Judith Bingham (born 21 June 1952) is an English composer and

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

singer. She was a member of the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...

from 1983 to 1995. She is a Fellow of the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

. Bingham won the 1977 BBC Young Composer Award, and was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 2020 for services to music.

Early life and education

Bingham was born on 21 June 1952, in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. Her parents are Jack Bingham and Peggy Bingham (née McGowan). She was educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, and began learning singing from bass John Dethick from the age of 16. Bingham attended the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

from 1970 to 1973, where she received the Principal’s Prize for Music in 1972 and was elected as an associate in 1997. Her teachers included

Malcolm MacDonald Malcolm John MacDonald (17 August 1901 – 11 January 1981) was a British politician and diplomat. He was initially a Labour Party (UK), Labour Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), but in 1931 followed his father ...

Eric Fenby Eric William Fenby OBE (22 April 190618 February 1997) was an English composer, conductor, pianist, organist and teacher who is best known for being Frederick Delius's amanuensis from 1928 to 1934. He helped Delius realise a number of works t ...

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed prol ...

and

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (1951–2023), professor of classics at Brigham Young Univ ...

(composition) and Jean Austin-Dobson (singing).

Career

After graduation, she continued her composition studies privately with

Hans Keller Hans (Heinrich) Keller (11 March 19196 November 1985) was an Austrian-born British musician and writer, who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as being a commentator on such disparate fields as psychoana ...

(1974–80). Bingham won the BBC Young Composer Award in 1977, although she has since withdrawn the work that won. She was made a Fellow of the

in 2005. She was a member of the

from 1983 to 1995, and has composed music for them and the Finchley Children's Music Group. Bingham's works have been widely performed and broadcast, and she has composed music for television and radio. Bingham was appointed

(OBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to music. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

in 2018.

Personal life

In 1985, she married Andrew Petrow but the marriage dissolved in 2011.

List of works

Most of Bingham's compositions are voice or choral, but she also began composing for brass bands in the 1980s. She writes church and organ music, and has composed seven ''Missa Brevis''. Works include: * ''Flynn'', opera, subtitled ''Music-theatre on the life and times of Errol Flynn, in three scenes, three solos, four duets, a mad song and an interlude'', 1977–78. *''Chartres'' (orchestral), 1988 *''Beyond Redemption'' (orchestral), 1994–5 *''The Temple at Karnak'' (orchestral), 1996BBC – Music – Judith Bingham
''www.bbc.co.uk'' *''Passaggio'' (concerto for

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

and orchestra), 1998 *''The Shooting Star'' (concerto for trumpet and orchestra), 1999 *''Salt in the Blood'' (for choir and brass orchestra), 1995 *''The Darkness Is No Darkness'' (for choir and organ), 1993 *''The Snows Descend'' (for brass orchestra), 1997 *''First Light'' (for choir and brass orchestra), 2001 *''Bright Spirit'' (for wind ensemble), 2001 *''Mass'' (2003) *''The Secret Garden'' (Botanical fantasy for SATB and organ), 2004 *''Leonardo'' (concerto for bassoon and thirteen Strings), (2012) *''Ghostly Grace'' (for choir and organ), 2015 *''Watch With Me'' (Anthem for Somme 100 Vigil), 2016 *''Elsewhere'' (Clarinet quintet), 2024

References

*S. Fuller and N. LeFanu, eds.: 'Reclaiming the Muse', ''Contemporary Music Review'', xi (1994), 37 *'Composer in interview: Judith Bingham':

Mark Doran Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

in conversation with Judith Bingham, ''Tempo'', Vol 58, No.230 (2004)

Notes

External links

MusicWeb page about Bingham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Judith 1952 births Living people 20th-century British composers 21st-century British composers Brass band composers British women classical composers English composers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music People educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls Musicians from Nottingham