John Pickard (born 11 September 1963) is a British classical composer.

Biography

Pickard was born in

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England. He studied music and composition at the University of Wales, with Welsh composer

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and began co ...

, and later in the Netherlands with

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

and in 1989 was awarded a PhD in composition from the University of Wales. Since 1993 he has taught at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, where he is Professor of Composition and Applied Musicology, and was Head of Music between 2009 and 2013, and again between 2017 and 2018. Pickard is also conductor of the University of Bristol Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society. Pickard has composed a number of critically well-received orchestral and instrumental works, among them six

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and a number of symphonic works, including perhaps his best-known piece, ''The Flight of Icarus'', which the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' called "a translucent and achingly lovely memorial to the fallen Icarus ... a serious contender for the most exciting musical premiere of 2006". His orchestral writing has been highly praised: in March 2008 ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' commented that "his orchestral mastery is total", while, in April 2008 ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described his music as "at its best virtuosically effective, in a style that never seems either self-consciously conservative or too stubbornly middle-of-the-road". He has also composed a

piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...

, a trombone concerto titled ''The Spindle of Necessity'', and six string quartets. ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and re ...

'' stated that the fourth quartet was "one of the best pieces of British chamber music to be heard for years", while ''

Tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

'', reviewing a recording of his quartets nos. 2, 3 and 4, offered the opinion that "if Pickard were never to write another quartet in his life, his place among the greats is secure". Between 2005 and 2016 Pickard was also the General Editor of the Elgar Complete Edition.

Selected works

Orchestral

* Symphony No. 1 (1983–84) * Symphony No. 2 (1985–87) * ''Sea-Change'' (1989) * ''The Flight of Icarus'' (1990) * ''Channel Firing'' (1992–93) * Symphony No. 3 (1997) * ''Tenebrae'' (2008) * ''Sixteen Sunrises'' (2013) * Symphony No. 5 (2014) * ''The Art of Beginning'' (2018) * Symphony No. 6 (2021)

Brass band

* ''Gaia Symphony'' ymphony No. 4(1991–2003) * ''Eden'' (2005) * ''Rain, Steam and Speed'' (2017)

Concertante

* ''The Spindle of Necessity'', Trombone Concerto (1997–98); commissioned for and premiered by

Mark Eager Mark Eager (born 17 March) is a London born conductor and former BBC National Orchestra of Wales Principal Trombone. He lives in Chelsea and Dorset, United Kingdom. Biography Eager graduated from the Royal Academy of Music (1984), with Dip.RAM. ...

and BBC NOW * Piano Concerto (1999-2000)

Chamber and instrumental music

* String Quartet No. 1 (1991) * String Quartet No. 2 (1993) * String Quartet No. 3 (1994) * ''Chaconne'' for viola solo (1998) * String Quartet No. 4 (1998) * Sonata for violin and piano (2004) * String Quartet No. 5 (2012) * ''The Gardener of Aleppo'' for flute, viola and harp (2016) * ''Ghost-Train'' for ensemble (2016) * String Quartet No.6 (2019) * Piano Sonata No.2 (2020)

Piano

* Piano Sonata (1987) * ''A Starlit Dome'', Astronomical Nocturne (1995)

Vocal

* ''The Phoenix'' for soprano and piano (1992) * ''The Borders of Sleep'', Song Cycle for baritone and piano (2001) * ''Agamemnon's Tomb'' for three vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra (2007–8) * ''Binyon Songs'' for baritone and piano or orchestra (2010–12) * ''Mass in Troubled Times'' for 18 unaccompanied voices (2018) * ''Verlaine Songs'' for soprano and ensemble (2020)

Nominations and Awards

* 2006 – ''Eden'' nominated in the Wind Band or Brass Band category of the

British Composer Awards The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

* 2013 – ''Tenebrae'' nominated in the Orchestral category of the

* 2016 – ''In Sea-Cold Lyonesse'' nominated in the Amateur or Young Performers category of the

Ivors Composer Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been aw ...

* 2019 – ''Mass in Troubled Times'' nominated in the Choral category of the

* 2021 – ''The Gardener of Aleppo and other Chamber Works'' winner of the Contemporary category of the

Gramophone Classical Music Awards The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refer ...

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/awards/gramophone-classical-music-awards-2021/contemporary

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickard, John 1963 births Living people People from Burnley English classical composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Pupils of Louis Andriessen English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians