John Barber
Collaborating Composer
John is a composer from Bristol with a passion for drama, collaboration and voices. He studied with Sir Harrison Birtwistle and has gone on to compose for some of the country’s leading arts institutions and ensembles including the Royal Opera House, Shakespeare’s Globe, Spitalfields Music and The Sixteen. His adventures with Aurora have taken him from Brazil – where he worked with young musicians in São Paulo together with Aurora players – to the Albert Hall, where his large-scale oratorio, Seven Seeds, was performed last year.
Aurora Memory
My favourite Aurora memory is of making new instrumental music with Aurora players and young Brazilian musicians in the middle of São Paolo inspired by Bartok. The heat was blazing, traffic noises screamed through the window, I had learn to speak really slowly so my requests could be simultaneously translated into Portugese… it was an intense, amazing and unforgettable experience.
Website: http://www.johnbarbermusic.com