Judith Bailey (composer) facts for kids

Judith Margaret Bailey (born July 18, 1941 – died March 16, 2025) was a talented musician from Cornwall, England. She was known as a clarinettist, a composer, and a conductor. A clarinettist plays the clarinet, a composer writes music, and a conductor leads an orchestra.

Judith Bailey was born in Camborne, a town in Cornwall. She studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1959 to 1963. This is a very famous music school.

A Life in Music

Early Career and Conducting

After her studies, Judith Bailey began working as a composer and conductor in 1971. She led several orchestras for many years. She was the conductor for the Southampton Concert Orchestra. She also conducted the Petersfield Orchestra for almost 30 years. She took over this role in 1972.

Returning to Cornwall

Around 2001, Judith Bailey moved back to her home county of Cornwall. There, she continued to share her musical talents. She conducted the Cornwall Chamber Orchestra. She also led the Penzance Orchestral Society. She dedicated much of her life to music.

Honored for Her Work

Judith Bailey was a proud Cornish composer. In 2001, she received a special honor. She was named an "Associate of the Royal Academy of Music." This award recognized her outstanding achievements in music.

In 2005, she was honored again as a "Bard of the Gorsedh Kernow." A Bard is someone recognized for their contributions to Cornish culture, especially in arts and language. This award celebrated her important work in music in Cornwall.

She was also a member of several important music groups. These included the Composers' Guild of Great Britain and the Cornish Music Guild. She also helped manage the Cornwall Music Service Trust. Judith Bailey passed away on March 16, 2025, in Cornwall after a short illness.

Her Musical Creations

Judith Bailey wrote many different types of musical pieces. Here are some of her selected works:

• Trencrom, a symphonic poem, written in 1978. A symphonic poem is a piece of orchestral music that tells a story or describes a scene.
• Symphony, written in 1981. A symphony is a long musical piece for an orchestra.
• Symphony, written in 1982.
• Seascape, for women's chorus, woodwind trio and orchestra, written in 1985.
• Penwith, an overture, written in 1986. An overture is a piece of music played at the beginning of an opera or play.
• Fiesta for orchestra, written in 1988.
• Concerto for clarinet and strings, written in 1988. A concerto is a musical piece for a solo instrument (like a clarinet) and an orchestra.
• Havas for orchestra, written in 1991.
• Joplinesque for wind band. A wind band uses instruments like flutes, clarinets, and trumpets.
• Festive Concert Piece for wind band.
• A widow bird (in Three Settings of Poems by Shelley). This piece uses words from a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
• Music (in Three Settings of Poems by Shelley).
• Neap-Tide. This piece uses words from a poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne.
• To the moon (in Three Settings of Poems by Shelley).