Dan Phelps
w: (website)
Biography
Dan Phelps is a composer and pianist who was born in Birmingham in 1981. He has been composing since he was nine years old and started piano lessons at the age of eleven.
After receiving a BTEC National Diploma in Popular Music from New College Telford, Shropshire, he then went on to study Music at Bath Spa University College where he received a BA (Hons) Degree. He has recently completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Composition at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and is currently working at the Wales Millennium Centre leading educational music workshops for children.
List of Work
Since Dan has been living in Cardiff he has composed music for a number of professional organisations and individuals including Rubicon Dance, India Dance Wales, Elan Wales (a theatre company) and Calon TV (an animation company) amongst others.
He has recently been involved with the Gjylaci Duo who have given a world premiere performance of his Violin and Guitar piece (Episodic Dreams) at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, as well as performing it again as part of the 'Monday Night Musicales' season organised by the Royal Northern College of Music.
Dan is also a member and an associate composer of the Cardiff New Music Collective, who specialise in performing contemporary music to new audiences and have performed at the Chapter Arts Centre, the Wales Millennium Centre, the Canton Uniting Church, Trinity College Carmarthen, the Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Conway Methodist Church in Canton . They also have more concerts planned for later this year. For more information about Cardiff New Music Collective please visit their website at www.cnmc.moonfruit.com.
Dan has also had his piece "The Empty Head" for two Clarinets and Bassoon premiered by Ensemble Cymru in June 2006. The piece was premiered in Mold, North Wales and was then played throughout Wales in a six date tour. He has also had his Piano and Cello piece (Minimum Vs Maximum) premiered in a concert organised by the Composers of Wales, which the composer is a member of, as part of the Bangor Music festival in March 2006. For more information about the Composers of Wales, please visit their website at www.cc-cw.org
Most recently Dan has had his Viola and Piano piece (Twisted Fairground) Premiered by Philp Hayman (of Welsh National Opera) and Zoe Smith at the Wales Millennium Centre in June 2006
Samples
1) Atmospheres (violin, cello and piano)
2) Not Close Enough (flute/piccolo, clarinets, viola, guitar and piano)
3) Rollercoaster (2nd movement from 'Twisted Fairground') (viola and piano)
Contact
a: 34 Cae'r Gerddi, Church Village, Pontypridd, CF38 1UQ
t: 01443 203256, 07974 635502
e: dan_phelps81@yahoo.co.uk
