Publishing Deal for RNCM Tutor

Their friendship dates back to their Cambridge student days, but it wasn’t until 2004 that writer Garth Bardsley and composer Ben Parry decided to collaborate. Now, almost eight years later, they are published by Peters Edition, and Garth, an RNCM Tutor in Stagecraft and Diction, couldn’t be happier.

‘Ben and I met at Cambridge and performed together many times, but it wasn’t until 2004 that we began to collaborate,’ he admits. ‘We have a number of works in our catalogue, including a half-written musical which premièred in America in 2008, and several commissions on the go so it’s very busy for us, but hearing that Peters Edition were happy to publish our work was wonderful news.’

Garth, former Director of Opera at Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and Ben, Principal of the Junior Academy of Music in London, are currently working on a chamber opera, a number of songs for the Changing Voices series, and a song cycle entitled Six Songs for Girls of a Certain Age, to be published before Christmas. Their choral piece Three Angels is also set to be featured in the Peters Edition Christmas Concert which takes place at St Bart’s, London, on 6 December, and will be recorded by the BBC Singers during the same month.

Garth, who also wrote Stop the World: The Biography of Anthony Newley, says: ‘Most of what we write is choral music, both sacred and secular. I write the words first and Ben sets them to music. Although I’ve studied music most of my life I don’t have an original note in my head, which is why I’m always so amazed at what Ben produces. He has worked as an arranger for a long time and is now working to establish himself as an original composer. It’s thrilling to see what he comes up with and I think we complement each other well.’