Deborah Pritchard is a British composer broadcast by BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and released by NMC, Signum and Nimbus. In 2016 she will receive world premieres from François-Xavier Roth and London Symphony Orchestra (Panufnik Scheme), the London Sinfonietta, Ben Gernon and the Manchester Camerata with trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth, Martyn Brabbins and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with trumpet soloist Simon Desbruslais and she will take up her position as composer in residence at the Lichfield Festival. Previous performances have been given by the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Singers, Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Allegri String Quartet, English String Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, Composers Ensemble and the Oxford Philomusica. She was awarded an entrance scholarship to study composition with Simon Bainbridge for her MMus Degree at the Royal Academy of Music, subsequently holding the post of Junior Manson Fellow, and was awarded her DPhil from Worcester College, Oxford where she studied with Robert Saxton.

Deborah is a synaesthetic composer who has worked with numerous contemporary visual artists. Described as a work that ‘takes one’s breath away’ by Gramophone, her violin concerto ‘Wall of Water’ is one of two recent works written after paintings by artist and sculptor Maggi Hambling. It was premiered by violin soloist Harriet Mackenzie and the English String Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods at LSO St Luke’s in October 2014 and was subsequently performed at the National Gallery in January 2015. She was awarded a residency at the Leighton Artists’ Colony, Banff Centre to write the concerto and received support from the Arts Council England and the Britten-Pears Foundation. The second piece after Hambling’s work is ‘Wave Returning’ for chamber ensemble, commissioned by the London Sinfonietta and premiered by Pierre-André Valade and the London Sinfonietta Academy at LSO Luke’s in July 2015. Other recent premieres include ‘From Night’ for solo cello, after the poem by Henry Vaughan, commissioned by the Park Lane Group and performed by Ariana Kashefi at the Purcell Room in January 2015; ‘From An Opaque Space’ for solo viola and film element, commissioned by the London Sinfonietta and premiered by Zoe Matthews at the BFI, Southbank in December 2014 and ‘Skyspace’ for solo piccolo trumpet and string orchestra, after the light art of James Turrell, premiered by trumpet soloist Simon Desbruslais and the Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by Kenneth Woods in June 2012.

Choral works includes ‘Benedicite’ for SSAATTBB and trumpet premiered by Simon Desbruslais and the Worcester College Chapel Choir, conducted by Nicholas Freestone at St John’s Smith Square in May 2014 to celebrate the Tercentenary of Worcester College; ‘I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes Unto The Hills’ premiered by William Whitehead and the Choir of Lincoln’s Inn in April 2014, subsequently performed by Steven Grahl and the choir of St Marylebone Church at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music; ‘Lord’s Prayer’ for SATB premiered by Stephen Darlington and the Christ Church Cathedral Choir in 2009 (as winner of the Orlando Prize) and more recently ‘The Adoration of the Kings’, after the painting by Paolo Veronese, commissioned by David Todd and the Arts Choir, premiered at the Genesis Sixteen Sounds Sublime Festival at the National Gallery in July 2015.

Deborah is currently composition tutor at the University of Oxford with research interests that include colour and music, composer-performer collaboration and Olivier Messiaen. She is also a double bassist and has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra (string scheme) and at the BBC Proms.