Janet Wheeler facts for kids

Janet Wheeler (born in 1957) is a talented British composer and choral conductor. She lives in Saffron Walden, a town in Essex, England. She writes music, especially for choirs, and also leads groups of singers.

Janet Wheeler's Early Life and Education

Janet loved music from a young age. When she was just 10 years old, she became a junior exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This meant she was a very promising young musician who received special training there. Later, she studied music at Newnham College, Cambridge University. After finishing college, Janet taught music in high schools. She then worked for BBC Schools radio, helping create music programs for younger students. Eventually, she decided to focus entirely on conducting and writing her own music.

Janet Wheeler: A Talented Composer

Janet Wheeler is well-known for writing beautiful music, especially for choirs. Many famous groups have sung her pieces. These include I Fagiolini, the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, and the choir of Gloucester Cathedral. Her music has also been performed at big events like the Three Choirs Festival.

Special Music Commissions

In 2018, Janet was asked to write a special piece called The Cries of Music. This was for a competition in London for choral conductors. The words for this piece were written by a Welsh poet named Euan Tait.

Her old college, Newnham College, Cambridge, also asked her to write a song. This piece, Better is Wisdom than Weapons of War, was inspired by a famous saying from the college's history. It was written for a special anniversary in 2018.

In 2019, Janet was one of six British composers asked to write a new piece for the Sonoro Choir. Her song, Beati quorum via, was inspired by an older piece of music with the same name by Charles Villiers Stanford.

Where to Find Her Music

Janet publishes many of her own compositions under the name MazeMusic. Some of her lighter songs are published by Hal Leonard de Haske. Her piece We Sing to God, the Spring of Mirth was published by Novello. Another song, Alleluia, I heard a voice, can be found in a collection of sacred music by women composers.

Janet Wheeler: A Choral Conductor

Besides composing, Janet is also a skilled conductor. A conductor is the person who leads a choir or orchestra, helping them sing or play together perfectly. In 2007, Janet started her own chamber choir called Granta Chorale. Since 2010, she has also led SignuptoSing, which is the Saffron Walden Youth Choir. She also conducts the Chamber Choir at Saffron Walden County High School.

Janet Wheeler's Awards and Recognition

Janet has won several awards for her compositions:

• In 2016, she won the Friends of Cathedral Music Diamond Jubilee Introit competition for her piece We Sing to God, the Spring of Mirth.
• In 2017, she won the Hendrix Candlelight Carol Competition for her song Behold, I Come.
• Also in 2017, she won the Leith Hill Musical Festival Composition Competition for her piece Seventy Three.