- Born
- Died
- Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is one of the leading composers of his generation. After early study at Manchester University, he pursued additional compositional study with Goffredo Petrassi in Rome and as a Harkness Fellow at Princeton University under Roger Sessions and Earl Kim. He has written hundreds of works in nearly every form which have and continue to be performed around the world. He was, for many years, the artistic director of "The Fires of London", a virtuoso chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of musical theatre works. His best known composition ("Eight Songs for a Mad King" (1969)) was written for this ensemble. He began writing orchestral music extensively in the late 1970's and the 1980's and 1990's have produced a huge number of orchestral compositions: including 8 symphonies, concerti, cantatas, and many other shorter orchestral works. He has received countless honors for his work including a knighthood. His work in film consists of two film scores for director Ken Russell.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Carson P. Cooman <carson@carsoncooman.com>
- He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1981 Queen's Honours List for his services to music.
- He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1987 Queen's Honours List for his services to music.
- He was awarded the C.H. (Member of the Order of the Companion of Honour) in the 2014 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to music. He is a composer and conductor in London, England.
- On director Ken Russell: "People say he's got bad taste. Well, thank God for that!"
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content