Peter Longworth (b.1990) studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Matthew King and at the Royal College of Music with Mark-Anthony Turnage, supported by a Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Award, a Dewar Arts Award, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and the RVW Trust. During his time at the Royal College of Music his piece, 8 rue des rêveries was selected to be performed in Kyoto, Japan, as part of the Kyoto University of Music’s 60th Anniversary celebrations. In his final year he was asked to compose a new work for the Royal College of Music’s Rising Stars concert series, held in the Cadogan Hall.
Peter’s music has been performed internationally in countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as in British venues such as the Southbank Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Cadogan Hall, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, St Martin in the Fields and St John’s Smith Square. Ensembles who have performed his work include the London Mozart Players, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Carnyx Brass, and members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His music has also been workshopped publicly by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Peter’s work, Ludi (commissioned by the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland in celebration of the 2014 Commonwealth Games) was described by Michael Tumelty of The Glasgow Herald as ”dazzlingly-atmospheric… an extremely impressive set of vignettes which are concise, precise and exactly to the point”.
Peter was one of four composers chosen to be mentored by composer, Magnus Lindberg on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composers Programme for the 2014/15 season. His involvement with the scheme culminated with the premiere of Fiabe Cavalleresche for chamber orchestra, performed in the Queen Elizabeth Hall by members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Foyle Future Firsts programme, conducted by Magnus Lindberg. The piece was described by Colin Anderson of Classical Source as ”a fantasia of a piece… likeably quirky, unpredictable, pastoral-lyrical and strongly rhythmic”.
In 2016, Peter was awarded a place on the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Composers’ Hub and received mentoring from the acclaimed composer, Stuart MacRae. As part of the scheme his orchestral work, In the Golden Shadows of Dawn was workshopped publicly by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Jean-Claude Picard and supervised by the composer, Brett Dean.
More recently, Peter was commissioned by the London Mozart Players to compose a Christmas piece for trumpet and strings. The resulting work, Tu scendi dalle stelle (Fantasia on a theme by Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori) was premiered by the trumpeter, Paul Archibald and the strings of the London Mozart Players, with Peter conducting. As part of his collaboration with the London Mozart Players, Peter also gave composition workshops in primary schools local to the orchestra’s home in South East London, helping students to write their own Christmas carols which they then performed with the orchestra. Other recent commissions have included a piano quintet for Ensemble Ansermet and a work for five trombones written for Aeris Brass. June 2017 will see the premiere performances of Escapades for chamber orchestra, commissioned by the Mahler Players.
A finalist in the 2014 Keuris Composers Contest (held in Amersfoort, Holland) and the 2015 Philip Bates Composition Prize, Peter’s chamber works are published by the Dutch publishing house, Edition MatchingArts.
