GRAHAM FITKIN
Graham Fitkin was born in Cornwall
in 1963. He studied at Nottingham University
with Peter Nelson and Nigel Osborne.
After completing his studies there Graham
travelled to The Netherlands to study
with Louis Andriessen at Koninklijk
Conservatorium in The Hague.
Composing for solo
or multiple pianos has been central
to his work. He works regularly with
pianist Kathryn Stott, founded the four-pianist
group ‘Nanquidno’ and has worked closely
with the six piano ensemble Piano Circus.
He often performs his own works and
also performs in duo with partner Ruth
Wall.
A ‘Composer for Dance
Award’ in 1990 led to a new work for
David Massingham Dance. Ever since then
Graham has worked frequently with choreographers
around the world with recent performances
being given by Shobana Jeyasingh Dance
Company, Wayne MacGregor's Random Dance,
Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York City
Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Munich
Ballet and the National Ballet of Portugal.
Fitkin won the International Grand Prix
Music for Dance Video Award in 1994.
Known particularly
for his ensemble writing, Fitkin has
collaborated with many of today's performers
of new music including the Nederlands
Blazersensemble, Apollo Saxophone Quartet,
Smith Quartet, Ensemble Bash, Thomas
Bowes and Eleanor Alberga, and the London
Chamber Orchestra.
Graham was Composer-in-Association
with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra between 1994 and 1996 and
wrote five orchestral works in this
period. Since then several new works
have been commissioned and composed
for orchestra, and performances include
those by the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic,
English Northern Philharmonia, RSNO,
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bournemouth
Symphony, Ulster, Nederlands Radio Orchestra,
and Uster Festival (Switzerland).
The Fitkin Group was
founded in 1996 to perform the composer's
work alongside other contemporary composers
(e.g. Bryars, Poppy, Feldman) and has
given performances throughout the UK,
in the EU and most recently at the Varna
Festival in Bulgaria.
Graham is committed
to education work. He has directed various
projects including 3 PRS Composer in
Education residencies, led university
seminars, given composition master-classes
and directed workshops all over the
UK as well as in Soweto, South Africa.
Recent works include
Graham’s Double Concerto for two Pianos
and Orchestra - ‘Circuit’ which was
given its UK premiere at the Bridgewater
Hall, Manchester earlier this year.
It was a BBC commission and performed
by soloists Kathyrn Stott and Noriko
Ogawa with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Another recent piece is ‘KAPLAN’, a
sixty minute piece for keyboards based
on the central character from Hitchcock’s
North By Northwest. This seven movement
work also uses video and live webcams
and is concerned with mistaken identity.
Future commissions
include a piano trio commissioned by
the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, a new
BBC commission for the Duke Quartet,
a brass quartet for Trillium, a solo
for the new organ at Birmingham Symphony
Hall and a new interactive work ‘Geography’.
