Né en 1990 au Pays de Galles, le compositeur gallois Gareth Moorcraft a commencé très tôt à écrire, s’intéressant tout d’abord au jazz et à la musique électronique avant de se tourner vers la musique classique vers la fin de l’adolescence. Il collabore régulièrement avec des artistes d’autres disciplines comme le chorégraphe Matthieu Géffre, avec qui il a crée tout récemment l’oeuvre de danse Murder, My Sweet! pour la National Dance Company of Wales, ainsi que plusieurs cinéastes et poètes.
La musique de Gareth Moorcraft est régulièrement interprétée dans la Royaume-Uni par des musiciens comme les BBC Singers, le BBC National Orchestra of Wales et le Endymion Ensemble. Son oeuvre Rondo pour trio à vent a gagné un British Composer Award 2012 et a été diffusé à la BBC Radio 3. Depuis, Gareth Moorcraft a gagné le Eric Coates Composition Prize du Royal Academy of Music et le Ty Cerdd National Welsh Composition Competition 2013. En 2014 il a été séléctionné pour le Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme à Aldeburgh où il a composé le cycle Songs of the Elements en collaboration avec la poétesse Lavinia Singer.
En obtenant des bourses pour les deux disciplines, Gareth Moorcaft a étudié la musicologie à Worcester College et University of Oxford où il a suivi les cours de composition de Robert Saxton. Avec le soutien de l’Arts and Humanities Research Council, de l’Arts Council of Wales et du RVW Trust, il poursuit ses études de composition avec Gary Carpenter au Royal Academy of Music à Londres. En marge de sa carrière de compositeur, Gareth Moorcraft reste actif en tant que pianiste et chef d’orchestre.
Gareth Moorcraft is a Welsh composer of classical contemporary music. His early musical experience was primarily as a pianist but he has been writing music from a young age, working firstly in jazz and electronic genres before turning to classical music in his late teens. Gareth is a versatile composer who collaborates regularly with artists from other disciplines. His recent dance work Murder, My Sweet! was written with choreographer Mathieu Géffre for the National Dance Company of Wales, and he has also worked closely with multiple film-makers and poets overthe past year.
Gareth’s music has been performed regularly in the UK by musicians such as the BBC Singers, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Endymion Ensemble. His work Rondo for wind trio won a British Composer Award (2012) and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Since then, Gareth has won the Eric Coates Composition Prize from the Royal Academy of Music and the Tŷ Cerdd National Welsh Composition Competition (2013). In 2014, he was also selected for the ‘Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme’ at Aldeburgh, where he composed a song-cycle Songs of the Elements in collaboration with poet Lavinia Singer.
Gareth read music at Worcester College, University of Oxford, where he studied composition with Robert Saxton and was awarded scholarships for both his academic studies and his musical performance. He now studies composition with Gary Carpenter at the Royal Academy of Music, London, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Arts Council of Wales, and the RVW Trust. Alongside his composing activities, Gareth remains active as a pianist and conductor.