David Loxley-Blount [b.1989] is an award-winning British composer based in London, UK. Besides performances in many churches and Cathedrals his work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, performed at the Palace of Westminster and sung under the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. Recent performances outside the UK have taken place in the USA, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark, including at Odense Cathedral. Recent UK performances have taken place at Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, St Mary Redcliffe (Bristol), and the first known premiere of a piece at London Bridge Station during a pop-up concert (saxophone and organ) raising money for Pipe Up for Pipe Organs.
Since winning the Composition Prize at St Albans International Organ Festival / Choir & Organ Composition Competition in 2013 he has become one of the foremost British composers of organ music of his generation. His ensemble instrumental music has been performed by professional ensembles including the Allegri String Quartet and the London Firebird Orchestra. David's solo instrumental music has been performed in recitals given by international saxophonists Henriette Jensen and Jonathan Radford. Wind ensembles to peform David's work include: The Norwegian Flute Ensemble, Barnet Youth Wind Orchestra, and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London. His choral music has been sung by choirs including: Rochester Cathedral Choir, The Choir of St Bride's Fleet Street and St Salvator's Chapel Choir, University of St Andrews.
He was the inaugural recipient of The Eric Thompson Charitable Trust's Annual Award (2015/16) for a significant project associated with organ study, performance, composing, recording or research. His application was regarded by the Trustees as 'the most ambitious and relevant submission'. The award resulted in the composition of DuoSet (40'), a set of 4 pieces for organ and solo instruments which were premiered in October 2016 in the heart of the City of London at St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall. As part of the Award during 2016 David studied with the internationally recognised composer Paul Patterson (at the time Paul was Manson Chair of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London).
David graduated from Middlesex University with First Class BA Honours in Music and the Dean's Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Performing Arts. He is a Fellow of the National College of Music, an Associate of the London College of Music, and was elected as a Fellow of the Guild of Musicians and Singers in 2017. He has been a member of the Independent Society of Musicians for over 15 years and has recently become an ISM fellow. David also holds a BSc (Open) from the Open University. He has recently become a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts. David teaches Composition, Music Theory, and Saxophone.
He has studied Composition with Paul Patterson, Brian Inglis, François Evans, Peter Fribbins, Francis Pott and John Webb (who won a British Composers’ Award for Community or Education Project). David's studies with John and Paul were kindly supported by the Sheena Booth Music Trust and The Eric Thompson Charitable Trust respectively. Whilst at Univerity although focusing on Composition he had instrumental lessons provided: saxophone with Jonathan Griffiths, singing with Mark Oldfield, and piano with Diana Brekalo. Outside University he continued to have private singing lessons with Professor Stephen Wilder (Royal College of Music).
N.B. Please do not reproduce without permission. If you wish to include any of this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact David to ensure you receive the most up-to-date and appropiate length version for your needs.
2024 and beyond will see the following siginficant performances:
- British organist Anthony Gritten gave the 4th performance of Toccata ar St Denio at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on Sunday 7th April 2024.
- Danish concert organist Tina Christiansen gave the premiere of Eventide Étude at Westminster Abbey in a Sunday afternoon recital on 29th October 2023. It was also performed in a recital at St George's Hanover Square (London) on 7th November. Tina gave the Danish premiere in a recital at Odense Cathedral (Denmark) in Feburary 2024. She will give the German premiere in July 2024, and the Swedish premiere in September 2024.
- Central Square Service to mark the 20th Anniversary of Nicholas Chalmers as Director of Music and Organist of St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, which will be premiered in the summer of 2024.
- Earthly things above (6-8') will be premiered in 2024 or 2025 by Travis Baker
- Nightingale (10'), a duet for Soprano Saxophone and Organ, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Nightingale (Danish: Nattergalen) premiered in Denmark as part of the Aiolos Sax & Organ Duo's 10th Anniverary season. Following highly successful performances in many different churches in Denmark between October 2021 and 2023. There are plans for a UK premiere, date and venue TBA.
- In or 2024 or 2025 David is looking forward to working with and writing for Barnet Youth Wind Orchestra again.
- There are a number of new pieces in preparation of which details can not be revealed yet as they are surprises &/or presents for the recipient/s.
- Does Aught Come After (32'), a nine-movement cycle comissioned by the relatives of Roland Leighton, which sets the poems sent by Roland Leighton to his his fiancée Vera Brittain during the First World War. Many of these poems featured in the 2014 feature film adaption of Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth (BBC Films/Heyday Films/Screen Yorkshire/BFI)'.
Delayed due to Covid-19. Date and venue of premiere performance TBA.
- Hampstead Suite (18'), commissioned by Proms at St Jude's, a five movement work that explores the legacy of Cecil Sharp, will be premiered outside the main music and literary festival. Date and venue of premiere performance TBA.
Please see the events page for details of when and where you can hear David's music, and do check twitter, facebook & instagram for the latest news etc.
Selected significant premieres and performances 2016-2023 included:
Choral works:
- The dark Somme flowing, commissioned by Rochester Cathedral Choir to mark the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme (July 2016). This was selected as an 'Editor's Pick of what's on' in the July/August 2016 edition of Choir and Organ magazine. The Scottish premiere took place in a concert given by St Salvator's Chapel Choir, University of St Andrews on 11th November 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War.
- A little child, a shining star and Bright and Joyful is the morn premiered by the Choir of St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb during Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in 2018 & 2019 respectively. Conducted by Nicholas Chalmers.
- The sky can still remember premiered at the Financial Times Carol Service at Southwark Cathedral, December 2018.
- In 2023 David worked with Hesperos who are a young and ambitious chamber choir based in London, singing a wide range of sacred and secular music. They premiered his Psalm Chant No.3 at Winchester Cathedral in an evensong service in August 2023 and his carol A little child, a shining star (2014-2017) was programmed in their December concert at St George's Bloomsbury.
Solo instrument and Organ (a duet for organ and another instrument):
- Nightingale (10'), premiered as part of the Aiolos Sax & Organ Duo's 10th Anniverary season. 6 performances (so far, more planned) at 6 different Danish churches in Aarhus, Aalborg, Svendborg, and Silkeborg.
- DuoSet, commissioned as a result of the 2015/16 Annual Award from The Eric Thompson Charitable Trust. Premiered over four consecutive Tuesdays in October 2016 at St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall, City of London, GB.
- The Magical Dwarf, premiere of work written as composer-in-residence, conference (including evening concert) held at St Stephen's, Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead.
Chamber music:
- A piano trio titled Thaxted dances on Jupiter (8') was premiered in a lunchtime recital Harrow Summer Music Festival in August 2023.
Organ Duet (4 hand, 4 feet; on the same organ):
- L'esprit magique: Love the ‘you’ you hide - commissioned by Martin Kasparek - an organ duet.
World premiere - 24th June 2018 - Collégiale de Saint Imier, 2610 St-Imier, Switzerland
UK premiere - 4th September 2018 - St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall, City of London, GB
Third performance - 5th September - St Michael and All Angels with St James, Croydon, GB
USA premiere - 27th October 2019 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Solo organ:
- Toccata ar St Denio (7'), a toccata based on the Welsh tune St Denio (Immortal, Invisiable). The words usually sung to the tune are by the Free Church of Scotland minister, Walter Chalmers Smith. Anthony Gritten gave the premiere on 29th Oct 2022 at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church. Further performances took place at Westminster Cathedral and St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. More are planned for 2023 and beyond, venues and dates will be announced in due course.
- Harlequin Voluntaries for Peter Prelleur (13' 30") - commissioned by Stephen Massil
A solo organ piece consisiting of five contrasting movements commissioned to commemorate the life and work of Peter Prelleur (1707-1741), the first organist of Christ Church Spitalfields. Premiered by Gerard Brooks on 2nd March 2019 (as part of IAO's London Organ Day) on the recently restored historic organ of Christ Church Spitalfields, London, GB. Second perfomance, also at Spitalfields, November 2021.
- Chorale Prelude on Christus, der ist mein Leben, winner of the Audience Prize in the 2017 Orgelbüchlein Project / Royal College of Organists composition competition. Premiered by Nicholas Morris, at St George's Hanover Square, London.
- Londonderry Air: Theme and Variations, was awarded 3rd Prize in the Angels of Creation Commissions
Composition Competition 2019. The premiered by Sebastian Thomson July 2021 at St Mary's, Henly-on-Thames.
- Adventus, premiered by Ashley Wagner, during an organ recital at Worcester Cathedral, November 2017.
- Reedy Stream, premiered by James Furniss-Roe, during an organ recital at Portsmouth Cathedral, June 2019.
- Ridgewell: Hymn of Reminiscence, commissioned by Michaela Cottee, to mark the Centenary of the Organ at St Laurence Ridgewell, Essex. Premiered in a celebratory Centenary Organ Recital given by Andrew Cantrill in March 2017.
- Reconciliation, premiered by Timothy Easter in a recital at Great Malvern Priory, November 2018, with subsequent performances during 2018 and 2019 at:
Holy Trinity Sloane Square,
St Albans Cathedral, Truro Cathedral, and Winchester Cathedral.
For a summarised chronology of major/significant events prior to 2016 please continue to read below:
2015 saw the completion of David's longest work to date and his music selected for a workshop with the Master of the Queen's Music (Judith Weir). Liberate te ex inferis: Poema ex Dante a twenty-five minute symphonic poem for solo organ based on Dante's Divine Comedy comissioned by Jonathan Allsopp (Organ Scholar, Durham Cathedral). The première was given by Jonathan in Durham Cathedral as the centerpiece of one of the Cathedral's summer evening recital series in July 2015. 'Limadie meets London' was selected by Judith Weir and Thomas Trotter for a public workshop held in London, organised by Choir & Organ in partnership with the Royal College of Organists. During the workshop David was commended for his approach to organ music.
Other significant performances and premieres during 2015 included:
- Kernewek Suite (Norwegian Flute Ensemble / Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church)
- Inflemus [a spatial work for trumpet and organ] (Darren Moore & Jem Stephenson / St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall)
- Truro Triptyque (Tak Chow / Brentwood Cathedral, Essex, UK)
- Love Came Down at Christmas sung in Nine Lessons and Carols by The Choir of St Bride's Fleet Street
- Chorale Prelude and Postlude premiered by Nicholas Chalmers at St James Muswell Hill, an organ that composers such as Olivier Messiaen and Sir Lennox Berkeley regarded highly for its special character.
2014 included the first broadcast of David's music on BBC Radio 3 and a twenty-five minute programme of his compositions performed at the Palace of Westminster, including premières of: after... and Rhapsody No.1 for Flute. The first performances of two carols; Love Came Down at Christmas in Southwark Cathedral during the Financial Times Carol Service (repeated in Trafalgar Square the same week) and the third of David's South Yorkshire Folk inspired carols Our Saviour and King in the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb
Other significant premières during 2014 included:
2013 proved to be a defining period. April marked his first international competition success with Sonus Repercussus winning the Choir & Organ Magazine Composition Competition held in partnership with St Albans International Organ Festival. James McVinnie gave the première of the winning work in St Albans Cathedral during the 50th Anniversary prize-winners concert. Around the same time The Allegri String Quartet selected The Morning River Glideth to be premièred in a public concert, and North London Chorus premièred Holmfirth. The year concluded with the première of Diadem (Choir of St Jude-on-the-Hill, Anna Steppler & Nicholas Chalmers).
2009-2012
Prizes:
- 1st Prize [Composition] at North London Music Festival - x3 (2009, 2010 & 2012)
Premieres (selected list):
- Occultus Sonor (conducted by Ben Palmer)
- Sweet Bells (conducted by Benedict Kearns)
- Fanfare for Alan (in the presence of the Bishop of Edmonton)
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