James Batty is a composer, pianist and harpsichordist based in London. He is currently an LSO Soundhub Associate.

Even before he first discovered the piano at the age of eight, James was fascinated by sound and music, and has been improvising, composing and performing ever since. He studied composition and piano at Chetham's School of Music, and it was there that he began to develop his unique musical language, which won him a place in the final of the BBC Young Composer competition. James went on to hone his technique at Trinity College, Cambridge, the Gnesin Academy in Moscow and the Royal Academy of Music. He has written for a wide range of musicians and ensembles, including Zoë Martlew, Mark Simpson, Huw Watkins, Cheng Yu (with Psappha) the BBC Singers, Carice Singers, Noxwode, CHROMA Ensemble, E-MEX Ensemble, Opera North Youth Chorus, National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Riot Ensemble. His music has been performed in Belgium, Italy, Poland, Russia and Sweden as well as around the UK. James’s work has appeared at the Spitalfields, Cheltenham, Norfolk & Norwich and Davos Festivals, as well as on BBC Radio 3, SWR2 and Rai Radio 3. His recent ballet collaboration with choreographer Cameron McMillan was performed by a dance company from the Central School of Ballet in 2023.

James is fascinated by deep history and its relevance our lives and challenges in the 21st century, and his work reflects this. His music also explores a passionate interest in language and the human voice, and in sound-worlds beyond standard Western tonality.

His songwriting work has been synced on BBC 2 and as a film composer, James has written the scores for several short films and documentaries, one of which was screened at BAFTA. His collaboration with filmmaker Shanshan Chen, The Outsiders, was presented at the Shanghai Biennale.

In 2016, James released his debut solo project, Sanctuary (Overtones and Deviations), an album in which he combined traditional piano compositions with electronic soundscapes, retuned pianos and other acoustic instruments. The music is introspective and emotive, and the album reflects his fascination with microtonality and just intonation. Sanctuary (Overtones and Deviations) has been critically acclaimed and aired on radio across Europe and in the US. Following on from this, James  collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Haydn Bendall to record his first solo piano album, Until I Set Him Free. The album is a collection of emotionally-charged compositions for which James devised a brand new spectral piano tuning, and is available now on Blue Spiral Records.

James is currently working towards a PhD in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, supervised by David Gorton. He completed his Master’s studies there with distinction in 2021, during which he was taught by Gary Carpenter and Rubens Askenar. He held the Sterndale Bennett Scholarship, and was generously supported by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, Stapley Trust, Sidney Perry Foundation, English Speaking Union and Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust. Recent competition successes include being commended for the Priaulx Rainier Prize and highly commended by Michael Zev Gordon for the Alan Bush Prize.

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