Gavin Higgins, Music Fellow
Born in Gloucestershire in 1983, Gavin grew up in the Forest of Dean. Surrounded by a family of ‘banders’, it was not long before he joined the local brass band. In 1999, Gavin was awarded a place to study at the prestigious Chethams School of Music in Manchester and in 2001 was given a scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music with Gary Carpenter. In 2007 Gavin became a Royal College of Music scholar supported by the AHRC and Douglas and Hilda Simmonds Awards, studying composition with Ken Hesketh. Gavin is a Sound and Music (SPNM) Shortlisted Composer.
Gavin has had music performed by numerous ensembles and soloists across the UK and is regularly commissioned to write new works. His Alarms for solo Trumpet and Road Works for Percussion have proven popular with BBC Young Musician Finalists; both are regularly performed in the competition. Another popular work, Rage Dances has been performed several times by members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall and more recently by the Liverpool Philharmonic's contemporary music group, Ensemble 10:10.
Other commissions include Urban Fairy Tales, performed as part of the RCM Rising Star series at the Cadogan Hall, Mechanical Cabaret as part of the Exhibition Road Music Day Festival and Fanfares and Love Songs written for the National Children's Band of Great Britain.
A Forest Symphony, written as part of the Voices in the Forest Festival and played by the National Youth Band of Great Britain was selected for the wind and brass section of the British Composer Awards in 2008 and Three Broken Love Songs, written for BBC Young Musician Winner Mark Simpson is regularly performed throughout the U.K.
His virtuoso work for trombone ‘Freaks!’ has been recorded by Brett Baker and the Polystel (flowers) band on the Polyphonic label and the eccentric Tango has recently been recorded by the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band.
His latest and most substantial work, Dancing At The Edge Of Hell, is soon to be premiered and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. This apocalyptic ‘mock’ ballet explores the ideas of dance music whilst drawing on the visual stimulations of abandoned theatres and the Gates of Hell, a large fiery crater in the middle of the Turkmenistan desert.
Gavin has recently become the very first Music Fellow to the Rambert Dance Company.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have been offered this position. I have always had a fascination with the relationship between music and dance and this is a great opportunity to explore some of my ideas with an incredible company. The chance to work closely with choreographers, dancers and musicians from the company is a challenge I will relish.”