Peter Ash (born 1961, in

DeWitt, Iowa DeWitt is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,215 at the time of the 2020 census, which represented a 9.2% increase over that of 2000, making it the fastest growing city in Clinton County. History DeWitt was plat ...

) is a composer and conductor, best known for his opera ''

The Golden Ticket ''The Golden Ticket'' is an opera based on Roald Dahl's classic 1964 book ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by the contemporary American composer Peter Ash, with a libretto by Donald Sturrock. ''The Golden Ticket'' was commissioned by Ame ...

'' (based on the

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has b ...

book ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originally ...

'' ) and for his work with the

London Schools Symphony Orchestra The London Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) is a youth orchestra with musicians drawn from students in London schools, and featuring professional conductors and soloists. It was founded in 1951. Its founder and original director was the late Dr ...

, of which he has been artistic director since 2001. A graduate of

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and j ...

, Ash has conducted the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert in 1968—gi ...

Scottish Chamber Orchestra The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and ...

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leadersh ...

(where he conducted the world premiere of Tobias Picker's opera ''

Fantastic Mr. Fox ''Fantastic Mr Fox'' is a children's novel written by British author Roald Dahl. It was published in 1970, by George Allen & Unwin in the UK and Alfred A. Knopf in the U.S., with illustrations by Donald Chaffin. The first Puffin paperback, fir ...

''), Lisbon Opera,

English Bach Festival The English Bach Festival was an annual UK classical music festival which ran from 1963 to 2009. It was founded by the Greek-born harpsichordist and singer Lina Lalandi (1920–2012) and the English musicologist Jack Westrup who were co-directors d ...

and many other ensembles, including the

Scharoun Ensemble The Scharoun Ensemble is a German chamber music group, consisting of members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. The repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present ...

(composed of members of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

) at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

; in 2006, the Hungarian Cultural Centre awarded him its Bartók Prize for his performances of the composer’s music and in particular for a performance of '' Bluebeard’s Castle''. His first opera, ''Keepers of the Night,'' was premiered by the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus in 2007 to critical acclaim. His most recent opera,

, was premiered by Opera Theatre St Louis in June 2010, repeated at the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland in October, 2010, then recorded in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

in November, 2012, with the composer conducting.

Gramophone Magazine ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was ...

praised the release (on the Albany label), saying "Ash's score brims with tuneful and contemporary ingredients, as well as nods to Wagner, Britten, Bernstein and others" and calling it "an uproarious and endearing operatic adventure" He has also published incidental music for

Cloud 9 (play) ''Cloud Nine'' (sometimes stylized as ''Cloud 9'') is a two-act play written by British playwright Caryl Churchill. It was workshopped with the Joint Stock Theatre Company in late 1978 and premiered at Dartington College of Arts, Devon, on 14 Feb ...

Caryl Churchill Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes.

and music for television. His 2009 song cycle ''Paradox'', based on texts by

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including '' O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and '' My Ántonia''. In 19 ...

and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, was commissioned by mezzo-soprano

Katharine Goeldner Katharine Goeldner (born Sigourney, Iowa) American mezzo-soprano singer. Goeldner earned a Bachelor's in Music from the University of Iowa in 1985, and Magister Diplom in German Lieder from the Mozarteum University of Salzburg. She has sung dozen ...

, flautist Amy Morris and pianist Michael Heaston for "The Prairie Song Project," and released on CD in 2016.URL=http://www.katharinegoeldner.com/the-prairie-song-project.html Future projects include a choral work based on Roald Dahl and a third opera.

References

1961 births 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century classical composers 21st-century American conductors (music) Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama American classical composers American male conductors (music) American male classical composers American opera composers Living people Male opera composers Musicians from Iowa 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians {{US-conductor-stub