BIOGRAPHY

DAVID M STOLL MA (Oxon) ARAM FRSA

David Stoll is a well-known composer of music for the concert hall, the theatre and for television and radio. He also writes for school ensembles and works in schools on creative music projects.

David was educated at Oxford University , and at the Royal Academy of Music, London . Before embarking on a freelance career as a composer, David spent several years in Theatre-in-Education and achieved fully qualified teacher status.

A former Chairman of the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters, and a former Director of British Music Rights, David is still a Director of BASCA and of Academy Recordings and a Trustee of the BASCA Foundation; he currently chairs the BASCA Classical & Jazz Executive Committee.  He is also on the Board of the European Composers' Forum and chairs the Composers in Education Database working group. He has designed and directed two Government funded projects: IN TUNE IN EUROPE and BUILDING MUSIC.   In 2002 the Royal Academy of Music honoured David with election to an Associateship for "distinction in (his) profession".

MUSIC

David's music for radio and television is regularly heard throughout the world. He has written the signature tunes and scores for several documentaries, dramas and general interest programmes and he regularly writes production music, orchestral, chamber and electronic.

David has written extensively for children, including the music and lyrics for songs for BBC Radio and Television and several specialist publishers.  He has also been commissioned to write to write for amateur and school ensembles, and pieces for the ABRSM series of Music Medals materials.  Current projects include new musical for children and a new song collection called EVERYDAYSONGS.

David co-wrote the music for the musical TELLER OF TALES. His opera FALSE RELATIONS was commissioned for the UK Year of Opera and Musical Theatre. He writes regularly for the theatre. Credits include the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of AS YOU LIKE IT and the Stratford-upon-Avon production of HENRY VIII in the year of complete works.  His latest stage work is the new musical GULLIVER.

David's concert music spans orchestral, choral and vocal pieces as well as several chamber pieces.  Works include a CELLO CONCERTO, MIDWINTER SPRING, SONNET (commissioned by the Orchestra-of-the-Swan for the Shakespeare Birthday Concert in Stratford-upon-Avon), and four STRING QUARTETS (the most recent commissioned with funds from the Performing Right Society Foundation, the RVW Trust and the Britten-Pears Foundation).

Available CDs of Stoll's music include CHAMBER MUSIC, THE SHAKESPEARE SUITE and the first two STRING QUARTETS. The third String Quartet, FOOLS BY HEAVENLY COMPULSION, played by the Bingham String Quartet, has now been released on an Academy Recordings download CD.

Examples of David's music may be heard on the MUSIC page.

David accepts private commissions for music for special occasions; please see the COMMISSIONS PAGE.  For more details on David's work as a composer, please visit Impulse Music

EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING WORK

David Stoll regularly visits schools as a consultant in Musical Creativity, running workshops in inner-London and elsewhere. A founding signatory to the Music Manifesto, he was a member of the Schools Minister's seminar group on music education, and was the team leader of the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters Trust Project, funded by the DfES, which explored some different aspects of the ways composers might lead projects in primary schools. The DfES subsequently commissioned David to write the book 'BUILDING MUSIC - Teaching Composing at Key Stage 2'. This publication is available through the DfES website.  David's second book - KEY STAGE 2 COMPOSING - was published in 2006 by First and Best in Education; a pdf edition is available from this site.  Written particularly for the non-specialist teacher, it includes a background explanation of David's method of teaching composing, as well as lesson plans and step-by-step guides to running creative music projects; the book has full teachers' notes and photo-copiable worksheets.

David was consultant to the series of programmes on primary school composing for Teachers' Television.  He writes articles on music and musical matters for various journals, and frequently lectures and gives master classes.  He delivers INSET training to teachers for several Local Authorities around the country, and supports teachers, from Newly Qualified to Advanced Skilled, in the delivery of workshop projects.

David is now also being asked to design workshops and seminars on creative thinking, problem solving and team dynamics.  The sessions are based on listening, music and composing and are specifically targeted at the client's needs.

For more about David's educational work, please see the SCHOOLS, SEALSONGS and CORPORATE pages.