Dr Larry Goves appointed Head of Composition

We’re delighted to announce Dr Larry Goves as our new Head of Composition, replacing Professor Adam Gorb who retires this summer after 23 years in post. 

Currently RNCM Head of Practice Research and Deputy Head of Composition, Larry is an award-winning contemporary composer and installation artist whose works have been performed by orchestras, ensembles and musicians worldwide.

Larry Goves
 
He is also an experienced curator, having co-curated Manchester’s New Music North West festival and the RNCM’s experimental Decontamination concert series, and is the founder and director of the innovative House of Bedlam ensemble.   

Larry, who studied at the RNCM with Anthony Gilbert, said: ‘I am extremely happy to be taking on this new role at the RNCM, which has been my professional and musical home for over twenty years. Despite well-documented challenges across the sector, it is an exciting time for new music at the RNCM where there is real appetite for diverse approaches to composition. I’ve seen the School of Composition expand and flourish under Professor Adam Gorb, and I can’t wait to build on this incredible legacy.’ 

Professor Linda Merrick, Principal, added: ‘After a rigorous and competitive interview process, I am thrilled that Larry has agreed to be our next Head of Composition. His impressive achievements, as composer, educator and researcher, are inspirational to aspiring young composers throughout the world, and I am very excited indeed to see what he will achieve in the years to come.   

‘I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Adam Gorb personally for his significant contribution to the work of the RNCM over the past 23 years. The unparalleled success being enjoyed by our alumni across the music industry is testament to his leadership. I know that everyone at the RNCM will join me in wishing him well as he steps aside from his full-time position.’ 

The RNCM’s School of Composition boasts a formidable legacy, with the Manchester School of Composition – including major figures such as Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr and John McCabe – having reshaped the landscape of British music in the late 20th century. Many of the leading composers in the music profession today are continuing in their footsteps, pushing the boundaries as they create innovative new music across a wide range of genres and media home and overseas. 

With the support of an internationally-renowned team of staff, Larry now has responsibility for leading the School of Composition into its next chapter, building on the RNCM’s vision to define the future of music.   

To learn more about composition at the RNCM, click here

2 May 2023