Patrick Hawes' biography
Patrick Hawes has written some of the most inspirational and sublime music of the new millennium. Born in Lincolnshire, he studied music at Durham University and went on to teach music and English at Pangbourne College and Charterhouse. Here, his abilities as a composer were nourished and, with The Wedding at Cana (1990), he established a personal and thoroughly English style which quickly endeared him to the listening public. The decision to leave teaching provided the freedom to take up a variety of commissions, most notably The Call - a song cycle written for the soprano Janet Coxwell and premiered by the English Chamber Orchestra in Lincoln Cathedral in 1999.
It was with the release of his debut album Blue in Blue, however, that Patrick first gained widespread public recognition. Made CD of the week on Classic FM, it was nominated for a Classical Brit award and was voted by Classic FM listeners as the fastest ever and highest new entry into the station’s Hall of Fame. The ethereal choral piece Quanta Qualia became especially popular, appearing in instrumental and solo arrangements as well as on Hayley Westenra’s album Odyssey.
The world premiere of the Lazarus Requiem in March 2008 represented a landmark in Patrick’s career and followed on directly from his time as Composer in Residence at Classic FM. This position involved writing twelve pieces for piano - each piece being premiered over a twelve-month period. The resulting album Towards the Light was an instant hit with the public and, for a second time, Classic FM listeners voted it the highest new entry in the 2007 Hall of Fame. A national tour followed and Patrick enthralled audiences with his performances at the piano and his spoken introductions.
It was with the release of his debut album Blue in Blue, however, that Patrick first gained widespread public recognition. Made CD of the week on Classic FM, it was nominated for a Classical Brit award and was voted by Classic FM listeners as the fastest ever and highest new entry into the station’s Hall of Fame. The ethereal choral piece Quanta Qualia became especially popular, appearing in instrumental and solo arrangements as well as on Hayley Westenra’s album Odyssey.
The world premiere of the Lazarus Requiem in March 2008 represented a landmark in Patrick’s career and followed on directly from his time as Composer in Residence at Classic FM. This position involved writing twelve pieces for piano - each piece being premiered over a twelve-month period. The resulting album Towards the Light was an instant hit with the public and, for a second time, Classic FM listeners voted it the highest new entry in the 2007 Hall of Fame. A national tour followed and Patrick enthralled audiences with his performances at the piano and his spoken introductions.
2009 saw the release of two new albums both of which were made CD of the Week on Classic FM. Song of Songs is centered around a six-movement chamber work for choir and strings and marks Patrick‘s first collaboration with the brilliant soprano Elin Manahan Thomas. Fair Albion is subtitled ’Visions of England’ and speaks of Patrick’s love for his country and its heritage. Elin is featured once again and there are acclaimed performances from Julian Lloyd Webber, Claire Jones and Christian Forshaw.
Patrick’s most high-profile work, the Highgrove Suite, began as a one-movement piece entitled Goddess of the Woods and received its premiere at Covent Garden on the occasion of The Prince of Wales’s sixtieth birthday in November 2008. Three further movements were commissioned, each inspired by a different area of the gardens at Highgrove. The premiere took place before a private audience at Highgrove in June 2010, performed by the royal harpist Claire Jones and The Philharmonia orchestra with Patrick himself conducting. The concert was in celebration of the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, an organization for which Patrick has recently been made an Ambassador.
Patrick’s most high-profile work, the Highgrove Suite, began as a one-movement piece entitled Goddess of the Woods and received its premiere at Covent Garden on the occasion of The Prince of Wales’s sixtieth birthday in November 2008. Three further movements were commissioned, each inspired by a different area of the gardens at Highgrove. The premiere took place before a private audience at Highgrove in June 2010, performed by the royal harpist Claire Jones and The Philharmonia orchestra with Patrick himself conducting. The concert was in celebration of the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, an organization for which Patrick has recently been made an Ambassador.