Lucy Pankhurst

Biography. . .

Lucy Pankhurst was born in Liverpool in 1981. Her musical education began at a fairly late stage when she took up the tenor horn at the age of 13. Her earliest musical experiences were playing in many ensembles in Warrington and Cheshire, before taking an interest in composition during her studies at the RNCM.After completing her degree as a performer in 2004, she remained at the college to study composition, at the recommendation of her tutors who recognised her potential as a composer. Having no prior formal compositional lessons, Lucy took on every available challenge and produced many pieces during her time at the RNCM, including a commission for the 2005 Single Reed Festival, a large-scale work for Wind Orchestra (2006 BASBWE Festival) and numerous works for RNCM focus days. During this time she received tutorials from visiting composers such as Peter Maxwell Davies, James Macmillan, John Casken and Menachem Weisenberg. She completed her MMus in composition with Adam Gorb in 2007. Lucy is currently the composer-in-residence with the Wingates band, where she also played solo horn until August 2010, before ‘retiring’ to concentrate on her composing. She has written a number of pieces for the ensemble, including 'Wicked' and 'Dance, Dance' for the 2008 Great Northern Brass Festival at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. In November 2011, Lucy was presented with a British Composer Award for her work 'In Pitch Black'; featured on the 2010 Wingates CD 'Perspectives of Pretoria' and commissioned to commemorate the 1910 Pit Disaster, in which over 300 lives were lost, including many member of the band at that time. In January 2012 two new pieces were premiered at the RNCM in Manchester; 'Kokapelli' for the fabulously talented TEMPEST FLUTE TRIO and 'Petrichor' as part of the 2012 Festival of Brass. March 2012 will see the premiere of Lucy's latest work - 'TICKET 250654' which is dedicated to the musicians aboard the Titanic, as part of the BASBWE London Festival. In 2006 Lucy was the only female composer to be awarded one of the four winning places at the RNCM Festival of Brass Young Composers Competition. 'Ascension' for brass band was performed at the Festival of Brass as the prize. Following this, Lucy was asked to write a piece for the Brass Band Aid project, which resulted in the recording of 'Heed The Word!' by Prairie Brass of Illinois, U.S.A. on the finished 2006 CD. This work was also performed at the 2007 Festival of Brass by the RNCM band to great appreciation. Also in 2006, Lucy recorded her solo arrangement of For Your Eyes Only with the Leyland band as part of a new 60th anniversary CD project, commemorating the work of arrangers and composer who had worked with the band during its inception. In 2008, Lucy was asked to compose a piece for Northern Rail. In association with the Royal Northern College of Music, the work was to head a programme of music inspired by rail travel to commemorate 40 years since the ‘end of steam’; when the last steam engine travelled on British rails in 1968. 'Newton Heath Variations' utilises two brass bands, a steam train and diesel train to chronologically illustrate the journey through the life of the British railway and Newton Heath Maintenance Depot. Dr. Nicolas Childs conducted the RNCM and Wardle Anderson bands in the premiere at Newton Heath Depot to great appreciation from audience, performers and Northern rail executives alike. In addition to her work with brass, Lucy has also worked closely with the Lunar Saxophone Quartet (based in London) which has resulted in works such as Diaphanousphere; featured on the LSQ’s Flux CD and Folly Fantastic; commissioned for the 2009 Deal Music Festival. She has also completed commissions for wind orchestras and wind ensembles. As a tenor horn player, Lucy is very keen to promote new music for the ‘endangered species’ of brass instruments and has written a number of works for tenor horn, euphonium and tuba. In 2005, Owen Farr (solo horn with the Cory Band, international soloist and clinician) commissioned Lucy to write a Tenor Horn Concerto, which he premiered with the Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band in 2006 (published by Prima Vista Musikk as part of the Owen Farr Solo Series. 2011 saw Lucy’s work 'Alchemists’ Fire' receive the John Golland Award at the Festival of Brass, which resulted in a commission for a new work to be premiered at the festival the following year. In 2010, Lucy was commissioned by international Euphonium soloist, David Thornton to create a new work for brass quintet and soloist. 'Tiamat' was premiered at the RNCM Festival of brass, received an encore performance at the ITeC in the USA and was recorded in November 2010 by David and the Amsterdam Brass Quintet. Jim Heyes also commissioned Lucy to write a new cornet solo ('Abrazo') to be featured on his debut CD 'Dial M for Midnight' and the new tone poem 'Schiehallion' was premiered at the inaugural Cardiff New Brass Festival in April 2010. Lucy feels particularly influenced by folk music and enjoys the challenge of composing for unusual instrumentation or subject matter, welcoming both contemporary and traditional ideas in her music. Her other musical influences are very diverse, ranging from Vaughn-Williams to Ligeti, Stevie Wonder to Radiohead, E.L.O. and even the film scores of Danny Elfman. She enjoys any music which has an impact and ‘grabs hold of you whether you want it to or not!’ In her own writing, Lucy strives to produce music that will not only entertain the audience, but also engage the performers. The impact of rock and funk music is perhaps most obvious in the brass band work 'Wicked', which was awarded Best New Composition at the 2007 U.S. Open, in Chicago.