Param Vir

:"For the Indian military decoration, see Param Vir Chakra".Param Vir (born 1952) is a British composer originally from India.

Born in Delhi, Param Vir read philosophy at Delhi University and studied composition in England with Peter Maxwell Davies and Oliver Knussen.

His works include "Horse Tooth White Rock" (1994) and the operas "Snatched by the Gods" and "Broken Strings" (a double bill commissioned for the Munich Biennale of 1992), and "Ion", given at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2000. He has won, among other prizes, the Tippett Award and the Britten Prize.

Career highlights

* 1983 - attended Dartington Summer School on a scholarship.
* 1984 - moved to London to study with Oliver Knussen.
* 1987 - awarded Benjamin Britten Composition Prize.
* 1993 - Pierre Audi production of Broken Strings wins Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for young composers (Munich).
* 2003 - first full production of "Ion" tours Europe.
* 2005 - "Horse Tooth White Rock" performed at the BBC Proms.
* 2005 - "Hayagriva" commissioned and premiered by the Schoenberg Ensemble in Amsterdam
* 2006 - "Between Earth and Sky", inspired by Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate", premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London

Key works

* "Before Krishna" (1987; string orchestra)
* "Broken Strings" (1992; one-act chamber opera)
* "Horse Tooth White Rock" (1994; orchestra)
* "Ultimate Words: Infinite Song" (1997; baritone, six percussion, piano)
* "Ion" (2000; chamber opera)
* "The Theatre of Magical Beings" (2003; large ensemble)
* "Hayagriva" (2005; large ensemble)
* "Between Earth and Sky" (2006; orchestra)

elected recordings

* [http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2441&State_2934=2&discId_2934=213 "White Light Chorale"] - Metronome METCD1053

External links

* [http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2431&State_2905=2&composerId_2905=1644 Param Vir's homepage at Chester Music]
* [http://www.paramvir.net/ Official website]
* Bill Gates