John CROFT

John Croft

John Croft (b. 1971) studied philosophy and music at the Victoria University of Wellington, and composition and music cognition at the University of Sheffield. He has a PhD from the University of Manchester, where he studied with John Casken. He is currently Senior Lecturer at Brunel University, West London. His music draws on the spectral properties of sounds as the basis for harmonic and temporal structures, and recent work focusses on the use of live electronics in ways that extend rather than obscure the bodily relationship between performer and instrument; examples include la terra lagrimosa...una luce vermiglia (2006), for cello and live electronics, ...ne l'aura che trema (2007) for alto flute and live electronics and mit schwarzem Glanz for viola and live electronics (2010). His music has been played by many ensembles and soloists, including the BBC Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, the Arditti String Quartet, Ensemble Exposé, Studiya Novoi Muzyki, 175 East, Stroma, Philip Thomas, Matthew Barley, Richard Craig, Barbara Lüneburg, and Xenia Pestova. He received First Prize in the 2001 Jurgenson International Composers' Competition for his String Quartet and the the 2011 ICMA European Regional Award for ...ne l'aura che trema. He is currently working on an opera-monodrama for singer Lore Lixenberg, entitled Malédictions d'une furie. He also teaches and writes on the philosophy of music.

'...beautifully focused and concentrated, yet mysteriously suggestive.'
Ivan Hewitt, The Telegraph

'...an enchanting tapestry [which] created an ethereal imprint of Monteverdi like an indentation on a pillow.'
Paul Conway, The Independent

'...a superminimalist and a gourmet of chamber writing.'
Tamara Grum-Grzhimailo, Literaturnaya Gazeta, Moscow