Diana Burrell facts for kids

Diana Elizabeth Jane Burrell (born 25 October 1948) is an English composer and viola player. This means she writes music and also plays a musical instrument called the viola, which is similar to a violin but a bit bigger.

About Diana Burrell

Early Life and Music Journey

Diana Burrell was born on October 25, 1948, in Norwich, England. Her dad was a schoolteacher and also played the organ at Norwich Cathedral. Diana went to Norwich High School for Girls and then studied music at Girton College, Cambridge.

She started her career playing the viola. But soon, people noticed her amazing skills in writing music. She became a full-time composer, focusing on creating new pieces. One of her first big pieces was for the St Endellion Music Festival in 1980. She used to play the viola there. The festival organizer, Richard Hickox, encouraged her to write something. The result was Missa Sancte Endeliente. This was a large piece of music for a choir, using both Cornish and Latin words.

Her Amazing Compositions

Diana has written many different kinds of music. Her first major piece for a full orchestra was called Landscape (1988). It tries to describe the feeling of wild, windy countryside through music. This piece even won an award!

Another famous orchestral work is Das Meer, das so groß und weit ist, da wimmelt's ohne Zahl, große und kleine Tiere. This long German title means "The Sea is so big and wide and swarming with numerous little animals." It's a piece that tries to capture the sounds and feeling of the ocean.

Diana has also written special pieces called concertos for instruments like the viola, flute, and clarinet. She even wrote an opera called The Albatross (1997). An opera is like a play where all the words are sung. She has also created many choral works, which are pieces for choirs, and chamber music, which is for small groups of instruments.

Interestingly, Diana likes modern architecture (the design of buildings). Sometimes, her music shows this interest in how it's put together. She also cares about young musicians. She has written music especially for young people, like Lights and Shadows (1989). This piece includes a children's choir, a recorder group, and lots of percussion instruments.

Teaching and Leadership

Besides composing, Diana also teaches music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2006, she became the Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London. This means she helps decide what music is performed at this important festival. She also received a special award from the Royal Academy of Music to help her compose a series of organ works over five years. Today, she lives in Harwich, Essex.