Gavin Higgins: The Open Fund for Music Creators
Described as ‘boldly imaginative’ [The Times] and ‘a talent to watch’ [New York Times], Gavin Higgins is one of the most exciting and gifted compositional talents of his generation. Higgins has worked with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Manchester Camerata, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. His trombone concerto, commissioned by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, won an Ivor Novello Award in 2019.
In 2019 his first opera, The Monstrous Child, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, opened to critical acclaim, being described as ‘a triumph’ [the Guardian ★★★★] and ‘a spectacular new opera’ [Culture Whisper ★★★★].
In 2020 Higgins was appointed Composer-in-Association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
The Faery Bride is a cantata for singers and orchestra inspired by the Welsh myth of Lyn y Fn Fach set to words by Francesca Simon: a tale about relationships, compromise and faeries that live at the bottom of lakes. A man falls in love with a faery; she will marry him as long as he promises to not strike her three heart blows. Cultural differences and a gossiping suspicious community (‘She runs bare foot. Her hair is damp. Her songs are strange.’) conspire to complicate their marriage.