Simon Holt
Simon Holt was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1958. After completing a foundation course at Bolton Art College, he went on to study composition with Anthony Gilbert at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music and of the University of Bolton. As a young composer, the late Michael Vyner, then artistic director of the London Sinfonietta, commissioned Kites (1983). In 1985 he was featured composer of the Bath International Festival at which the late William Mann was the artistic director. Holt's relationship with the London Sinfonietta has continued with a steady stream of performances and premières, including Ballad of the Black Sorrow (1988), eco-pavan (1998) and Sueños (2006) for baritone and ensemble, performed by Roderick Williams and the London Sinfonietta conducted by Thierry Fischer in London and Madrid.
In autumn 2016, Holt’s piccolo concerto Fool is hurt (2015), co-commissioned by the London Sinfonietta with the NOVA Ensemble of Utah, received its première performances in Salt Lake City and London. In summer 2017, the basset clarinet concerto Joy Beast (2016), written for Mark Simpson and commissioned by the BBC, was premièred in Hull and London as part of the New Music Biennial 2017, a PRS for Music Foundation initiative presented in partnership with Hull UK City of Culture 2017, London’s Southbank Centre and BBC Radio 3.
Holt’s latest orchestral piece Surcos (2016), co-commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, received its world première performances in May 2017, in Berlin and Hamburg, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle; the UK première, conducted by Ilan Volkov, took place in Birmingham on June 13, 2018.
Simon Holt's output for chamber ensemble is large, including nine pieces written for the Nash Ensemble. His most recent work for the Ensemble, bagatelarañas (2010), for wind quintet was premièred in March 2017 at Wigmore Hall. Holt has also developed a hugely successful relationship with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, who recorded a second portrait CD on the NMC label, released in 2004, featuring Kites, Lilith (1990), eco-pavan, Boots of Lead (2002) and feet of clay (2003). To date, Holt has been commissioned to write four major orchestral pieces for the BBC Proms - in 1987, John Drummond commissioned Syrensong for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, later followed by the viola concerto walking with the river's roar (1991), premièred by Nobuko Imai and the BBC Philharmonic in 1992.
Latterly, Troubled Light (2008) and the flute concerto Morpheus Wakes (2014), for Emmanuel Pahud, were both premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thierry Fischer, during Holt’s highly successful tenure as Composer in Association at the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 2008 – 2014. Other works from this period include St Vitus in the kettle (2008), the double concerto for clarinet and flugelhorn, Centauromachy (2009) and The Yellow Wallpaper (2011), for soprano and orchestra.
Simon Holt celebrated his 60th birthday on 21 February 2018. To mark this occasion, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performed the UK première of an icicle of moon (2014), alongside St Vitus in the kettle and the BBC Philharmonic presented a table of noises with Colin Currie at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (February 17). In June 2018, the Aldeburgh Festival featured Holt’s chamber music in three concerts, including two new commissions: Llanto (para las chumberas) (2017), for oboe d’amore and string trio (June 11) and 4th Quartet: Cloud House (2017), which was premièred by the Piatti Quartet (June 22).
'The Music of Simon Holt', edited by David Charlton – the first full-scale study of Holt's compositions - was published by Boydell & Brewer in September 2017. Simon Holt is currently Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music. The music of Simon Holt up to 2015 is published by Chester Music Limited. Since July 2016 Simon Holt has been self published.
Simon Holt was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1958. After completing a foundation course at Bolton Art College, he went on to study composition with Anthony Gilbert at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music and of the University of Bolton. As a young composer, the late Michael Vyner, then artistic director of the London Sinfonietta, commissioned Kites (1983). In 1985 he was featured composer of the Bath International Festival at which the late William Mann was the artistic director. Holt's relationship with the London Sinfonietta has continued with a steady stream of performances and premières, including Ballad of the Black Sorrow (1988), eco-pavan (1998) and Sueños (2006) for baritone and ensemble, performed by Roderick Williams and the London Sinfonietta conducted by Thierry Fischer in London and Madrid.
In autumn 2016, Holt’s piccolo concerto Fool is hurt (2015), co-commissioned by the London Sinfonietta with the NOVA Ensemble of Utah, received its première performances in Salt Lake City and London. In summer 2017, the basset clarinet concerto Joy Beast (2016), written for Mark Simpson and commissioned by the BBC, was premièred in Hull and London as part of the New Music Biennial 2017, a PRS for Music Foundation initiative presented in partnership with Hull UK City of Culture 2017, London’s Southbank Centre and BBC Radio 3.
Holt’s latest orchestral piece Surcos (2016), co-commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, received its world première performances in May 2017, in Berlin and Hamburg, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle; the UK première, conducted by Ilan Volkov, took place in Birmingham on June 13, 2018.
Simon Holt's output for chamber ensemble is large, including nine pieces written for the Nash Ensemble. His most recent work for the Ensemble, bagatelarañas (2010), for wind quintet was premièred in March 2017 at Wigmore Hall. Holt has also developed a hugely successful relationship with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, who recorded a second portrait CD on the NMC label, released in 2004, featuring Kites, Lilith (1990), eco-pavan, Boots of Lead (2002) and feet of clay (2003). To date, Holt has been commissioned to write four major orchestral pieces for the BBC Proms - in 1987, John Drummond commissioned Syrensong for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, later followed by the viola concerto walking with the river's roar (1991), premièred by Nobuko Imai and the BBC Philharmonic in 1992.
Latterly, Troubled Light (2008) and the flute concerto Morpheus Wakes (2014), for Emmanuel Pahud, were both premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thierry Fischer, during Holt’s highly successful tenure as Composer in Association at the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 2008 – 2014. Other works from this period include St Vitus in the kettle (2008), the double concerto for clarinet and flugelhorn, Centauromachy (2009) and The Yellow Wallpaper (2011), for soprano and orchestra.
Simon Holt celebrated his 60th birthday on 21 February 2018. To mark this occasion, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performed the UK première of an icicle of moon (2014), alongside St Vitus in the kettle and the BBC Philharmonic presented a table of noises with Colin Currie at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (February 17). In June 2018, the Aldeburgh Festival featured Holt’s chamber music in three concerts, including two new commissions: Llanto (para las chumberas) (2017), for oboe d’amore and string trio (June 11) and 4th Quartet: Cloud House (2017), which was premièred by the Piatti Quartet (June 22).
'The Music of Simon Holt', edited by David Charlton – the first full-scale study of Holt's compositions - was published by Boydell & Brewer in September 2017. Simon Holt is currently Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music. The music of Simon Holt up to 2015 is published by Chester Music Limited. Since July 2016 Simon Holt has been self published.
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