Freya Waley-Cohen facts for kids

Freya Waley-Cohen (born February 20, 1989) is a talented British-American composer. She creates music and lives in London, England.

About Freya's Life

Freya Waley-Cohen grew up in a family that loved art. Her mother, Josie Spencer, is an American sculptor. Her father, Stephen Waley-Cohen, is an English theatre manager and producer. Freya's sister, Tamsin Waley-Cohen, is a violinist.

Freya started playing the violin when she was only three years old. At age 11, she joined a special course to learn how to compose music. This course was at The Walden School in New Hampshire.

Later, Freya studied music at Cambridge University. She learned from a teacher named Giles Swayne. After that, she continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music. There, her teachers included Simon Bainbridge and Oliver Knussen. In 2016, she was chosen as a Composition Fellow at the Tanglewood Festival. This is a special program for young composers.

Freya's Music and Compositions

Freya Waley-Cohen has written many different kinds of music. A "composition" is a piece of music that a composer creates.

Early Works and Special Places

One of her early pieces was Dark Hour. This was a piano quintet with a clarinet. It was played in May 2013 at the Sage Gateshead.

Another piece, Linea, was written for a choir. It was meant to be performed inside a glass house. This was the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens. It was like a concert and an art display at the same time. The vocal group Reverie performed it there in October 2014.

Similarly, Permutations (2017) was made for a specific place. It used six recorded violins. This piece was played inside a special building at the Aldeburgh Festival. Architectural designers helped create this building. The sounds from the six violins were played all around the space.

Important Premieres and Inspirations

Freya's song cycle Happiness was for a soprano singer and an orchestra. This was the last piece she worked on with her teacher, Oliver Knussen. He passed away in July 2018. Happiness was first performed on October 19, 2018. The London Symphony Orchestra played it with soloist Lauren Fagan.

Her piece Ink was for a large group of musicians. The Philharmonia Orchestra recorded it. This music was inspired by a book of poems called Bottled Air. The poet, Caleb Klaces, also wrote the words for Freya's piece Linea.

Changeling is a 10-minute piece for a smaller orchestra. The Los Angeles Philharmonic asked her to write it. It was first performed on June 1, 2019. The LA Phil New Music Group played it at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The famous conductor John Adams led the performance.

BBC Proms and Ongoing Projects

Freya made her BBC Proms debut in September 2019. Her octet Naiad was performed at Cadogan Hall. The Knussen Chamber Orchestra played it, led by Ryan Wigglesworth.

Conjure is a string trio. The Wigmore Hall asked her to write it. The Albion Quartet first performed it there on November 2, 2019.

Spell Book is a piece for soloists and a chamber orchestra. It uses poems from Rebecca Tamás's book WITCH. The Britten Sinfonia asked Freya to write it. It was first performed on January 21, 2020, in Cambridge. Spell Book (Volume 2) was first played on March 1, 2020. The full Spell Book cycle, with eight songs, was performed completely on February 1, 2024. Spell Book has been recorded, along with Conjure, Naiad, and Talisman.

In March 2022, Freya's opera WITCH had its first performance. This opera also uses poems by Rebecca Tamás. It was part of the Royal Academy of Music's 200th anniversary. Freya was a composer in residence with the London Chamber Orchestra for the 2021-22 season. During this time, her works like Saffron and Happiness were performed. She also wrote a new piece for them called Pocket Cosmos.

Recent Orchestral Works

Freya has written more music for full orchestras. Demon (2023) was asked for by two orchestras. These were the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. It was first played on February 22, 2023, in Birmingham. Ilan Volkov conducted it.

Her 25-minute orchestral work Mother Tongue was asked for by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was first performed in November 2024. Edward Gardner conducted this piece.

List of Freya's Compositions

Here is a list of some of the musical pieces Freya Waley-Cohen has composed: