Florence Anna Maunders
- Introduction
- About
- Awards
- Selection of Work
- Listening Links
- Store
- Education
- Discography
- Press/Media
- Gallery
- Monthly Music Blog
Welcome to my website. For more visit my YouTube channel - MaundersMusic
Florence Anna Maunders
Composer
"...energised, rough-edged juxtapositions..." - The Guardian
"...an enjoyably furious mélange..." - The Telegraph
"...a wonderful crescendo of just outright queer orchestration..." - Robert Timestra
"...super-cool rhythm – biting and progressive..." - Anna Edwards
"...mere words cannot describe the vibrant orchestration [or] the inventive choral writing..." - Fiona Bennett (on Yaldo)
About
Information about multiple-international-award-winning Florence Anna Maunders & her career
Biography
Florence Anna Maunders started to compose music when she was a teenager, and her early tape-based pieces from this time reveal an early fascination with the unusual juxtapositions of sounds and collisions of styles which have been a hallmark of her music-making ever since. This is perhaps a reflection of the music which interested and excited her from a very young age – medieval dance music, prog-rock, electronic minimalism, bebop jazz, Eastern folk music, the music of Stravinsky & Messiaen, and the grand orchestral tradition of the European concert hall. Flori started out young, as a chorister, clarinetist and saxophone player, but following an undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied with Anthony Gilbert, Adam Gorb, Simon Holt & Clark Rundell, she's enjoyed a mixed and international career as a jazz pianist, orchestral percussionist, vocalist arranger, electronic music producer and teacher. Since 2018 she's had a bit of a radical transformation of her self and her career, and returned to composition as a main artistic focus, and is currently working on a PhD as a doctoral fellow at Cardiff University.
Since returning to writing music, she's enjoyed significant successes in the UK, the USA, Europe and across the rest of the world, leading to a string of high profile awards & prizes including the Royal Philharmonic Prize. Recent highlights include commissions, collaborations and performances with internationally renowned ensembles such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion, London Chamber Orchestra, Psappha, Black Pencil Ensemble, Rarescale, Strange Trace Opera, the Villiers Quartet, Calefax Reed Quintet, Fulham Brass Band (where she is currently Composer In Residence), Wigmore Hall and Kyan Quartet as well as leading soloists and other opportunities. Florence also writes extensively for film and media, enjoying ongoing collaborations with directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Her music is wild, rhythmical and exciting, filled with "energised, rough-edged juxtapositions" - “a crescendo of outright queer orchestration” - and reveals a wide range of influences from electronic dance music, contemporary jazz, Middle Eastern traditional music, and the music of Stravinsky & Messiaen. She always aims to write music which makes the listener move - perhaps even to dance! She is currently working with London Chamber Orchestra as their new Composer in Residence, and working on a new piece for the musicians of the Philharmonia Orchestra as well as ensembles and festivals across the world, including as Composer In Residence at the 2024 Deal Music Festival.
Flori is very grateful for the assistance she's received from Help Musicians UK, The Royal Philharmonic Society and ABRSM
Awards
Selection of recent prizes and awards
Calefax Composers Competition (2023)
Audience Prize
Philharmonia Composers' Academy (2023)
Selected to work with the Philharmonia for a year, including creating a new 10-minute work
Tredegar Town Band (2023)
Selected to create a new work for and with Tredegar Town Band and Vale of Glamorgan Festival
Mirari Brass Quintet Call For Scores (2022)
1st prizewinner
BrookWright International Brass Composition Prize (2023)
Finalist
Khemia Ensemble Prize (2022)
Joint 1st prizewinner & commissioned to write for the ensemble
Royal Philharmonic Society Prize (2022)
Prizewinner
Mid Wales Strings - call for scores (2022)
Selected from call for scores to work with MWS
Uitgast Festival Prize (2022)
1st prizewinner
Third Coast Percussion Currents Creative Partner (2022-23)
Commissioned to create a new piece for/with Third Coast Percussion
London Chamber Orchestra "LCO New" (2022)
Selected as one of the 2022 cohort to compose a new work for the orchestra
Flourish! Commission (2022)
Commissioned to compose a new work for BGSO through BCMG's project for the Commonwealth Games
Drake Music Ascendant Commission (2022)
Commissioned to write a new work in 2022
Black Pencil Prize (2021)
Finalist - Honourable Mention
International Guitar Federation (2021)
Commissioned to write a new piece for solo guitar
LGBTViola Competition (2021)
First Prize Winner
Villiers Quartet "From Home" Commissions (2021)
Commissioned to write for the quartet
Hypotenuse Trio Call For Scores (2020)
Selected to be commissioned to write a new piece
ORA Singers Emergency Composers' Fund (2020)
Selected and commissioned to write a new piece in collaboration with Tate Modern
Adopt A Music Creator (2020-21)
Selected to work with Fulham Brass Band
Psappha "Composing for..." Scheme (2020)
Selected on the 'cello & piano scheme
Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize (2020)
Shortlisted Finalist
Diversity Initiative Call for Scores (2020)
1st Prize (Quartet) 1st Prize (Septet) Honorable Mention (Duet) Overall Grand Prize Winner
A4 Brass Quartet Composition Competition (2020)
Shortlisted Finalist
Brixworth International Composition Competition (2020)
1st Place Winner
Women's Orchestra of Arizona Composition Prize (2020)
1st Place Winner
London Consorts of Winds Competition (2020)
Shortlisted Finalist & Runner-up
Prix Annelie de Man 2020
Finalist
Black Pencil Prize 2020
Honorable Mention
Musica Prospettiva 2019-2020 - International Call for Scores
Finalist
International Isolda Composition Foundation London (2019)
Shortlisted & Finalist
Filipino American Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition (2019)
2nd Prize
Piano Teachers Congress of New York (PTCNY) Commissioning Award (2018)
Commissioning award for a new piece to be performed in Carnegie Hall (NYC) in Fall 2020
Royal Northern Symphonia Young Composers' Competition (2018)
Finalist & 2nd prizewinner
ARmusic Publishing House Award (2018)
"Khosk Im Vordum" (Words From My Mother) - a piece for solo (spoken) soprano & double-reed quartet to be published by ARMusic
2018 AGBU Sayat Nova International Composition Competition
3rd prize for Khosk Im Vordun (Words from My Mother) - a piece for solo (spoken) soprano & double-reed quartet
Bromley Symphony Orchestra Centenary Prize (2018)
Orchestra's choice prizewinner
Vienna "Sounds of Matter" (2018)
2nd prizewinner
Selection of Work
A selection of recent and historical performances
"Tree Songs"
4-part piece for all-wooden percussion quartet, comissioned by and performed by the amazing Grammy winning Third Coast Percussion
"Not Getting Out"
Exciting new string quartet piece in a fabulous performance by the Villers Quartet who commissioned it as part of their "From Home" series
"Either Everything Is Or Nothing Is"
Exciting & dramatic duet for 'cello & piano in a fantastic performance by Ben Powell & Jen Langridge
"Desert Spaces"
Created for and performed by Black Pencil Ensemble at Orgelpark Amsterdam as part of the Prix Annelli De Mann
"Transmission I"
Brass sextet performed by the members of The Brass Project NYC
"Fleeting Images"
Wind Quintet for players of the Moonlight Symphony Orchestra
"Badder Gyrations"
Performed by the Royal Northern Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead
"Nest/Mound"
Duet for piano and percussion performed by the GBSR Duo as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Festval 2020
"Bacchanal"
For large orchestra - played by Bromley Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Brown
"Kraken II"
Live performance from The Anvil, Basingstoke, performed by Clifton Band, conducted by Ben Copeman, and narrated by Neil Streeter.
"Breathelated Spirits"
Quirky track from the album Jazzsteppin' - available on Bandcamp (click link to buy)
"...and This Machine Was Their God"
Trio for clarinet, 'cello & percussion (2018) based on the writings of Karl Marx, jazz & post-minimalism.
"Chain Growth"
2nd Prize winner at the 2018 "Sounds of Matter" competition in Vienna
"Symphonia Concertante"
Large work for 'cello & orchestra performed by Nicholas Trygstadt with the RNCMSO, conducted by Stuart Stratford.
Listening Links
Listen to commercial releases through Spotify & Bandcamp
Buy My Music!
Easily downloadable high-quality PDF files, including full performance rights
AllOrchestralStringsWoodwindEnsembleBrass EnsembleSolosEducation
Royal Northern College Of Music
BMus(hons) GRNCM PPRNCM
Composition
University Of Reading
PGCE
Secondary Music
Birmingham City University
Listen Imagine Compose MTL/MEL
Masters in Education/Musical Leadership
Discography
Click links to listen to & buy these recordings
None Of Them Are Ever Coming Back
On the compilation I hope this finds you well in these strange times – Vol. 4 on the Nonclassical label
Your Dog
On the compilation Feed The Hound performed by Sarah Watts & Jon Iles
Not Getting Out
On the compilation From Home performed by the Villiers Quartet
Goliath:
An opera
On the compilation Stencils performed by Strange Trace Opera
Harbingers of Change:
EP
5-track EP of original compositions from the HoC collective available on Bandcamp
Sounds New
20-track album of new works written for and performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Recorded by NMC and available here
Press/Media
(Long) Interview in Prxludes magazine Sept 2023
Interview with 4BarsRest Aug 2022
Article on LCO website June 2022
Article from Skipton Camerata Feb 2022
Interview with Villiers Quartet Oct 2021
Article from International Guitar Federation Jul 2021
Feature with ORA Singers Dec 2020
Article in 4-Bars-Rest October 2020
Interview on Jazz South UK Sept 2020
From "100 Days of Social Listening"
Interview and performance of collaboration with PRISM Ensemble July 2020
Video Interview with The Diversity Initiative Jun 2020
Page on Help Musicians UK Jun 2020
Article in South London Press Mar 2020
Article on Planet Hugill Mar 2020
Article in Diapason (French) Feb 2020
Article in "Slipped Disc" Feb 2020
Article in Piano Teachers Congress of New York Jan 2020
Article in AGBU Jan 2019
Instagram Post Dec 2019
Review in Newbury Weekly News Dec 2018
Article in Newbury Weekly News Dec 2018
Gallery
Just some misc. pictures
Monthly Music Blog
Premieres, Commissions, Prizes, Performances and Concerts
May 31, 2021Much of May seems to have been taken up with preparing and getting ready. Preparing students for...February 28, 2021A lot of my composing time this month has been dedicated to creating the soundtrack for Robert...February 26, 2021This is the third part of a blog series I'm writing about the process of creating an opera as a...January 26, 2021The first month of 2021, and we were all hoping for a new, fresh start - but instead it looks...
Florence Anna Maunders © 2021