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Phil Baker

Professional

Composer/Lyricist: Composer
Genre: Concert

Biography

Phil Baker studied composition with Edmund Rubbra at GSMD and at Royal Holloway College, London, for the degree of M.Phil.

His output includes symphonic and chamber music, arrangements and Gebrauchsmusik for children and music for theatre including a chamber opera on Chaucer’s The Pardoners Tale and an operatic musical based on Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. His work has been performed at The Hawth Theatre and Studio in Crawley, at the Lewes, Brighton, Adur, Soundwaves and Huddersfield Festivals, in Chichester Cathedral and the Gardner Arts Centre.

Works in progress:

The Bayeux Tapestry- an opera in English, French and Latin based on the cartoons of The Bayeux Tapestry on a libretto by William Gilbert.

De profundis – solo cello with percussion

Final movement of Piano Quintet: The Epiphanies of Silence II

Important Works Performances
  1. Gulliver: A Space Odyssey (operatic musical)*
  2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar* (children’s theatre piece on the story by Eric Carle)
  3. Coventry Carol SATB+S soloist with Piano*
  4. Four Mystic Dances for Guitar Duo*
  5. Jazz Suite (Piano, Guitar, Bass & Kit) Out the Way Three Instrumental Jazz Carols*
  6. Le Bleu des Regrets (SATB & Piano) arrangement*
  7. The St Peter Mass (liturgical)
  8. Simple Mass (liturgical)
  9. Principal instrumental works: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra The Song Lines Piano Sonata*
  10. Music for Piano with two Clarinets*
  11. String Quartet I String Quartet II*
  12. String Quartet III*
  13. Songs for Theo* (for small ensemble)
  14. Antiphons & Rondels for Brass, Two Pianos & Percussion
  15. The Dances of Siva* (ballet score featuring important cello role; exists in two versions: original includes parts for four percussionists, in the alternative version for one percussionist)
  16. Violin Sonata*
  17. Wind Quintet - after Matisse
  18. Mosaic for Wind Quintet & Piano
  19. Westminster Bridge for a cappella SATB choir*
  20. “…through a glass darkly” for SATB, Violin, Cello & Piano
  21. Christmas Carol from the Carmina Gadelica (SATB a cappella)
  22. Freeze-Frames for Piano*
  23. Freeze-Frames in Blue (ensemble arrangements of piano pieces)*
  24. One Bone to Another : Songs on Poems of Vasko Poppa Threnody for Alto Flute & Guitar*
  25. Four Ostinato Pieces for Wind Quartet*
  26. The Murals at Albi*
  27. The Pardoner’s Tale (Sixty minute chamber opera in one act)*
  28. * Indicates performed
  1. 30/10/2005: Memorial at The Friends’ Centre, Brighton as part of a national tour celebrating the centenary of the birth of Michael Tippett, performed by Antonio Cascelli (piano) and Rosalind Mizen (soprano).
  2. 25/08/2007: The Pardoner’s Tale (one act opera) at Herstmonceux Festival
  3. 03/12/2006: Cycling to the C with Views at The Friends’ Meeting House, Brighton performed by members of Coma Sussex directed by Steven Dummer.
  4. 12/02/2005: Overture ‘Bayeux’ at Cliffe Hall, Lewes performed by Musicians of All Saints conducted by Andrew Sherwood.
  5. 15/05/2005: The Epiphanies of Silence at Brighton Unitarian Church in the Brighton Festival Fringe with New Music Brighton.
  6. 28/10/2005: Four Mystic Dances at Brighton Unitarian Church performed by David Jenner and Jon Rattenbury (guitar duo).
  7. 22/05/2007: The Murals at Albi in the Brighton Festival fringe, Brighton Unitarian Church, performed by TALKESTRA under Steve Dummer. “… the show was completely stolen by the final two pieces,… bassist Beverley Jones’, powerful performance of Harrex’ ‘Canzone’ was
  8. 10/06/2007: Four Ostinato Pieces for Wind Quartet at Hamsey Old Church as part of the Musicians of All Saints Chamber Music Festival, performed by Southern Winds.
  9. 18/06/2007: KA – BU – KI for in The Soundwaves Festival, Brighton at St Nicholas’ Church performed by The Brake Drum Assembly who gave a repeat performance last in July at the COMA Summer School, Doncaster.
  10. 08/09/2007: The Pardoner’s Tale at The Great Barn, Michelham Priory, The Dicker, Sussex. “Congratulations on The Pardoner’s Tale. I enjoyed it enormously especially the music which I loved” (Audience)
  11. 14/06/2007: Four Ostinato Pieces for Wind Quartet at The Steyning Centre, West Sussex., performed by Southern Winds.
  12. 30/09/2006: Cycling to the C with Views in the Jubilee Library, Brighton as part of the Sounds in Space events performed by members of NMB directed by Steven Dummer.
  13. 27/10/2006: Song of No Virtue performed by Anna Tabor and Singer (unknown) as part of Lewes Live Literature Festival at Pelham House.
  14. 13/06/2006: Piano Quintet: The Epiphanies of Silence II at Shoreham Methodist Church as part of the Adur Festival performed by TALKESTRA with Steven Dummer.
  15. 02/07/2006: String Quartet III at Pelham House, Lewes, Sussex performed by The Shellira String Quartet.