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Christopher Painter was born at Port Talbot, South Wales on the 24th of May 1962 and studied music at University College, Cardiff. He studied initially with Timothy Taylor and Richard Elfyn Jones and in 1981 he began to study with Alun Hoddinott, Wales' premier composer. He studied full-time with Hoddinott until 1989 and complemented these studies with consultations and masterclasses with Samuel Adler (Eastman School of Music); George Benjamin; John McCabe; Edward Gregson; Robert Simpson and Marek Stachowski (Warsaw University).
Upon completion of his full-time study Christopher Painter worked, for a time, in the music departments of both BBC Wales and Welsh National Opera before leaving to set up his own business, Richmond House Music, which typesets music for many publishers and theatrical producers both within the U.K. and overseas. Since setting up his own business, Christopher Painter has much more time to devote to composition and has worked at refining his compositional technique and at planning specific musical projects. In the last two years Chtristopher Painter has been instrumental in setting up the Afan Festival of Music which will be held in Port Talbot in 1998. He has been appointed as the Artistic Director for this festival for the next five years and is currently putting the finishing touches to the festival programme.
Painter has been commissioned to write for many diverse organisations and events including the Cardiff Festival of Music, Lower Machen Festival and the North Wales Music Festival and has had performances of his music by the orchestra of University College Cardiff; University Ensemblec (Cardiff); Gemini Ensemble; West Glamorgan Youth Brass Band and the West Glamorgan Youth Orcherstra.
Christopher Painter was the first recipient of the Afan Thomas Composer's Award and has also won the National Eisteddfod Composition Prize (Newport 1988) and was featured in the Welsh Arts Council's "Young Welsh Composer Forum" in 1987. In 1997, Christopher Painter was the first Welsh winner of the "Gregynog Composer Award of Wales" which was given for his "Sonata for Harp" which will be premiered at the 1997 Gregynog Festival by distinguished harpist, Elinor Bennett.
Christopher Painter currently has commissions for a clarinet quintet, piano duet, symphony (his third) and a one-act opera. He is exclusively published by Vanderbeek & Imrie Ltd., 15 Marvig, Lochs, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9QP (Tel/Fax : 01851 880216) to whom all requests for his music should be addressed. For commissions please contact Martyn Imrie at Vanderbeek & Imrie or deal with directly with Christopher by writing to 33 Southminster Road, Penylan, Cardiff, CF2 5AT or e-mail him at painter@dial.pipex.com
Christopher Painter and his wife, Diana live in Cardiff, with their two labradors, Branwen and Megan,and their three cats, Oscar, Emmy and Polly.
Sinfonietta Op.1 (1982)
2.2.2.2 4.2.3.1 timp. perc.(2) hp. stgs.
Duration : 10 minutes
String Quartet Op.2 (1982)
2vln. vla. cello
Duration : 20 minutes
Commissioned by : U.C.C. Contemporary Music Society
Songs of Experience Op.3 (1982)
Bar. solo; fl. hp. stg. 4tet.
Duration : 15 minutes
Commissioned by : Daniel Gillingwater
Septet Op.4 (1983)
fl. cl. tpt. trb. hp. vln. vc.
Duration : 20 minutes
Commissioned by : U.C.C. Contemporary Music Society
Ave Maria Op.5 (1984)
Sop. solo ; S.A.T.B. unnacc.
Duration : 4 minutes
Praeludium Op.6 (1984)
Solo harp
Duration : 4 minutes
Symphony Op.7 (1984)
3.3.3.3 4.3.3.1 timp. perc.(2) pno. hp. stgs.
Duration : 28 minutes
Sonata for Violin Solo Op.8 (1984)
Solo violin
Duration : 10 minutes
Fanfare Op.9 (1982 rev.1984)
Brass Quintet
Duration : 4 minutes
Pastorale Op.10 (1984)
Sop. & Ten. solo; S.A.T.B. fl. ob. cl. bsn. 2hn. tpt. trb. pno. perc.(1) stgs.
Duration : 20 minutes
Commissioned by : Afan Thomas Masterclass
Partita Op.11 (1985)
Solo organ
Duration : 14 minutes
Overture : Gwyl Caerdydd Op.12 (1985)
3.2.2.2 4.3.3.1 timp. perc.(3) pno. hp. stgs.
Duration : 8 minutes
Commissioned by Cardiff Festival of Music
Processional Op.13 (1985)
Solo organ
Duration : 4 minutes
Commissioned by Dr. & Mrs. Wynne Williams
Wind Quintet Op.14 (1983 rev.1985)
fl. ob. cl. hn. bsn.
Duration : 15 minutes
String Quartet Op.15 (1985)
2vln. vla. cello
Duration : 18 minutes
Commissioned by : Cardiff Festival of Music
Sonata for Two Violins Op.16 (1985 rev.1987)
2 violins
Duration : 14 minutes
Commissioned by : Finnerty/Vickers-Jones Duo
Elegy for Two Violins Op.17 (1985 rev.1988)
2 violins
Duration : 6 minutes
Commissioned by : D.J. Jones
Viola Sonata Op.18 (1986)
vla. pno.
Duration : 15 minutes
Commissioned by : W. Potter
Concertino Op.19 (1986)
2 pianos
Duration : 17 minutes
Commissioned by : Cardiff Festival of Music
Symphony No.2 Op.20 (1987)
3.3.3.3 4.3.3.1 timp. perc.(3) pno. hp. stgs.
Duration : 30 minutes
Landscapes Op.21 (1987)
ob. hn. stgs.
Duration : 10 minutes
Tapestries Op.22 (1987)
vln. cl. pno.
Duration : 20 minutes
Commissioned by : North Wales Music Festival
Collages Op.23 (1987)
3.3.3.3 4.3.3.1 timp. perc.(2) stgs.
Duration : 15 minutes
Christmas Cocktail Op.24 (1985 rev. 1987)
2ob. 2cl. 2bsn. 3hn. vc. b.
Duration : 14 minutes
Commissioned by : Cardiff Festival of Music
Intrada Op.25 (1988)
Brass Band
Duration : 6 minutes
Commissioned by : West Glamorgan Youth Brass Band
Tan Yr Enaid Op.26 (1988)
2.2.2.2 4.3.3.1 timp. perc.(1) hp. stgs.
Duration : 10 minutes
Piano Sonata Op.27 (1987 rev.1988)
Solo piano
Duration : 18 minutes
Commissioned by : Ian Vickers-Jones
Out of Your Sleep Op.28 (1995)
S.A.T.B. organ
Duration : 4 minutes
Telynegion Op.29 (1995)
2 harps
Duration : 8 minutes
Commissioned by : Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music
Marvig Variants Op.30 (1995)
vln. pno.
Duration : 8 minutes
Commissioned by : Martyn Imrie
String Quartet Op.31 (1995)
2vln. vla. cello
Duration : 15 minutes
Chamber Symphony Op.32 (1995)
fl./picc. ob./ca. cl./Eb cl. bsn. hn. tpt. trb. perc.(1) pno. hp. stg. 4tet.
Duration : 20 minutes
Dans Les Bois Op.33 (1996)
Mezzo soptrano; ob.
Duration : 14 minutes
Commissioned by : Lower Machen Festival of Music
Missa Sanctae Francisco Op.34 (1996)
S.A.T.B. org.
Duration : 15 minutes
Concerto for Orchestra Op.35 (1996)
3.3.3.3. 6.3.3.1 timp. perc.(3) hp. stgs.
Duration : 20 minutes
Diversions Op.36 (1996)
Brass Band
Duration : 15 minutes
Brass Quintet Op.37 (1996)
2tpt. hn. trb. tba.
Duration : 12 minutes
Vanishing Light Op.38 (1996)
fl. ob. cl. bsn. hn. hp. stg. 4tet.
Duration : 8 minutes
Onyx Op.39 (1996)
Percussion ensemble (3 players)
Duration : 6 minutes
Sonata for Harp Op.40 (1997)
Solo harp
Duration : 12 minutes
Published exclusively by :
"...the general impression was of a torrential tour de force - a breathtaking flood of corruscating invention."
"The sheer exuberence of this music...is the enviable energy of youth."
"...this is music - to my ears - very much in the mould of Elliott Carter, where notes proliferate naturally in relation to the intervallic profile pursued."
"...Painter's compositional armoury is so formidable that his future is bound to be fascinating."
"...the orchestra rousingly realised the composer's significant sound picture."
"Mr. Painter has, to my mind, a strong similarity with Mozart - they both write too many notes!!!"
CONTACT :
Martyn Imrie, Managing Director, Vanderbeek & Imrie Ltd., 15 Marvig, Lochs, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9QP (Tel/Fax : +44 01851 880216)
Christopher Painter, Danby, 33 Southminster Road, Penylan, Cardiff, CF2 5AT (Tel/Fax : +44 01222 499970)
Compiled by Chris Painter (Richmond House Music) using Netscape Navigator Gold 3 and WordPad (basic HTML coding) on a 120MHz Pentium. Images processed using Photoshop on a 100MHz PowerMac.