Ian Wilson (composer)

Ian Wilson (born in Belfast in 1964) is a classical composer.

Biography

Ian Wilson is one of the busiest and most prolific Irish composers. He obtained the first D.Phil. in composition to be awarded by the University of Ulster which, in 1993, commissioned his orchestral work "Rise" in celebration of the tenth anniversary of its foundation. In 1992 Ian Wilson was awarded the Macaulay Fellowship administered by the Arts Council of Ireland, and in 1998 he was elected to Aosdána, Ireland's State-sponsored body of creative artists. From 2000 to 2003 Ian Wilson was AHRB Research Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Ulster.

His music has been performed and broadcast on six continents by artists such as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Ulster, Belgrade Philharmonic and Norwegian Radio Orchestras, the London Mozart Players and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Artis, Vogler and Vanbrugh Quartets, Lontano and Avanti! ensembles, Catherine Leonard and Hugh Tinney. Works have been performed at many festivals including the BBC Proms, Venice Bienniale, ISCM World Music Days, the Cheltenham Festival, the Brighton Festival, the Spitalfields Festival, the Bath Festival, and the Ultima Festival in Oslo, where "Running, Thinking, Finding" for orchestra received the composition prize in 1991.

He has written over eighty pieces including two chamber operas, concertos for organ, cello, alto saxophone, violin (three), marimba and piano, orchestral pieces, eightstring quartets, four piano trios and many other chamber and vocal works.

In August 2005, Wilson was a featured composer at the Presteigne Festival in Wales, where six of his works were performed, including the World Premiere of "In fretta, in vento" for string orchestra. In May 2008 he was the featured composer at the Brighton Festival, where one work received its world premiere and two others their UK premieres.Since 2007 Wilson's music has begun to be performed regularly in the USA, principally due to a 3-year association with California's Camerata Pacifica which has produced many performances on the West coast. This October will also see Wilson's 3rd work in Carnegie Hall in the last 18 months.

Wilson's recent work has shown a remarkable diversity, from "re:play" for improvising tenor saxophonist and 'classical' sextet through "Harbouring" for multiple choirs, traditional Irish singers, accordion and string orchestra to a 40-minute multi-media dance work, "TUNDRA".Forthcoming works include "Double Trio" for three improvising musicians and three classical musicians, a work for tablas and string quartet and two works inspired by the poetry of Seamus Heaney ("Dreamgarden" for soprano and ensemble) and a new string quartet.

Wilson's music is very well represented on CD, with at present 17 recordings featuring his work available, five of which are portrait CDs. Forthcoming CDs include "Sullen earth" - works for string orchestra (2008); "Winter finding" - orchestral music (2009); and a CD release of the "Double Trio" (2009).

His music is published by Universal Edition and Ricordi London.

Future commissions and projects

Future commissions/projects include:

* "Dreamgarden" - a 25-minute work for soprano and ensemble for Camerata Pacific in Santa Barbara, U.S. for premiere in autumn 2009
* "Double Trio", a 45-minute work for three improvising musicians and three classical musicians for premiere in Dublin in April 2009
* A new work for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano commissioned by RTÉ Lyric fm radio, to be premiered and toured in Ireland in autumn 2009
* A 20-minute work for tablas and string quartet for performance by Mohamed Assani and the Callino Quartet in 2009

Key works

* "TUNDRA" (trumpet and electronics - 2008)
* "re:play" (improvising tenor sax, piano, string quartet and bass - 2007)
* "Winter finding" (orchestra - 2004/5)
* "Sullen Earth" (violin solo and strings - 2005)
* "Messenger" (violin concerto no. 1 - 1998/2006)
* "Man-o'-War" (orchestra - 2001)
* "an angel serves a small breakfast" (violin concerto no. 2 - 1999)
* "Limena" (concerto for piano and strings - 1998)
* "Winter's edge" (string quartet no. 1 - 1992)
* "Rise" (orchestra - 1993)

External links

* [http://www.ianwilson.org.uk/ Official site for Ian Wilson]
* [http://www.ricordi.co.uk/wilson.htm Ian Wilson at Ricordi London]
* [http://www.universaledition.com/truman/en_templates/view.php3?f_id=599&komp_uid=778&spr=en Ian Wilson at Universal Edition]
* [http://www.cmc.ie/composers/composer.cfm?composerID=116 Ian Wilson at the Contemporary Music Centre of Ireland]