David Lancaster is a composer based in York (UK). Originally from Wigan, David studied music at the University of York, and was for three years RVW Composer in Residence at Charterhouse. During that time he won several awards for composition and enjoyed a number of high profile performances. Following a long period of silence he returned to composition in 2007 and his music has been subject to a dramatic simplification of style in a search for greater clarity of form and expression.

In November 2013 his Strata was given its first performance by the Orchestra of Opera North; it was recorded for CD by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra (under Mikel Toms) in June 2015.

In 2014 David’s Vertigo string quartet was performed in Hong Kong and at the Aspen Festival, Colorado and his large-scale choral work Apocalypse - which tells the story of the end of the world as depicted in York’s medieval stained glass - was given its premiere by The 24 conducted by Robert Hollingworth during York’s Festival of Ideas. (In 2016 Apocalypse was revived by the Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble at three concerts in Copenhagen and was broadcast by Danish Radio).

In 2015 the quintet Strike was performed in Hong Kong and York and the saxophone quartet Swan was revived in London by the Lunar Sax Quartet. Premieres included Batubulan for solo piano, Art of War for soprano, oboe and bass trombone, and Public Order for concert band and tape.

His violin solo Rough Cut has been published by UYMP and received its first London performance in February 2016 given by Peter Sheppard-Skaerved; in July Late Music presented the premiere of Breathless, composed for the Orichalcum Brass Quintet. 2017 saw the premiere of his song cycle The Dark Gate, based on words by David Vogel who died at Auschwitz in 1944.

David's current projects include a large-scale music-theatre piece based on medieval murals at Pickering Church, and a piece for soloists, chorus and orchestra commissioned by Oxford Harmonic Choir.

In 2016 he completed PhD in Composition at the University of York with Roger Marsh.

Dr David Lancaster is Director of Music at York St John University, and is Artistic Director of York's Late Music concert series.

www.davidcomposer.com

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