Helen Grime facts for kids

Helen Grime, born in 1981, is a talented Scottish composer. She writes contemporary classical music, which is a type of classical music created in our time. One of her pieces, called Virga, was chosen as one of the top ten new classical works from the 2000s by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Helen is married to another composer and pianist, Huw Watkins.

Early Life and Music Studies

Helen Grime grew up in a family of musicians. Her grandparents and mother were all music teachers in Scotland. Even though Helen was born in York, England, her family moved back to Scotland when she was a baby. She spent her early years in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

Learning Instruments

As a young person, Helen learned to play the oboe. Her sister, Frances, played the violin. Helen started her music studies at age 9 at the City of Edinburgh Music School. She continued her studies at St Mary's Music School when she was 17. She also played the oboe in the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. Helen began composing her own music when she was just 12 years old.

University and Advanced Training

Helen continued her formal music education at the Royal College of Music (RCM). There, she studied how to compose music with famous teachers like Julian Anderson. She also played the oboe in the RCM's orchestras. Helen earned high honors and a master's degree from the RCM in 2004. She was also a special fellow at the Royal College of Music from 2007 to 2009. In 2008, she was a Leonard Bernstein Fellow in the USA.

Career as a Composer

In January 2010, Helen Grime became a teacher of composition at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Important Compositions and Performances

Helen has written many pieces of music. One of her early works was an oboe concerto, which is a piece for oboe and orchestra. She even played the oboe herself when it was first performed! This piece won her a special award.

Other important works include:

• Virga (2007): This piece was asked for by the London Symphony Orchestra. It was later performed at The Proms in London in 2009.
• A Cold Spring (2009): This was commissioned by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. It was first performed at the Aldeburgh Festival.
• Everyone Sang (2010): The BBC asked her to write this piece for the 75th anniversary of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, a company called Chester Music began publishing her music. This means they help share her compositions with the world. In 2011, she became the associate composer for The Hallé Orchestra for three years. This was a big role where she worked closely with the orchestra.

Personal Life

Helen Grime is married to Huw Watkins, who is also a composer and pianist. He has performed some of her musical works in concerts.

In 2020, Helen was given a special award called Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award recognized her great contributions to music.

Selected Compositions

Here are some of the different types of music Helen Grime has composed:

Stage

• Doorstepping Susanna, Chamber Opera for singers and instruments (2002)

Orchestral

• Virga (2007)
• Everyone Sang (2010)
• Night Songs (2012)
• Near Midnight (2012)
• Two Eardley Pictures (2016)
• Woven Space (2017)
• Meditations on Joy (2019)

Concertante (music for a solo instrument with orchestra)

• Oboe Concerto (2003)
• Clarinet Concerto (2009)
• Violin Concerto (2016)
• Piano Concerto (2017)
• Percussion Concerto (2019)
• Trumpet Concerto, night-sky-blue (2022)

Chamber and ensemble music (music for small groups of instruments)

• 5 Miniatures (1996)
• Quintet for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2002)
• Romance for violin and piano (2003)
• Blurred Edges for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, harp and piano (2004)
• Chasing Butterflies for 100 violas (2004)
• Song for Seven Instruments (2004)
• Quartet (2004)
• Elegiac Inflections for wind ensemble (2005)
• 5 Movements for cello and piano (2005)
• YKSITOISTA for chamber ensemble (2005)
• Into the Faded Air for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos (2007)
• The Brook Sings Loud for violin, cello and piano (2008)
• Piano Trio (2008)
• A Cold Spring for chamber ensemble (2009)
• To See the Summer Sky for violin and viola (2009)
• Fantasie, Danse, Cérémonie for flute and harp (2010)
• 7 Pierrot Miniatures for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2010)
• Luna for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, percussion and piano (2011)
• Oboe Quartet (2012)
• String Quartet No 1 (2014)
• String Quartet No 2 (2021)

Piano

• The Flash of Fireflies in Folds of Darkness (2004)
• Harp of the North (2004)
• Entwined Channels for 2 pianos (2006)
• 10 Miniatures (2009)

Vocal (music for voice)

• A Vision for soprano, clarinet, violin and cello (2000)
• A Last Look for soprano and piano (2002)
• In the Mist for tenor and piano (2008)
• Nobody Comes for voice and piano (2008)

Choral (music for choir)

• Lachrymae for chorus without instruments (2005)
• Missa Brevis for choir and organ (2023)

See also

In Spanish: Helen Grime para niños