JAMES LARK
Composer and Musical Director

Studied composition with Robin Holloway. Have had music performed by the choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, Cambridge New Music Society, English Voices and the Choirs of Trinity, Selwyn and Girton Colleges in Cambridge. Commissioned to write two organ works for the CULS service in King’s College, Cambridge celebrating 800 years of the university (June 2009), and a Fantasia for a recital by internationally renowned organist Guy Bovet (February 2003). Currently composer-in-residence at Bedford School.

Original composition for theatre includes the book, lyrics and music for the 2007 total Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show Tony Blair – the Musical ("the seeds are here for a much bigger production – here is talent to be nurtured" – The Stage) and one-man musical The Rise and Fall of Deon Vonniget (2006). Have worked with a variety of groups as musical director, with experience of teaching challenging music to a mixture of adults and children in Richard Taylor’s Whistle Down the Windem> (2005), and have conducted orchestral and choral ensembles. Have also written and directed music for NewsRevue, Ealing Live!, Focus Theatre Company and the Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club.

Wrote and directed the music for short films Summer’s End, which was highly commended in the 2006 Andrew Cross Awards, and The Ghost of Kirkton Fell, which was selected for the Final Cuts Festival in Brighton.

Theatre
Musical director/composer, LYSISTRATA (February 2009) – dir. Delyth Jones
Musical director/composer, THE NEWSREVUE (April/May 2008) – dir. Max Webster
Musical director/composer, STOCKING FILLERS (workshop, Nov 2007) – Joinedupwriters, Mark Lindow
Lyricist/bookwriter/composer, TONY BLAIR – THE MUSICAL (July – September 2007) – Io Theatre Company, dir. Delyth Jones
Composer/performer, THE RISE AND FALL OF DEON VONNIGET (February/March/July/August 2006) – Io Theatre Company, dir. Delyth Jones
Adaptor/composer, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (May 2006) – John Paxton Primary School
Musical director/composer, LOST (May 2005) - The Humble Theatre Company, dir. Jodi De Souza
Musical director/composer, OEDIPUS (Feb 2002) – Catmalogian, Jon Croker

Short films
Composer, BEACH (March 2007) – Talk to Rex productions
Composer, HIDE AND SEEK (October 2006) – Talk to Rex productions
Composer, SUMMER’S END (March 2005) – Hired Thugs productions
Composer, THE GHOST OF KIRKTON FELL (June 2004) – Hired Thugs productions

Radio
Music/post-production, THE ‘DIVERSITY EXPLORED’ SEMINAR (May 2005) – BBC Radio
Composer, DO NOT BE AFRAID (serial, Dec 2004) – BBC Radio

Selected compositions
STRANGE ARE THE GIFTS (SATB choir and organ) – written for the chapel choir of Bedford school (December 2009)
AS THE WINDS AND THE MONTHS (wind quintet) – written for Bedford School wind quintet (September 2009)
FIVE VARIATIONS IN SEARCH OF A THEME (full orchestra) – written for Bedford School (June 2009)
FANTASIA ON A THEME BY GIBBONS (organ) – written for the CULS 800th anniversary service, King’s College, Cambridge (June 2009)
PAEAN (organ) – written for the CULS 800th anniversary service, King’s College, Cambridge
ASCENDIT DEUS (boys’ voices and organ) – written for the chapel choir of Bedford school (March 2009)
SINFONIA CONCERTANTE (flute, oboe and strings) – written for Bedford school chamber orchestra (Dec 2008)
IF YE WOULD HEAR (SATB choir and organ) – written for the choir of Bedford School Chapel (Sept 2008)
A CHILD OF THE SNOWS (SATB choir) – commissioned and performed by the choir of St Mark’s, Newnham (Dec 2007)
VERTE PAGINAS (boys’ voices and organ) – commissioned by Malcolm Archer for the boys of St Paul’s Cathedral (June 2007)
SONGS OF EXILE (high voice/piano) – first performed by Alastair Bennett at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (May 2007)
A LOVER’S COMPLAINT (countertenor/SATB choir) – commissioned by the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, first performed by James Bowman and the Chiesa Consort at St Andrew’s, Holborn (Dec 2005), also performed in the St Paul’s Cathedral Carol Concert and the Cambridge University Carol Service (Dec 2006) and by the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge (Oct 2007)
JACOB’S WELL (SATB choir and organ) – commissioned and performed by the choir of Girton College, Cambridge (2004)
FANTASIA FOR ORGAN (organ) – commissioned to commemorate the new St. Martin organ in the chapel of Girton College, Cambridge, and first performed by Guy Bovet (2003)
PRECES AND RESPONSES (SATB choir) – first performed by the chapel choir of Girton College, Cambridge (2002)
VIOLIN CONCERTO (violin solo, strings and harp) – first performed by Naomi Rump and the Girton College Music Society (2002)
HE WAS MADE MAN (SATB choir) – commissioned by the Cambridge Britten Festival and first performed by English Voices (2001)
CORPUS CHRISTI CAROL (SATB choir) – commissioned and recorded by the choir of Girton College, Cambridge (2001, available on The Ages of Elizabeth GCD004)

Arrangements
TRELAWNEY, DANNY BOY, THE PRETTY PLOUGHBOY (SATB folksong arrangements)
ABBA MEDLEY (available both for double SATB choir and string quartet)
Various descants, commissioned and recorded by the choir of Girton College, Cambridge on The Complete New English Hymnal vol 17 (PRCD717)

Awards
MTM:UK Musical Theatre Awards, Edinburgh Fringe 2007 – commendation for Tony Blair – the Musical
Winner, Choir and Organ advent carol competition, 2006

 

OTHER SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Editing/producing: have edited, produced and mixed tracks for film soundtracks, including Hide and Seek in 2006, and recorded music, notably for the album of music from The Rise and Fall of Deon Vonniget, which was released by Friday Audio in 2006. I also have experience of recording and editing packages for BBC radio.

Instrumental skills: grade 8 piano; grade 8 violin, with orchestral experience (2nd violin leader Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra 1998-99) and experience of playing in jazz/blues bands; harmonica; ukulele.

Singing experience: a member of Girton College Chapel Choir between 1999 and 2004, touring with the choir in Switzerland, Ireland and South-East Asia, and performing at  venues including St. John’s Smith Square, Sherbourne Abbey and St Sepulchre's.  I have featured on four CDs recorded by the choir and was awarded a college choral scholarship in 2001.

Music tuition: I teach violin, piano and music theory, and supervise composition and 20th century music for the Cambridge music tripos.