Ian McQueen
Professional
Biography
Ian McQueen was born in London of Scottish parents in 1954. After studies at the Royal College of Music with John Lambert; at Dartington Summer School with Peter Maxwell Davies and at London University where he graduated in 1975, he completed his studies when he became the 1976 Mendelssohn Scholar, studying for a year in Denmark with Per Norgard.
Ian McQueen is one of Britains foremost opera composers, having written eight full-length stage works to date, plus a new chamber arrangement of Gounods Faust. In 1993, after the premiere of his full-length opera FORTUNATO in Sweden and the British premiere of his chamber opera LINE OF TERROR in London, Rodney Milnes of The Times hailed him as a born opera composer. This triumph has been followed by EAST and WEST (Almeida Opera 1995); PICASSO: Out of the Blue (Compact Opera 1997) and SHAWNA AND RON?fS HALF MOON (ENO Studio 2000).
As well as music-theatre, Ian McQueen is also active as a composer in many other genres: his piano concerto PHAEDRUS was commissioned by the BBC in 1993, and premiered in Glasgow by Clive Swansbourne with the BBC Scottish Symphony orchestra. He has also written chamber and vocal works (see Website at www.ian-mcqueen.co.uk) and has enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration with Tubalate tuba quartet.
Ian McQueen believes that he must engage with society as an artist and he has written many works to this end. INFINITY CONTAINED, a work for the choir of St Magnus Cathedral (1978) and TIMEFLIGHT, a childrens opera in 1979 were written for the Orkneys; and BEGGARMAN-THIEF!, another opera for a youth cast appeared in 1984 at the Buxton Festival. He has also worked extensively for major musical institutions both as composer-in-association and workshop leader, from the British Council in Sweden to the Spitalfields Festival in East London where he lives. He is an active member of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters and serves on its Concert Executive Committee as well as being a member of the Board. At present he is writing an opera for the Buxton Festival to be produced in July 2004.
EAST AND WEST is published by G. Ricordi (London) Ltd. Contact: Miranda Jackson at BMG Music Publishing U.K. Tel: 020 7384 8180/8023 Fax: 020 7384 7858 or e-mail: miranda.jackson@bmg.com
Information on all other works can be obtained from Ian direct by tel. 020 8926 1867 or e-mail info@ian-mcqueen.co.uk or by visiting www.ian-mcqueen.co.uk
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