1. Errollyn Wallen was born on 10 April 1958 and is a Belize-born British composer and musician, who moved as a child with her family to London, England.
22 Facts About Errollyn Wallen
1. 2.
Errollyn Wallen is the first black woman to serve in the position; having in 1998 been the first to have a work featured in the Proms.
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Errollyn Wallen moved to London, England, from Belize with her family when she was two years old.
4.
Errollyn Wallen moved to New York City to train further at the Dance Theatre of Harlem but later abandoned her training, turned to music composition and returned to the United Kingdom.
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Errollyn Wallen studied music at Goldsmiths' College and composition at King's College London, and earned an MPhil at King's College, Cambridge.
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Errollyn Wallen has stated that she had begun composing professionally before her studies at Cambridge University.
7.
Errollyn Wallen's memoir Becoming a Composer was published in November 2023.
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Errollyn Wallen is currently serving as Master of the King's Music, the first black woman to serve in that position, appointed in 2024 by King Charles III in his first appointment to the role.
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Errollyn Wallen's work has been performed in leading concert halls and theatres around the world.
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Errollyn Wallen's first orchestral commission was a concerto for percussion and orchestra, written for percussionist Colin Currie and premiered by him during the finals of the BBC Young Musician competition in 1994.
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Errollyn Wallen's compositions include the "multi-media song cycle" Jordan Town, Dervish for cello and piano, La Luga for guitar quintet, the opera Another America: Earth, and All the Blues I See for flute and string quartet.
12.
In June 2008, Errollyn Wallen had a world premiere of Carbon 12- A Choral Symphony with the Welsh National Opera.
13.
In 2012, her song "Daedalus" from the album Errollyn Wallen served as the opening and closing theme for the BBC drama One Night, and her "Principia", which has lyrics about science, was featured in the London 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony.
14.
In 2004, Wallen recorded an album of her own songs and solo piano music, entitled Errollyn.
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Errollyn Wallen's CDs include: The Girl In My Alphabet, Meet Me at Harold Moores, featured on the Brodsky Quartet Mood Swings alongside Bjork, Sting and Elvis Costello.
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Errollyn Wallen was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2007 Birthday Honours, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year Honours, both for services to music.
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Errollyn Wallen has received an Ivor Novello Award, making her the first woman to receive an Ivor Novello Award for classical music.
18.
Errollyn Wallen was the recipient of the 2020 Incorporated Society of Musicians Distinguished Musician Award.
19.
On 3 January 2022, Errollyn Wallen was chosen by presenter Donald Macleod to be BBC Radio 3's Composer of the Week.
20.
In July 2024, Errollyn Wallen featured on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs; she chose the second movement of Bach's "Double Violin Concerto", performed by Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta as her favourite track, a collection of Bach sheet music as her favourite book, and Wigmore Hall as her luxury item.
21.
Errollyn Wallen was inducted into Fellowship of The Ivors Academy on 12 November 2024 at The Ivors Classical Awards, the organisation's annual presentation of Ivor Novello Awards celebrating classical composition.
22.
In October 2020, Errollyn Wallen was appointed visiting professor of composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.