Sophie Viney facts for kids

Sophie Viney (born 1974) is a talented English composer and arranger. A composer writes original music, while an arranger changes existing music to fit different instruments or voices. Sophie's music has been played in famous places like the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall. Her work has also been part of big events such as the Spitalfields Festival and the Brighton Festival.

In 1999, a newspaper called The Times praised her piece Music of the Spheres, saying it was "eerily conjured." This means it created a mysterious and magical feeling. Her choral work Missing God was specially requested for a program called Adopt a Composer. The London Oriana Choir performed it in 2003. Sophie has also written music for the Philharmonia Orchestra, a well-known orchestra, and for theatre groups like Watford Palace Theatre. In 2015, her piece Sonatina in 7 and 5 was played on BBC Radio 3, a national radio station, to celebrate International Women's Day. Sophie's music gets its ideas from many different things, from the songs of Masai warriors to old religious texts.

Sophie's Early Life and Training

Sophie Viney started writing music when she was only about 7 or 8 years old. As she grew up, she got really good at it. This helped her get into the Royal College of Music in London. There, she studied how to compose music with teachers like Jeremy Dale Roberts and Simon Bainbridge. While earning her music degree, she also learned to play the piano and conduct music.

After finishing her first degree, she continued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She worked with Robert Saxton and earned a Master of Music degree in composition. Sophie has won several awards for her music, including the Adrian Cruft prize. She also received a special grant from the Arts Council. This grant helped her research an opera, which is a play set to music. The idea for her opera came from a book called Through a Glass Darkly.

A Look at Sophie's Music

Sophie Viney has created many different kinds of music. Here are some of her most well-known pieces:

• A Time to Dance
• Dartmoor Theme
• Detective Theme
• Kingdom of Heaven
• Missing God
• Music of the Spheres
• Norfolk Suite (This piece has three parts)
• Sonatina in 7 & 5
• To The Seaforths

Music for Different Sounds

Sophie also creates arrangements, which means she takes existing songs and changes them for different instruments or groups.

• Ting-a-ling (Reprise)
• We Know Where They Are
• When This Bloody War is Over

Music for Plays

Sophie has written music specifically for theatre shows. This music helps tell the story and set the mood on stage.

• All's Well that Ends Well
• Monster Song (from The Wild Things show)
• Staring Magic (from The Wild Things show)
• Wild Rumpus Dance (from The Wild Things show)

Music for Movies

She has also composed music for films, which adds to the feeling and story of the movie.

• Voyage instrumental track (used by Vagabonds Cinema)