Talk:Robert Steadman/redraft/text

Robert Steadman (born April 1 1965) is a British composer of classical works in a post-minimalist style.

Background

Steadman was born in Chiswick, London and brought up in Basingstoke, Hampshire. He was a pupil at the Richard Aldworth School, before studying on the Pre-Professional Music Course at Cricklade College, Andover. He read music at Keble College, Oxford, graduating in 1986. In 1984 he gained an Associate of the Royal College of Music (A.R.C.M.) in tuba.

After graduating from university Steadman lived in Oxford for several years and began teaching in a freelance capacity in a number of schools. He moved to Shepherd's Bush before briefly living in Wiltshire and then Epsom, Surrey. During this time he taught in a College of Further Education in Chelsea as well as becoming composer-in-residence at the City of London Freemen's School, Ashtead, Surrey. He also ran a small music publishing company, C.P.M.

In 1995, Steadman moved to Nottinghamshire and, following his marriage to Tracy Fudge in 2000, he moved to Matlock, Derbyshire in 2001. They have one son.

Steadman currently teaches at Lady Manners School, Bakewell alongside working for the City of Nottingham LEA and lecturing for Nottingham Trent University.

He has conducted many performances. He has also been Musical Director for many musicals and shows.

He uses his music to make political statements. He has given compositions away online in return for donations to specific charities he supports.

Compositions

While most of his output has been written for amateurs and young musicians he has also written music for the percussionist Evelyn Glennie, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Brass Virtuosi, and the East of England Orchestra. He has written three symphonies and two operas, but is best known for his choral compositions. He has also written many chamber music pieces, including those for the Holywell Ensemble. One of his anthems was used at the memorial service for the Dunblane Massacre. He's even branched out into radio jingles and wrote a song for the BBC Radio One DJ, Chris Evans.

Steadman writes in a popular post-minimalist style with strong rhythms and broad melodies. He has been stylistically compared to Michael Nyman and Mike Oldfield.

Symphonies and other orchestral music

• The Elements: a chamber symphony is for a large mixed ensemble and uses the elements of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth as influences for its four movements.

• Symphony No 1: a symphony of dreams is scored for soprano and small orchestra and uses texts which make reference to Gandhi and the assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

• Nottingham 100 was commissioned by the City of Nottingham to mark the centenary of the Royal charter that granted it city status and was premiered by the East of England Orchestra (now Sinfonia Viva) conducted by Nicholas Kok in the grounds of Wollaton Hall in 1997. It is a single movement fanfare for full orchestra.

• Symphony No 2: The Death of Stalin is for soprano solo, large choir, and large orchestra, and tells of the astonishing events surrounding the death and funeral of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The piece was commissioned by Nottingham Youth Orchestra and was premiered by them, conducted by Derek Williams, at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, in March 2003, the fiftieth anniversary of Stalin's death.

Steadman has also arranged a number of folk songs for orchestra including "She Moves Through the Fair" (recently performed at Symphony Hall, Birmingham ), "Simple Gifts", and "In Dulci Fidelis" ( a combination of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "In Dulci Jubilo").

Operas and musicals

• Sredni Vashtar with the author Richard Adams based on the Saki short story.
• The Box of Delights with a libretto written by John Masefield based on his own children's fantasy book of the same title. Commissioned by the Oxford Youth Music Trust in 1986.

Steadman also wrote a mini-opera for children, The Travelling Circus, which was commissioned by the West Oxfordshire Arts Association; it lasts just twelve minutes.

As well as the music for a number of plays an dance productions, Steadman has written two musicals with writers Paul and Sharon Sansom:

• The Girls' Book of Heroines — a love story set in World War II.
• Remote Control — a look at throwaway celebrity and "Pop Idol" culture.

Choral music

• Mass in Black is a setting of the requiem mass in Latin, with additional texts about issues such as nuclear weapons and acid rain and several prophecies of Nostradamus. It was commissioned by Basingstoke Choral Society in 1987 with funds from John Lewis but, because of its controversial subject matter, is still awaiting a premiere.

• Magnificat is a setting of the "Song of Mary" from the Gospel of Luke for soprano and baritone soloists with choir and orchestra. Commissioned by St. Mary's Hospital Music Society, London to mark their 50th anniversary in 1991. Due to its popularity the piece now exists in three performing verions: with full orchestra, with chamber encemble and with piano, organ, and percussion.

• In Memoriam is an eighty-minute work for soprano and tenor soloists, choir, and orchestra including air-raid siren and the use of megaphones on the subject of remembrance. It incorporates well known hymns and poems including Hubert Parry's "Jerusalem". Commissioned by Nottinghamshire Local Education authority to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, and was premiered on Remembrance Sunday 1995 in The Albert Hall, Nottingham.

• Gloria is a setting of the Christian Gloria using the same vocal and instrumental forces as the famous setting by the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. Commissioned (with funds from the National Lottery) by the Sinfonia Chorale Chamber Choir, it was premiered by them at St Mary's Church, Lace Market, Nottingham in May 1998.

• Tehillim for Anne is a setting of three psalms in Hebrew for choir and string orchestra, written to mark what would have been Anne Frank's seventhy-fifth birthday. It was premiered in Southwell Minster in November 2004 by Southwell Choral Society, who also performed the work at the Imperial War Museum North to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in 2005.

Wind band music

• Challenge the Rainbow which explores a variety of avant-garde techniques and controlled improvisation. It was premiered at a British Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensmbles (B.A.S.B.W.E.) Conference.
• floccinauci... for flute and oboe soloists with wind band was premiered in Denmark in 1994.
• The Dethe of Robyn Hood for narrator and wind band which was premiered in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood's legendary home.
• ...space turned and twisted in on itself which takes its title from the final line of Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey was commissioned by Kieran O'Riordan and the University of Nottingham Wind Orchestra.

Discography

• Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up... (1997)
  • Performers: The Holywell Ensemble
  • Record label: Mapa Mundi
• Nottingham Songbook (2000)

External links

• Robert Steadman's website

[[Category:1965 births|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:Living people|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:British composers|Steadman, Robert]]
[[category:English composers|Steadman,Robert]]
[[Category:20th century classical composers|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:21st century classical composers|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:Living classical composers|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:Opera composers|Steadman, Robert]]
[[Category:Former students of Keble College, Oxford|Steadman, Robert]]