Photograph © H. Spenceley, Pirhuk – Greenland Mountain Guides (Greenland expedition 2016)
Bill composes music inspired by immersive fieldwork. He maintains a busy conducting career.
Compositions in 2026 include a string quartet, a set of trios, three choral works and a clarinet sonata. A recent large-scale orchestral composition, Carrownagappul, was commissioned by the Harry Woolhouse Trust for the 25th anniversary of Imperial College Sinfonietta and premiered in 2024. It was inspired by fieldwork on Carrownagappul bog, Ireland in collaboration with the photographer Tina Claffey.
In 2018/19 Bill won a Finzi Scholarship to compose an orchestral piece inspired by Mountain Hares. Mountain Hare was premiered by Farnborough Symphony Orchestra in 2022. His fieldwork also his travel essay, Composing with Hares. The project features in the Finzi Trust podcast.
In 2016 Bill collaborated with poet Helen Mort on an exploratory climbing expedition in East Greenland for a commission from The Little Baroque Company. Their work, The Singing Glacier, was performed at festivals in London, Sheffield, Aldeburgh, Wells-next-the-Sea and Inchigeelagh. Helen’s poetry and the project feature in a chapbook of the same name published by Hercules Editions.
The next large-scale fieldwork project is The Sea of Trees, involving sailing to the Faroe Islands to research birdsong and phytoplankton – the so-called ‘marine forest’.
Bill studied conducting with Martyn Brabbins at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Ilya Musin in St Petersburg and Jorma Panula in Kuopio. His work as Music Director includes Elizabeth for the Royal Ballet in 2016 and 2018. He was a bass-baritone soloist for many years and he enjoys directing choral courses for Lacock Music. His first degree was in English Literature with organ scholarship, at Pembroke College, Cambridge; he maintains an active interest in contemporary writing.
(This biography starts with ‘Bill composes music inspired by fieldwork, etc.’ It may be reproduced but only changed with permission. Please maintain italics for piece titles.)
There is a shorter version here. A full CV is available by return email.