Philip Grange

Prior to arriving at Manchester, Prof Grange held the posts of Professor of Compositionc at Exeter University (1989-2000), Fellow in the Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge (1985-87) and Northern Arts Composer Fellow at Durham University (1988-89). His principal composition teachers were Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (with whom he studied both privately and at the Dartington Summer School between 1975 and 1981) and Professor David Blake (with whom he studied at York University between 1976 and 1983).

In 1997 Grange was sponsored by the British Council to tour Taiwan lecturing on contemporary British Music, and in 2000 he returned to take up a residency at Chiao-Tung University.  In 2002 Grange was featured composer at the Music Factory Festival in Bergen, Norway, and in 2003 he was featured at the TWCAT Conference in Taiwan, and at a festival promoted by Durham University. 2003 also saw performances of his String Quartet at prestigious festivals in Germany and Denmeark.  More recently his Clarinet Concerto was slected to be featured at the 2007 WASBE Conference in Ireland, and in May 2007 his music was featured at a festival promoted by Gemini in London.

Grange's first published pieces include Cimmerian Nocturne (1979), commissioned by The Fires of London it has had numerous national and international performances including the Proms in 1983. Other early works include The Kingdom of Bones, (1983 Huddersfield Festival commission), Variations (The Fires of London commission featured at the 1988 International Rostrum of Composers in Paris) and Concerto for Orchestra: Labyrinthine Images (1988 St Magnus Festival commission).

During the early 1990's Grange completed two BBC commissions, Focus and Fade for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in 1992, and Lowry Dreamscape, premiered at the 1993 BBC Festival of Brass.

Later in the 1990s Grange completed Des fins sont des commencements (extensively toured by both commissioning ensemble Gemini and other international ensembles), and In Spectre Search (New England Conservatory commission). The Piano Trio: Homage to Chagall (1995) has been nationally toured by its commissioners, the Chagall Piano Trio, as well as receiving performances in Europe and America, and A Puzzle of Shadows (1997) has received similar exposure.

Since 2000 Grange has completed a Clarinet Concerto for the RNCM Wind Band and Alan Hacker, Lament of the Bow for the Contemporary Chamber Orchestra of Taipei, Dyptich for Okeanos, Duel Movement for the Lindsay String Quartet, a work for the Kreutzer Quartet and Eclipsing for Orchestra. The latter was commissioned by the BBC and premiered by the BBC Philharmonic under Vassily Sinaisky in 2005; it was subsequently repeated with conductor Andris Nelsons and was shortlisted for the 2005 British Composer Awards.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Grange's music has been broadcast throughout the world, and 20 of his works have been released on commercial CD, including 3 single-composers CDs:  Dark Labyrinths (2000) (awarded Classical Album of the Week in Music Week), Darkness Visible (2006) and Zeitgeist (2007).

Grange's Music is published by Edition Peters and his wind and brass band music is published by Maecenas. 

Undergraduate: 

• Composition, Levels 1, 2 and 3
• Analysis, Levels 2 and 3
• Music-Theater Composition
• Music in Context 

Postgraduate: 

• MusM: Composition, Contemporary Music Studies, Compositional Etudes, Core Study, Composition Project and Portfolio 
• PhD: Composition, Portfolio
• Additional information:

Audio Samples: 

Audio Sample 1:
Excerpt from Piano Trio: Homage to Chagall (1995) - I Moderato: Chagall Trio
Audio Sample 2:
Excerpt from Piano Trio: Homage to Chagall (1995) - II Scherzo: Sempre leggiemente: Chagall Trio

Audio samples by kind permission of Stephen Plews