Grayston (Bill) Ives
6 Questions for the Composer
Grayston (Bill) Ives has devoted himself entirely to choral music. Several of his works have been published by Carus, most recently the Christmas composition ‘Three Points of Light’.
What was your first composition:
A piano piece called Le Diablo (a strange title for a 9-year-old…)!
Which other composers inspire you?
Stravinsky, Britten, Ravel, Shostakovitch.
Your most emotional musical experience to date?
On 25 October 2024 hearing the Berlin Philharmonic (at the Philharmonie) under Daniel Barenboim playing Brahms Symphony No 4.
Where do you prefer to compose?
First at my desk, then at the piano (“fingers are great inspirers” – Stravinsky).
What are you working on at the moment?
Setting a Latin text for Merton College Choir, Oxford.
When you’re not composing or making music, then …
… going to the cinema, watching my football team, having lunch at a good restaurant.
Three Points of Light
Grayston (Bill) Ives
Carus 7.460/00
Requiem
Grayston (Bill) Ives
Carus 27.325/00
Grayston (Bill) Ives has dedicated his life to choral music as a singer, conductor, teacher, and composer. A former chorister at Ely Cathedral, he studied music at Cambridge under Richard Rodney Bennett.After singing in Guildford Cathedral Choir, he toured globally with the King’s Singers. For 18 years, he directed the Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, leading them to a Grammy nomination and premiering Paul McCartney’s Ecce Cor Meum. Known for his compositions and arrangements, his works are performed widely. In 2008, he received a Lambeth DMus and a Fellowship from the Royal School of Church Music.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!