Oliver Leith

Oliver Leith (born 1990) is a British composer of classical and electronic music.[1][2] His work has been commissioned and performed by many international ensembles including Apartment House, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Plus Minus and Philharmonia Orchestra.[3] He was appointed Doctoral Composer-in-Residence at the Royal Opera House in 2019.[3][4]

Oliver Leith
Born1990
United Kingdom
GenresClassical, electronic
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Piano, keyboards, percussion, strings
Years active2009–Present
Websitehttps://oliverchristopheleith.com/

Education and career

Leith studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (2009-2015), where his teachers included Julian Philips and Paul Newland.[5]

His music has been performed at music venues including the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and Snape Maltings.[5]

His music has been broadcast by BBC Radio 3.[6]

In October 2022, Leith's debut opera, Last Days premiered at the Linbury Theatre. It was a co-production between the Royal Opera House and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The title and concept for the opera were taken from the 2005 film of the same name by Gus van Sant, which was a fictionalised account of the last days of Kurt Cobain. The opera received generally positive coverage, with 4 star reviews in The Guardian and Financial Times. [7][8]

Recordings

His work has been commissioned and performed by international ensembles including Apartment House, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Ives Ensemble, EXAUDI, 12 Ensemble,[9] GBSR Duo, The Hermes Experiment,[10] Plus Minus and Philharmonia Orchestra.[3]

A recording of Leith's 45-minute piano and percussion piece good day good day bad day bad day was issued by UK experimental music label Another Timbre in 2020, performed by GBSR Duo.[11] The album was chosen as a pick of the week by The Guardian, who described it as having "moments of unexpected grandeur alongside sheer banality, yet somehow the mixture is curiously addictive."[12] The album was also chosen as a highlight of 2020 by BBC Radio 3's New Music Show.[6]

Other releases of Leith's music include Medusa, released by Accidental Records in 2020,[13] and Balloon, released by the label SN Variations, again in 2020.[14]

In January 2020, 12 Ensemble performed "Honey Siren - II. (Full like drips)" by Leith.[9]

In July 2020, The Hermes Experiment released an album called HERE WE ARE featuring a composition by Leith.[10]

Awards

Leith is a recipient of Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize in 2014,[15] British Composer Award in 2016, and Ivors Composer Award in 2020.[1][2][16]

Personal life

Leith lives in Islington. In 2020, he joined a crowd of protestors and posted a photo of himself brandishing an obscene gesture outside the family home of Dominic Cummings, following revelations that the latter had breached COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

References
  1. "Ivor Novello winners announced at Ivors Composer Awards". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. BWW News Desk. "Ivor Novello Award Winners Announced At The Ivors Composer Awards 2020". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  3. "Opera Today : GSMD and ROH announce Oliver Leith as new Doctoral Composer-in-Residence 2019-2022". www.operatoday.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  4. "Guildhall School and The Royal Opera announce Oliver Leith as new Doctoral Composer-in-Residence". Rhinegold. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  5. "London Symphony Orchestra - Meet the Composer: Oliver Leith". lso.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  6. BBC (12 December 2020). "New Music Show: 2020 Highlights". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. Fairman, Richard. "Kurt Cobain opera Last Days worms its way into your mind". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  8. Clements, Andrew. "Last Days review – Leith's opera is bleak and beautiful". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  9. 2020-02-27T13:40:00+00:00. "12 ensemble performs 'Honey Siren - II. (Full like drips)' by Oliver Leith". The Strad. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  10. "The Hermes Experiment @ London Unwrapped | Sounds of a Migrant City". The Journal of Music. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  11. "OliverLeith". www.anothertimbre.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  12. "Clara Iannotta: Earthing review | Andrew Clements's classical album of the week". the Guardian. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  13. "Oliver Leith - Medusa". Boomkat. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  14. "Oliver Leith – Balloon (10") – Soundohm". www.soundohm.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  15. "Past Recipients". Royal Philharmonic Society. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  16. "Ivors Composer Awards dished out | Complete Music Update". Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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