Classical Editor: Rob Barnett   Music Webmaster Len Mullenger: Len@musicweb-international.com

Studied initially with Benjamin Frankel in his exclusive class at the Guildhall School of Music in London. There he won several prestigious awards including the Royal Philharmonic Prize for his First Symphony; the Wainwright Scholarship for 'composer of the year'; and a French Government Bursary which took him across the Channel to study with Darius Milhaud at the Paris Conservatoire. There he met Nadia Boulanger who made him one of her star pupils who received Saturday evening tuition free of charge. He also enjoyed an open invitation to Arthur Honegger's classes.

He later won the coveted Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize in Boston, USA, for 'composers of exceptional talent and integrity' awarded by a panel of judges which included Stravinsky, Copland and Villa-Lobos. Another award was the Mendelssohn Scholarship which even Benjamin Britten failed to achieve, despite several attempts! As a result of this he spent some time in Berlin at the Hochschule für Musik. He also won the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' Award while his most recent honour was the BDK International Award in Tokyo for his Buddhist requiem Celebration for the Dead played by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

Stevens commenced his extensive film career while still a student and was acclaimed at the Ealing Studios where he constantly devised new film music techniques which are now standard practice.

Unusually, Stevens has never confined himself to one particular musical genre and has taken every opportunity to take part in pop music, jazz, films, television scores, and musicals; his musical Mamízelle Nitouche being revived in London's West End in the autumn of 2001. Although also concerned with serious avant-garde works, his music is melodic rather than atonal.

In one year he was the only British composer to be selected for the annual International Society for Contemporary Music (with Etymon) while having a disc at number one in the Melody Maker charts (with Exploding Galaxy). In 1990 he was nominated for the BAFTA music award for his contribution to Chelworth - eight one-hour episodes. In 1995 he was invited to give a 'James Stevens Day' in Cincinnati, shortly after which he was invited by the Musicians Union of Japan to represent English artists at the Hiroshima and Nagasaki 50th anniversary memorial ceremonies.

In 1998 the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio gave the world premiere of Concertante a Tre and in 1999 Stevens was commissioned to write David's Round for a 9-year-old prodigy violinist, also in Cleveland, USA. The following year he was commissioned by members of the Cleveland Orchestra to write a work for cello and piano called Duo Per Umanita. Also in 2000 Stevens completed his magnum opus The Reluctant Masquerade, dealing with the human psyche and nature of time. In 2001 he wrote the incidental music for American writer Daniel de Cournoyer's epic one-man theatre show Bells to Hell and also a Processional for a wedding in Australia.

Head of the Churchill Society Music Department:- www.churchill-society-london.org.uk/JStevens.html

SELECTION OF WORKS

Orchestral

1st Symphony - first performed on Radio 3. 25 mins.

2nd Symphony - first performed on Radio 3. 27 mins.

3rd Symphony - 25 mins. first performed by  BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. 25 mins.

4th Symphony (Infantes Miseraie - In memoriam Lili Boulanger) - for orchestra and commentator

Concerto Capriccioso - harp and small orchestra. 20 mins.

Concertetto Concatato - piano & orchestra. 12 mins.

Concerto Scenes de Seine - guitar & small orchestra. 22 mins.

Lion and Unicorn - overture for orchestra. 8 mins. - first performed on BBC Radio 3

In a Nutshell - overture for orchestra. 8 mins. - first performed on BBC Radio 3

Natso No Hikari Ni - translated from Japanese as In the Blinding Flash of Light That Summer - orchestra. 27 mins.

Celebration for the Dead - a Buddhist Requiem - for orchestra, voices and soprano. Premiered by Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, European premier by Nederlands Radio Sinfonie Orkester of Amsterdam. 37 mins. BDK International Award

The Reluctant Masquerade (Seppuku and Lullaby, the Buddha Weeps, Satoikoís Song) - orchestra, mezzo, baritone and alto. 55 mins.

Goal! For wind band. Commissioned by the Brecksville Bees Marching Band, Ohio. First performed at Wembley, England v Argentina, 1980. 10 mins.

Celebration - amateur orchestra and chorus, commissioned by Sir Walter St. John School, South London. 20 mins

The Father - amateur orchestra & chorus. first performed Canterbury Sinfonia. 20 mins.

Royal Greenwich March - school brass band. Commissioned by Woolwich Polytechnic. 10 mins.

Chamber Works

Etymon 5 players and 3 singers. 22 mins. first performed ISCM at Reykjavik

Girl in Scena semi-jazz ensemble. 20 mins.

Jigsaw for Pipe 2 recorder quartets & 2 soloists. 18 mins

WS Loves WH octet & tenor. 25 mins.

Lewis Loves Alice voice & jazz combo. first performed Cincinnati, USA.

Chelworth brass nonet. Short arrangement of TV series title music

Concertante a Tre for Joseph Walker

Instrumental Works

Kiri to Taiyo - flute & piano.- commissioned by Sunitomo Metal Corporation, Tokyo

Four Movements & a Coda for viola & piano. BBC 3, 17 mins.

Embrionics solo violin. first performance Geoffrey Grey

Asonics solo piano, first performance Jonathan Cohen, Wigmore Hall. 20 mins.

Guitar - guitar solo. recorded by Andreas Herzau on EMI. 17 mins.

Waltzes for Friends - 13 piano pieces

Duo Per Umanita piano and cello. 15 mins.

Film Music

The Insomniac; Intrusion; They Came From Beyond Space; Sparrows Can't Sing; The Weapon; The Baby & the Battleship; Cockleshell Heroes; The Fourth Square; The Other Man; The Secret Pony; The Rival World; East-West Island; Ring Around the Earth; The Oilmen; Flight Deck; The New Vikings; Wednesfield Story; Arabia Felix; Portrait of Queenie.

Television Music

BBC - The Family Reunion; Tonight; Horizon; Chelworth; Stolen Property.

ITV - Uncle Silas; The Alcoholics; Armchair Theatre; Bond QC; Our Street; After Midnight; America Abroad; The Little Round House; Mr. Papingay's Ship; The Cure.

Radio Music

Echo and the Narcissus; The Salvation of Faust; Voices in the Air; Ghost Story.

Theatre Works

The Visit - producer Peter Brooks - opened Lunt-Fontane Theatre, New York & Royalty Theatre, London

Ghost Story - one act opera commissioned by the BBC

Mamízelle Nitouche- several productions including Pitlochry and Worthing

The Pied Piper - two productions including Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Orpheus in Space - mini rock opera, performed in Rome

The Phantom Lover - Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Organ Works

Etheria - premiered by Gillian Weir in both UK and USA

Amo Ergo Sum - as per Etheria

All's Right With the World

Noce

Notes by Edmund Whitehouse (Assistant Editor, This England magazine)

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