a grade and diploma examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. His 'Scale Shapes' for student pianists, published by Chester Music, is a popular teaching tool. In 2005, Chandos released a CD of the music of Margaret Hubicki on which he plays a piano duet with James Kirby. In 2007, Stocken will submit a PhD at Manchester University, supervised by Crawford Howie; his thesis is titled, 'Anton Bruckner and Simon Sechter's Fundamental Bass Theory.'

elected Works by Frederick Stocken

* Te Deum for Choir
* The Cathedral, an oratorio
* String Quartet
* Lament for Bosnia
* Missa Pacis for choir and orchestra
* Violin Concerto
* Alice, a ballet
* Refugees Carol
* Missa Pacis (Mass of Peace)
* Symphony no. 1
* Symphony no. 2, 'To the Immortal Memory'