Suzanne Munro
Professional
Biography
Suzanne Munro was born in Middlesex in November 1967. She studied composition with Geoffrey Cummings-Knight at the London College of Music Junior Music School (1984-1986) and then with Michael Regan at the London College of Music (1987-1990). Since then she has studied with Paul Patterson and also piano with Raphael Terroni.
Suzanne began composing seriously at the age of 14, although she had always improvised at the piano as a child - something that she still enjoys today. In 1996 and 1998 she shared a morning of improvisation with Geoffrey Bridger, both events being in aid of charity.
Her early compositions were almost all for piano, and writing for piano has remained one of her main areas of composition, whether writing for it as a solo instrument in its own right, or incorporating it into orchestral and chamber compositions. The other media which she loves, and to which she devotes much time writing, are choral and vocal music. Her first choral piece, "Requiem", was begun in 1986 in memory of Norman Lane, her school music teacher, and was completed in 1988. During this time, Suzanne turned her attention to writing "Magnificat" (1987) in memory of her grandfather. The Magnificat was performed in December 1987, and the Requiem at the Ickenham Music Festival in 1994. The first movement of the Requiem was also sung by the New Priory Singers at the Tyburn Convent, Marble Arch in 1991.
On leaving college, Suzanne spent a few months writing music for the Questors Theatre in Ealing, and then continued writing chamber works and piano pieces, many of which were performed at recitals in and around London, including St Anne's, Chingford, in Essex, the British Music Information Centre and St George's, Hanover Square, in London.
In 1995, Suzanne's music featured again at the Ickenham Music Festival. In 1996, "Teddy Flies Away", the setting of a Molly Brett story (narrator and orchestra), was performed by the Hillingdon Philharmonic Orchestra at a children's concert.
As stated earlier, many of Suzanne's compositions are written for piano, exploiting its melodic qualities and distinctive colourings. She has always resisted pressures to write in the avant garde style, feeling emotional content of the music to be of unparalleled importance.
Suzanne also teaches pianoa andvery much enjoys the one-to-one relationship with pupils that one can achieve with individual lessons. When not writing, playing or teaching, she enjoys drawing, painting and craft-work.
| Important Works |
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Performances |
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- Choral:
Requiem (1988) - 40'
SATB/sop/alto/organ/harp
- Magnificat (1987) 5'
SATB/organ
- Vocal:
Ask and it shall be given unto you (1992) - 5'
sop/alto/piano (also sop with piano or organ)
- Enchanted Moonlight (1991) - 4'
sop/piano
- Piano:
Lancing Beach (1990) - 5'
- In Memoriam (1989) - 5'
- Prelude - Welsh River (1989) - 3' 45"
- Chamber:
Nur wer die Sehn sucht Kennt (1992) - 10'
sop/piano/clarinet
- Orchestral:
Pine Music (1989) - 7'
sop/fl/per (tambourine)/piano/harp/solo violin/strings
- Autumn (1988/89) - 7'
fl/ob/cl(A)/2horns/strings
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