Tansy Davies facts for kids

Tansy Davies (born 29 May 1973) is an English composer. She creates modern classical music. In 1996, she won the BBC Young Composers' Competition. Her music has been played by famous groups. These include the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, she won an Ivor Novello Award. This award was for her amazing collection of musical works. In 2019, she was named one of the UK's most important people. This was by the Evening Standard newspaper.

Becoming a Composer

Tansy Davies grew up in Bristol. She first loved singing and playing guitar in a rock band. As a teenager, she became interested in writing her own music. She studied music at the Colchester Institute. Later, she continued her studies in London. She learned from famous teachers like Simon Bainbridge.

Tansy has also taught music herself. She was a Composer-in-Residence at Royal Holloway, University of London. There, she earned a special degree called a PhD. Today, she teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Before becoming a full-time composer, she played the French horn. She was also part of a music group called the Moon Velvet Collective.

Her Music and Style

Tansy Davies' music is very unique. It mixes sounds from many different styles. These include modern classical music and funk. She also uses ideas from experimental rock and disco. Her music can sound 'urban' or 'stealthy'. It might also be 'solid' and 'grinding'.

She gets ideas from many places. For example, the buildings of architect Zaha Hadid inspired her trumpet piece Spiral House. She has also worked with video artist Zara Matthews. A newspaper called The Independent said her music has "compulsive rhythms." It also has "fragmented melody." This means the tunes are broken up. Her music often has a "deep, unsettling sense of darkness."

Tansy once said her music is "built up layer by layer." She compared it to funk music. Funk is very tight and precise. But Tansy likes to make her music "very baggy." She wants to keep listeners guessing. She might suggest a beat, then show the real beat is somewhere else.

Important Musical Works

Tansy Davies has been asked to write music for many groups. These requests are called commissions. She won an award in 1996 for young composers. Here are some of her well-known works:

• Iris (2004) – written for the Cheltenham Festival.
• Tilting (2005) – for the London Symphony Orchestra.
• Spine (2005) – for the Aldeburgh Festival.
• Christmas hath a darkness (2011) – for a special Christmas concert in Cambridge.
• "Between Worlds" (2015) – an opera for The English National Opera.

In 2007, a piece called Falling Angel was first played. It was for a large group of musicians. Her first piece for The Proms was Wild Card. This orchestral work was first played in 2010.

Operas by Tansy Davies

Tansy Davies has written two operas. An opera is a play where most of the words are sung.

Her first opera is called Between Worlds. It is about the September 11 attacks in the USA. Tansy said it was a difficult topic. But she felt it was important to tell the story. The opera shows the event from different viewpoints. It includes people trapped in a building. It also shows people on the ground in New York City. There is even a cosmic view. A shaman character helps connect messages across time. Tansy believes music can show strong feelings. It can express things that words cannot.

Her second opera is Cave. It was performed in 2018. It was staged in an old industrial building. This opera uses electronic sounds. It also has a small group of musicians and only two singers.

Other Compositions

Here are some more of Tansy Davies' compositions:

• The Void in This Colour (2001) – for 13 musicians.
• neon (2004) – for 7 musicians.
• grind show (electric) (2007) – for 5 musicians with electronics.
• Wild Card (2010) – for a full orchestra.
• Nature (2012) – a concerto for piano and 10 musicians.
• Re-greening (2015) – for a large singing orchestra.

Recordings

You can listen to Tansy Davies' music on CDs. She has three CDs that feature only her work. These are Troubairitz (2011), Spine (2012), and Nature (2021). Her music also appears on other collections.