Chris Sansom

Chris Sansom studied music at King's College, London with Geoffrey Bush and Ian Bent. In the 1970s his String Quartet – subsequently broadcast by the BBC in an Arditti Quartet programme – and Sleep for 60 solo strings with keyboards, harp and percussion were given public airings by the SPNM.

His Trumpet Concerto, the middle movement of which is in memoriam Duke Ellington, was premiered in 1978 by James Watson with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band under Elgar Howarth and broadcast in 1985 with Håkan Hardenberger as soloist. He has recently completed an orchestral version of this work. The meeting with Hardenberger led to his largest work, Invisible Cities (1986/7) for trumpet, trombone and orchestra, which was written for Hardenberger and Christian Lindberg, who gave the premiere in The Hague with the Residentie Orchestra and a further broadcast performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, both times conducted by Elgar Howarth.

Other works include Music for an Imaginary Ballet (1976) for jazz/rock sextet and orchestra, Double Entendre (1985) for piano and stereophonic brass band, and Son of The Bebop Variations (1992) for trumpet, trombone and tape, performed by Håkan Hardenberger and Christian Lindberg. This has since morphed into Return of the Son of The Bebop Variations (2012) for chamber orchestra with drumkit. Work in progress includes Hall of Mirrors (movement V completed 2016, first four to follow) for chamber orchestra.

He is currently (2020) attempting to revive his Life & Times for 9-piece jazz/rock band (1974).

Biography

Chris Sansom studied music at King's College, London with Geoffrey Bush and Ian Bent. In the 1970s his String Quartet – subsequently broadcast by the BBC in an Arditti Quartet programme – and Sleep for 60 solo strings with keyboards, harp and percussion were given public airings by the SPNM.

His Trumpet Concerto, the middle movement of which is in memoriam Duke Ellington, was premiered in 1978 by James Watson with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band under Elgar Howarth and broadcast in 1985 with Håkan Hardenberger as soloist. He has recently completed an orchestral version of this work. The meeting with Hardenberger led to his largest work, Invisible Cities (1986/7) for trumpet, trombone and orchestra, which was written for Hardenberger and Christian Lindberg, who gave the premiere in The Hague with the Residentie Orchestra and a further broadcast performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, both times conducted by Elgar Howarth.

Other works include Music for an Imaginary Ballet (1976) for jazz/rock sextet and orchestra, Double Entendre (1985) for piano and stereophonic brass band, and Son of The Bebop Variations (1992) for trumpet, trombone and tape, performed by Håkan Hardenberger and Christian Lindberg. This has since morphed into Return of the Son of The Bebop Variations (2012) for chamber orchestra with drumkit. Work in progress includes Hall of Mirrors (movement V completed 2016, first four to follow) for chamber orchestra.

He is currently (2020) attempting to revive his Life & Times for 9-piece jazz/rock band (1974).

Compilations with this composer

Compilations
Andrew Sparling - New works for clarinet cover

Andrew Sparling - New works for clarinet

NMC Recordings

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External Links

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