Michael Zev Gordon (born 1963, London) is a British composer of Jewish descent. A past oboe player, Gordon studied composition at King's College, Cambridge with Robin Holloway, and subsequently with Oliver Knussen and

John Woolrich John Woolrich ( ; born 1954 in Cirencester) is an English composer. Biography Woolrich has founded a group (the Composers Ensemble), a festival (Hoxton New Music Days), and has been composer in association with the Orchestra of St John's and th ...

, and in Italy with Franco Donatoni. He was a composition pupil of Louis Andriessen from 1989 to 1990. His work has often involved a deep engagement with the subject of memory, with the use of quotation of, or allusion to, other music, sometimes explicit, sometimes more buried. He has himself also spoken of his work in terms of 'turbulence seeking serenity'. Stylistically, this could be seen in the relationship between tonal and more dissonant materials in his music. Key works include the oboe concerto ''The Fabric of Dreams'' (2006), premiered by Nicholas Daniel and the Britten Sinfonia, ''The Impermanence of Things'' for piano, ensemble and electronics (2009), a London Sinfonietta commission, ''Allele'' for 40 voices (2010), a project involving the science of genetics, ''Bohortha'' for large orchestra (2012), a BBC Symphony Orchestra commission, ''Seize the Day'' (2016), a Birmingham Contemporary Music Group Sound Investment commission, his ''Violin Concerto'' (2017), a BBC Symphony Orchestra commission, and ''Raising Icarus'' (2022), a chamber opera for six singers and eight instrumentalists, premiered at the Birmingham Rep. Gordon was the recipient of the Prix Italia 2004 for his composition for radio ''A Pebble in the Pond'', and two British Composer Awards, for ''Allele'' and for ''This Night'' for choir and solo cello (2009), a commission for the choir of King's College, Cambridge. He has taught at the universities of Durham, Southampton and at the Royal College of Music. Since 2012 he has been Professor of Composition at the University of Birmingham. His music is published by Wise Music and Composer's Edition.

Worklist

References

External links

Official Website

Publisher's Website

SoundCloud page with recordings of Gordon's compositions

NMC Recordings biography of GordonBCMG commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Michael Zev British classical composers British male classical composers Living people 1963 births British Jews 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Jewish composers Musicians from London Academics of the University of Southampton Pupils of Louis Andriessen Academics of the University of Birmingham 20th-century British composers 21st-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians British oboists