Alan Charlton was born in December 1970 in London of Geordie-Irish parents. His grandfathers, who both served in WW1, were later respectively a mayor of Whitley Bay and a Tanganyikan elephant hunter. Alan Charlton was educated at Latymer Upper School where he excelled as a leg-spin bowler, academic (Advanced Level 'A' grades in Maths, Latin and Music), and musician (French Horn Junior department Royal Academy of Music). He studied at Bristol University and graduated with First Class Honours in Music and then took a PhD in Composition. He is composer in residence at Bedford School.

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