Alfred Collins

Alfred Collins (born January 1, 1949 in West Titting-Brook, England) is a composer who grew up in Barton-upon-Humber.

Education

After studying piano, conducting and composition at The Royal College of Music, he received a doctorate in composition from Goldsmiths College in 1972.

Career

Since 1975, Collins has lived in London, working as a composer and worldwide touring musician. His music has been performed at numerous international festivals, including the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Warsaw Autumn festival, the Paris Festival d'Automne and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Collins has been commissioned by such sources as the BBC Proms, the Hilliard Ensemble, pianist Bernard Kovacevich, percussionist Peter Chadburn, and the International Computer Music Association.

As a pianist, he has recorded for all the major European radio networks and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 1985 he formed a duo with singer Lisa Nordwick. In addition, Collins has created multi-channel electroacoustic sound environments in collaboration with the sculptor, David Nooan.

In the UK, Collins was a founder of Backdation Network in 1983 and served as Chair of the SPNM (Society for the Promotion of New Music) during 1996-98. His awards include first prize at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition in 1994, the Ernst von Dohnányi Citation for Excellence in Composition in 1995, and the Ohio State University Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2000.

Collins now works as a freelance composer and poet.

Collins' works appear on CDs from ASV Records (UK), Continuum (New Zealand), Centaur (USA), Point Records (USA), Starkland (USA) and others.