EDWARD RUSHTON - COMPOSER

Edward Rushton grew up in Cambridge and Leeds and studied at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester, King's College, Cambridge, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Zurich University of Applied Arts. His composition teachers have included Robin Holloway and James MacMillan. He has been living in Switzerland since 1998. In 2013 he received Zurich's annual stipend for composition, and in 2020 he was awarded the Conrad Ferdinand Meyer Foundation prize for his achievements in music.

His operas have been commissioned and produced by The Opera Group, Zurich Opera and Hannover State Opera, while many works for the concert hall have been commissioned for and played by such groups as the Schubert Ensemble, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Leeds Lieder, London Symphony Orchestra, Counterpoise, Harry White Trio, Gemischter Chor Zürich, Origen Festival, University of Zurich, Zürcher Sing-Akademie. His orchestral work I nearly went, there was premiered in May 2015 by the London Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding.

Rushton is also in demand as a pianist specialising in chamber music and song, an area in which he also has a special interest as a composer, having already written almost thirty song-cycles and individual works for voice and piano.


Portrait photo © Benjamin Hofer