James Garner is a British composer whose music has been described as “utterly accomplished in all respects” (Dame Judith Weir) and praised for its “warmth, sincerity and tension” (Bachtrack). His works have been performed throughout the UK and internationally. His recent music is characteristically spare, starkly lyrical, and at times deliberately anti-virtuosic.
James has written substantially for voices and theatre. His first chamber opera, East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon, received several productions in the UK and North American. Subsequent commissions have included works for English Touring Opera, The Opera Story, and Tête à Tête. In 2020, he collaborated on The Opera Story’s digital series Episodes, which won an RPS Inspiration Award. He also developed a close relationship with McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where he has been a visiting artist in the opera department for several years. His first full-length opera, Much Ado – an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play – was commissioned by McGill and previewed at the Association for Opera in Canada’s annual summit in Montréal.
Alongside his work for the stage, James’s recent output has increasingly focused on concert music. His works have been performed at festivals and series including the Kings Place Festival, Bloomsbury Festival, Borough New Music, Richmond Concert Series, and Song in the City. Recent music includes pieces for the guitarist George Tarlton, recorder player Lizzie Knatt, and a bespoke programme of new chamber music devised in collaboration with Owen Spafford, Alex Lyon, Hania Woźniak, and Carla Huhtanen.
James is in regular demand as a composer for education projects, and has mentored students in music facilitation and opera making at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the University of Oxford. He has also worked as a conductor and music assistant on several premieres at the Barbican Centre, Royal Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, and BBC Four.
Upcoming projects include a song cycle for the soprano Elisabeth Boudreault, a new solo piano work for Joseph Havlat, and a short opera film, created with the Canadian novelist Lisa Moore and shot on location in Newfoundland and Labrador for Opera on the Avalon’s new commission series.
James graduated from the Guildhall School with the Richmond Concert Society Award for Composition. He is also a recent graduate of the Royal Academy where he studied with David Sawer and additionally with Hans Abrahamsen, with support from the Munster Trust.
His work has been generously supported by the Arts Council and the Maria Björnson Fund. Previously, he was co-founder and music director of workshOPERA, whose work was nominated for a New British Music Theatre Award.