Contact UsMembers Area Login
Photo of Elizabeth Sharma

Elizabeth Sharma

Professional

Composer/Lyricist: Both
Genre: Concert
Email: lizsharma@aol.com

Biography

Liz Sharma has composed music since childhood, but became a secondary school music teacher, as a day job. She studied composition with Richard Arnell, at Trinity College of Music from 1971 to 1973, and had the opportunity to write some small film scores, and to have many works performed, and one published.

Becoming Head of Music in comprehensive schools, running choirs, orchestras, dance groups, steelbands, Indian music groups, and in one school, in response to student demand, Turkish, Chinese & Somali groups, left little time for composition, other than works for educational purposes. However, in this field she was prolific, writing numerous songs for school shows, music to celebrate special community events, and music involving large numbers of performers with a wide ability range and variety of styles.

Her youth group steelbands and Indian music groups performed all over southern England, as well as at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall, and this led to a reputation for World Music, a commission to write a book, Music Worldwide, for Cambridge University Press, requests for participation in events in various parts of the country, and compositions to present a fusion of musical cultures. She also ran courses for teachers, and advised schools and education authorities on the purchase of equipment and the setting up of World Music programmes.

In 1994 she became Music co-ordinator in a school for students with learning difficulties, and wrote a great deal of special music for them to perform. She continued to advise and to run teachers courses, including courses for teachers working in special schools. She also contributed to musical events and composed and arranged for massed performances involving Caribbean & Indian music.

She now works with disabled adults and continues to run teachers courses, but has at long last managed to allot more time to composition.

PUBLICATIONS

Music Worldwide (with CD) - published by Cambridge University Press
A series of six Music Live books published by Wayland:
Strings, Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, The Voice, The Keyboard
Ingredients of Music published by Wayland
Steelband Kit Book published by Tiger Books Ltd
Song books Weve got a song about that and Green Songs - Tiger Books Ltd
Various Childrens stories, with music (as talking books) Tiger Books Ltd
Articles include Edexcel AS level World Music Music Teacher Magazine

Important Works Performances
  1. VOCAL: Three Songs of Remembrance soprano & piano
  2. Two carols to poems by John Pudney (SATB)
  3. Green Songs ( 6 Songs on environmental themes for children, with piano or recorded backing tracks)
  4. Seven Songs for a Christmas Pageant (S, A & piano)
  5. Cradle Song - SATB & Brass 5tet, or solo wind instrument
  6. Joseph & Mary - SATB
  7. Earth Music - SATB & solo alto sax (or any suitable alternative)
  8. The Day - SATB (with divisi) with vibraphone & percussion
  9. This Spacious Firmament (SATB with divisi S & A)
  10. LARGE INSTRUMENTAL WORKS: Three Orchestral Dances
  11. Grounds & Counterpoint (for jazz orchestra or for National Saxophone Choir)
  12. Ragmala (based on Indian Ragas ? for jazz orchestra or for Symphonic Wind Ensemble)
  13. 'Chat on the Lines' - Expressions of conversations overheard on trains for string orchestra, with solo cor anglais/oboe d'amore/oboe. Including a section for children's choir entitles 'Announcements'
  14. INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES: Saxophone Quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone)
  15. Three Pieces (for 2 oboes & cor anglais) - also for saxophones (A,A,A or A,A,T)
  16. Suite for Three Reeds (2 oboes & bass oboe, or cor anglais) - Published Phylloscopus
  17. Woodwind Trios (flute, oboe, clarinet)
  18. Suite for Four (brass quartet)
  19. Permutations - Octet - for double reed ensemble, or saxophone ensemble
  20. Prelude Blues & Cartoon ( 2 oboes, cor anglais & guitar orpiano)
  21. Prelude, Pastorale & Andante for Double Reeds (2 oboes, cor anglais & bassoon)
  22. Threes Company (for a multiple choice trio of saxophones)
  23. Five Spirituals (for S, A, A, T, B saxophones)
  24. Five Spirituals (for Brass Quintet)
  25. Pastorale & Rumba (for solo flute & piano, or solo oboe, oboe d'amore, or solo alto sax & piano)
  26. Five Ragas for a Day - for cor anglais & harp
  27. Prelude, Passacaglia, Blues & Caprice for oboe & string quartet
 None added