Composed during 2021, John’s new symphony will be premiered by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales next year. The talk will discuss some of the compositional processes behind the work, which is in two-movements and last about half an hour.

Biography

John Pickard is Professor of Composition at the University of Bristol, and best known for his orchestral and chamber music. He has written six symphonies and other orchestral works of symphonic dimensions: Sea-Change (1989); The Flight of Icarus (1990), commissioned by the BBC; Channel Firing (1992-93); Piano Concerto (1999) commissioned by the Dresdener Sinfoniker; Tenebrae (2008-9), commissioned by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Sweden; Sixteen Sunrises (2013), commissioned by the Nagoya Philharmonic, Japan. The Flight of Icarus received its first performance in 1991 by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, was repeated by them at the 1996 BBC Proms and has since been played by many orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and the Cincinatti Symphony Orchestra.  In 2020 BIS Records released its fifth all-Pickard disc; seven works for chamber ensemble performed by the Nash Ensemble. In September 2021, the recording won the Contemporary category of the Gramophone Classical Awards.