Birmingham Conservatoire : Robin Grant

• Composition Tutor
• Birmingham Conservatoire
• Faculty of Performance, Media & English
• Phone: c/o +44 (0)121 331 6902

Robin Grant was born in Bilston, West Midlands, UK. He studied composition with Anthony Gilbert at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and was awarded the William Humphreys Dayas Prize and the Edward Hecht Prize for Composition. Visiting tutors included Harrison Birtwistle and Simon Bainbridge. Since graduating in 1986 he has worked as a freelance composer.

Robin's output and range of compositions has been large and varied, including opera, orchestral and chamber works, song cycles, large scale cantatas, community and educational projects and music for around fifty theatre productions. He has also composed instrumental pieces for students, published by the Associated Board, Chester Music, Faber, Boosey & Hawkes, Brass Wind and Goodmusic and featured in exam syllabi world wide.

In 1992 he was awarded the John Ireland Prize by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, in 1993 the Bill Warman Prize by Birmingham Conservatoire, and in 1994 Robin was earned a Postgraduate Diploma (distinction) in composition from Birmingham Conservatoire. Since then he has held a part-time teaching post at the Conservatoire, where his classes include composition, orchestration, computer notation software applications and 20th century music analysis at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 1996 he was awarded the John Clementi Collard Fellowship by the Worshipful Company of Musicians and, in 1999, was made an Honorary Member of Birmingham Conservatoire.

Selected Works

Opera

• 2005: Dee Crescent Theatre, Birmingham
• 2001: The Tuba Has Landed (for young voices), St. Teresa’s Primary School, Blackpool, 2001 (cd release – Polyphonic QPRZ 024D, 2006)
• 1996: A Dot on the Sun St Peters Art Centre, Preston
• 1994: I Am . . . in search of John Clare RNCM, Manchester
• 1991: The End Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham

Orchestral

• 2002: Sabrina’s Steps Theatr Clera, Welshpool
• 1988: Out of the Dark Bridgnorth Theatre-On-The-Steps

Choral

• 2000: This Land, Our Land (cantata), Wolverhampton
• 1996: A Bridge Across The Flood (cantata), Keynsham
• 1996: Owd Jonah’s Ghosts (cantata), Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
• 1996: Iron Mad Wilkinson (cantata), Civic Hall, Wolverhampton

Solo Vocal

• 2006: I feel I am Birmingham Conservatoire
• 2000: Hedge Riddles St. John’s, Smith Square, London
• 1997: The Nailmaker Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham
• 1995: A Pretty Wench Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham

Chamber Music

• 1999: Persevera (ob,2 vln,vla,vlc) RNCM, Manchester
• 1997: Miniature Mechanisms (septet), Pump Room, Leamington Spa

Publications

• 1999: When Sirens Sing (solo oboe), Emerson Edition
• 1995: Going Solo-Oboe (oboe/piano), Faber Music
• 1995: Iron Mad Wilkinson (cantata/full score), Goodmusic
• 1993: The Fiddler’s Assortment (violin/piano), Associated Board
• 1992: Mambo Merengue (saxophone/piano), Brass Wind
• 1992: And Then There Was Jazz (trumpet/piano), Associated Board
• 1991: Singing ‘n’ Swinging (clarinet/piano), Associated Board
• 1991: Bebop & Ballads (saxophone/piano), Chester Music
• 1991: Stomps, Drags & Misty Blue Rose (trb./pno), Boosey & Hawkes
• 1990: Dots & Dashes (saxophone/piano), Associated Board