• Florence Anna Maunders

    Composer

     

    "...energised, rough-edged juxtapositions..." - The Guardian

     

    "...an enjoyably furious mélange..." - The Telegraph

     

    "...a wonderful crescendo of just outright queer orchestration..." - Robert Timestra

     

    "...super-cool rhythm – biting and progressive..." - Anna Edwards

     

    "...mere words cannot describe the vibrant orchestration [or] the inventive choral writing..." - Fiona Bennett (on Yaldo) 

  • About

    Information about multiple-international-award-winning Florence Anna Maunders & her career

    Biography

    Florence Anna Maunders started to compose music when she was a teenager, and her early tape-based pieces from this time reveal an early fascination with the unusual juxtapositions of sounds and collisions of styles which have been a hallmark of her music-making ever since. This is perhaps a reflection of the music which interested and excited her from a very young age – medieval dance music, prog-rock, electronic minimalism, bebop jazz, Eastern folk music, the music of Stravinsky & Messiaen, and the grand orchestral tradition of the European concert hall. Flori started out young, as a chorister, clarinetist and saxophone player, but following an undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied with Anthony Gilbert, Adam Gorb, Simon Holt & Clark Rundell, she's enjoyed a mixed and international career as a jazz pianist, orchestral percussionist, vocalist arranger, electronic music producer and teacher. Since 2018 she's had a bit of a radical transformation of her self and her career, and returned to composition as a main artistic focus, and is currently working on a PhD as a doctoral fellow at Cardiff University.

     

    Since returning to writing music, she's enjoyed significant successes in the UK, the USA, Europe and across the rest of the world, leading to a string of high profile awards & prizes including the Royal Philharmonic Prize. Recent highlights include commissions, collaborations and performances with internationally renowned ensembles such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion, London Chamber Orchestra, Psappha, Black Pencil Ensemble, Rarescale, Strange Trace Opera, the Villiers Quartet, Calefax Reed Quintet, Fulham Brass Band (where she is currently Composer In Residence), Wigmore Hall and Kyan Quartet as well as leading soloists and other opportunities. Florence also writes extensively for film and media, enjoying ongoing collaborations with directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Her music is wild, rhythmical and exciting, filled with "energised, rough-edged juxtapositions" - “a crescendo of outright queer orchestration” - and reveals a wide range of influences from electronic dance music, contemporary jazz, Middle Eastern traditional music, and the music of Stravinsky & Messiaen. She always aims to write music which makes the listener move - perhaps even to dance! She is currently working with London Chamber Orchestra as their new Composer in Residence, and working on a new piece for the musicians of the Philharmonia Orchestra as well as ensembles and festivals across the world, including as Composer In Residence at the 2024 Deal Music Festival.

     

    Flori is very grateful for the assistance she's received from Help Musicians UK, The Royal Philharmonic Society and ABRSM

  • Awards

    Selection of recent prizes and awards

    Calefax Composers Competition (2023)

    Audience Prize

    Philharmonia Composers' Academy (2023)

    Selected to work with the Philharmonia for a year, including creating a new 10-minute work

    Tredegar Town Band (2023)

    Selected to create a new work for and with Tredegar Town Band and Vale of Glamorgan Festival

    Mirari Brass Quintet Call For Scores (2022)

    1st prizewinner

    BrookWright International Brass Composition Prize (2023)

    Finalist

    Khemia Ensemble Prize (2022)

    Joint 1st prizewinner & commissioned to write for the ensemble

    Royal Philharmonic Society Prize (2022)

    Prizewinner

    Mid Wales Strings - call for scores (2022)

    Selected from call for scores to work with MWS

    Uitgast Festival Prize (2022)

    1st prizewinner

    Third Coast Percussion Currents Creative Partner (2022-23)

    Commissioned to create a new piece for/with Third Coast Percussion

    London Chamber Orchestra "LCO New" (2022)

    Selected as one of the 2022 cohort to compose a new work for the orchestra

    Flourish! Commission (2022)

    Commissioned to compose a new work for BGSO through BCMG's project for the Commonwealth Games

    Drake Music Ascendant Commission (2022)

    Commissioned to write a new work in 2022

    Black Pencil Prize (2021)

    Finalist - Honourable Mention

    International Guitar Federation (2021)

    Commissioned to write a new piece for solo guitar

    LGBTViola Competition (2021)

    First Prize Winner

    Villiers Quartet "From Home" Commissions (2021)

    Commissioned to write for the quartet

    Hypotenuse Trio Call For Scores (2020)

    Selected to be commissioned to write a new piece

    ORA Singers Emergency Composers' Fund (2020)

    Selected and commissioned to write a new piece in collaboration with Tate Modern

    Adopt A Music Creator (2020-21)

    Selected to work with Fulham Brass Band

    Psappha "Composing for..." Scheme (2020)

    Selected on the 'cello & piano scheme

    Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize (2020)

    Shortlisted Finalist

    Diversity Initiative Call for Scores (2020)

    1st Prize (Quartet) 1st Prize (Septet) Honorable Mention (Duet) Overall Grand Prize Winner

    A4 Brass Quartet Composition Competition (2020)

    Shortlisted Finalist

    Brixworth International Composition Competition (2020)

    1st Place Winner

    Women's Orchestra of Arizona Composition Prize (2020)

    1st Place Winner

    London Consorts of Winds Competition (2020)

    Shortlisted Finalist & Runner-up

    Prix Annelie de Man 2020

    Finalist

    Black Pencil Prize 2020

    Honorable Mention

    Musica Prospettiva 2019-2020 - International Call for Scores

    Finalist

    International Isolda Composition Foundation London (2019)

    Shortlisted & Finalist

    Filipino American Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition (2019)

    2nd Prize

    Piano Teachers Congress of New York (PTCNY) Commissioning Award (2018)

    Commissioning award for a new piece to be performed in Carnegie Hall (NYC) in Fall 2020

    Royal Northern Symphonia Young Composers' Competition (2018)

    Finalist & 2nd prizewinner

    ARmusic Publishing House Award (2018)

    "Khosk Im Vordum" (Words From My Mother) - a piece for solo (spoken) soprano & double-reed quartet to be published by ARMusic

    2018 AGBU Sayat Nova International Composition Competition

    3rd prize for Khosk Im Vordun (Words from My Mother) - a piece for solo (spoken) soprano & double-reed quartet

    Bromley Symphony Orchestra Centenary Prize (2018)

    Orchestra's choice prizewinner

    Vienna "Sounds of Matter" (2018)

    2nd prizewinner

  • Selection of Work

    A selection of recent and historical performances

    "Not Getting Out"

    Exciting new string quartet piece in a fabulous performance by the Villers Quartet who commissioned it as part of their "From Home" series

    "Either Everything Is Or Nothing Is"

    Exciting & dramatic duet for 'cello & piano in a fantastic performance by Ben Powell & Jen Langridge

    "Desert Spaces"

    Created for and performed by Black Pencil Ensemble at Orgelpark Amsterdam as part of the Prix Annelli De Mann

    "Transmission I"

     

    Brass sextet performed by the members of The Brass Project NYC

    "Fleeting Images"

    Wind Quintet for players of the Moonlight Symphony Orchestra

    "Badder Gyrations"

    Performed by the Royal Northern Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead

    "Nest/Mound"

    Duet for piano and percussion performed by the GBSR Duo as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Festval 2020

    "Bacchanal"

    For large orchestra - played by Bromley Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Brown

    "Kraken II"

    Live performance from The Anvil, Basingstoke, performed by Clifton Band, conducted by Ben Copeman, and narrated by Neil Streeter.

    "Breathelated Spirits"

    Quirky track from the album Jazzsteppin' - available on Bandcamp (click link to buy)

    "...and This Machine Was Their God"

    Trio for clarinet, 'cello & percussion (2018) based on the writings of Karl Marx, jazz & post-minimalism.

    "Chain Growth"

    2nd Prize winner at the 2018 "Sounds of Matter" competition in Vienna

    "Symphonia Concertante"

    Large work for 'cello & orchestra performed by Nicholas Trygstadt with the RNCMSO, conducted by Stuart Stratford.

  • Listening Links

    Listen to commercial releases through Spotify & Bandcamp

  • Buy My Music! 

    Easily downloadable high-quality PDF files, including full performance rights

  • Education 

    Royal Northern College Of Music

    BMus(hons) GRNCM PPRNCM

    Composition

    University Of Reading

    PGCE

    Secondary Music

    Birmingham City University

    Listen Imagine Compose MTL/MEL

    Masters in Education/Musical Leadership

  • Discography

    Click links to listen to & buy these recordings

    None Of Them Are Ever Coming Back

    On the compilation I hope this finds you well in these strange times – Vol. 4 on the Nonclassical label

    Your Dog

    On the compilation Feed The Hound performed by Sarah Watts & Jon Iles

    Not Getting Out

    On the compilation From Home performed by the Villiers Quartet

    Goliath:

    An opera

    On the compilation Stencils performed by Strange Trace Opera

    Harbingers of Change:

    EP

    5-track EP of original compositions from the HoC collective available on Bandcamp

    Sounds New

    20-track album of new works written for and performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Recorded by NMC and available here

  • Press/Media

    (Long) Interview in Prxludes magazine Sept 2023

    Article in 4 Bars Rest Jan 2023

    Interview with 4BarsRest Aug 2022

    Article on LCO website June 2022

    Article from Skipton Camerata Feb 2022

    Interview with Villiers Quartet Oct 2021

    Article from International Guitar Federation Jul 2021

    Feature with ORA Singers Dec 2020

    Article in 4-Bars-Rest October 2020

    Interview on Jazz South UK Sept 2020

    From "100 Days of Social Listening"

    Interview and performance of collaboration with PRISM Ensemble July 2020

    Video Interview with The Diversity Initiative Jun 2020

    Page on Help Musicians UK Jun 2020

    Article in South London Press Mar 2020

    Article on Planet Hugill Mar 2020

    Article in Diapason (French) Feb 2020

    Article in "Slipped Disc" Feb 2020

    Article in Piano Teachers Congress of New York Jan 2020

    Article in AGBU Jan 2019

    Instagram Post Dec 2019

    Review in Newbury Weekly News Dec 2018

    Article in Newbury Weekly News Dec 2018

  • Monthly Music Blog

    Premieres, Commissions, Prizes, Performances and Concerts

    May 31, 2021
    Much of May seems to have been taken up with preparing and getting ready. Preparing students for...
    February 28, 2021
    A lot of my composing time this month has been dedicated to creating the soundtrack for Robert...
    This is the third part of a blog series I'm writing about the process of creating an opera as a...
    January 26, 2021
    The first month of 2021, and we were all hoping for a new, fresh start - but instead it looks...
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