Eleanor Alberga facts for kids
Eleanor Alberga (born on September 30, 1949) is a talented Jamaican composer who creates modern classical music. She lives and works in the United Kingdom. She has written many pieces, including two concertos for violin, a trumpet concerto, and a symphony. She was also awarded the OBE for her contributions to music.
Her Journey in Music
Eleanor Alberga was born in Kingston, Jamaica. When she was just five years old, she decided she wanted to be a concert pianist. She started writing her own short musical pieces. While still in school, she played the guitar with the Jamaican Folk Singers.
In 1970, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to study music at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After finishing her studies, she performed as a concert pianist for many years. In 2001, she decided to focus completely on composing music. She stopped performing to spend all her time writing new pieces.
Eleanor Alberga also works as a guest lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music. She used to be a pianist and music director for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. Her music has been played by famous orchestras like the Royal Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. Her compositions have been heard in many countries, including Australia, South America, Canada, Europe, and China.
In 1992, she married the violinist Thomas Bowes. They live in Herefordshire and perform together as a duo called Double Exposure. Thomas Bowes was the first person to play both of her Violin Concertos. In 2021, Eleanor Alberga received the OBE award for her amazing work in music.
Her Musical Style
As a composer, Eleanor Alberga often uses traditional musical sounds, called tonal harmony. She also likes to use repeated rhythms in her music. Some of her piano pieces, like Jamaican Medley (1983) and Hill and Gully Ride (1990), show her Jamaican background. They use bright sounds and interesting rhythms. Her piece Nightscape: the Horniman Serenade (1983) even has parts that sound like jazz.
Eleanor Alberga has been asked to write music for many important projects. One famous piece is Roald Dahl's 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1994). This was created for the Roald Dahl Foundation. It has been performed in many schools. Later, famous actors like Danny DeVito and Joanna Lumley narrated a recording of it.
She also wrote an opera called Letters of a Love Betrayed (2009). An opera is a play where most of the words are sung. This opera was based on a story by Isabel Allende. It was first performed at the Royal Opera House in London. Another important work is Arise, Athena! (2015). This choral piece, which means it's for a choir, was chosen to open the final night of the famous BBC Proms concert series.
Recent Works and Performances
Eleanor Alberga continues to be very active in the music world. In 2021-2022, her String Quartet No 2 was performed by the Villiers Quartet.
Her Trumpet Concerto, which is inspired by Caribbean and Latin American folk stories, was written for the London Schools Symphony Orchestra. It was first played by them in London in September 2021. Recordings of her two Violin Concertos and The Soul's Expression were released in 2022. Her first Symphony, called Strata, was first performed in Bristol in March 2022.
Most recently, her Piano Concerto had its first performance in Liverpool in April 2024. A new CD called Strata was also released in May 2024. This CD features her Symphony No 1 and other orchestral pieces.
See also
In Spanish: Eleanor Alberga para niños
