British Composer Awards 2015

Luke Styles - Selected Works

A roller-coaster sample of my saxophone concerto, Tracks in the Orbit.

Tracks in the Orbit received it’s world premiere with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, superb soloist Iain Ballamy (for whom the concerto has been written) and conductor Fiona Monbet in April 2022.

This has been a significant large work for me, focusing my instrumental thinking for large orchestral forces and unearthing the musical personality of Iain Ballamy. The concerto plays with the intersection of my musical imagination and Iain’s musical identity. It traverses jazz and contemporary music aesthetics, blending moments of improvisation, a freedom of interpretation and fidelity to compositional intention.

Tracks in the Orbit, Saxophone Concerto was commissioned by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra with the philanthropic support of private donors.

Tracks in the Orbit

composed by Dai Fujikura
text by Harry Ross
performed by Nederlands Kamerkoor 
conductor: Reinbert de Leeuw


Papaver for choir

Performed by Le Balcon - The World Premiere was performed at the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France, by Le Balcon, tenor Michael Smallwood, bass-baritone Damien Pass, electronics Remi Le Taillandier and Luke Styles. With video design and projection by Nieto.

Composer: Luke Styles

Text: The text in Custodians of the Sky comes from Australian writers. At the start and throughout the work are the writings of indigenous astronomer Bill Yidumduma Harney and Hugh Cairns from their book Dark Sparklers. Five poems emerge as songs in the following order; Stars by David Malouf, Skywatchers by Margaret Bradstock, Perspective Passes over Us by Renee Pettitt-Schipp, Moon by A. Frances Johnson, The Moon via telescope by Margaret Bradstock.

With gratitude to Bill Yidumduma Harney for his generous guidance, encouragement and support, and to the Wardaman peoples, for holding and sharing celestial knowledge of the skies that are referenced herein.

‘Commissioned by Le Balcon, Michael Smallwood, Veronica and Don Aldridge and donors via the Australian Cultural Fund.’

Custodians Of The Sky - Sample

Split into six continuous movements, this dramatic piece contrasts moments of tranquility with cacophony, freedom with oppression, and organisation with chaos! Taking inspiration from Sun Tzu's ancient manual on strategy, 'The Art of War', I started to imagine the orchestra as a sort of army trying to follow Sun Tzu's sage advice, e.g. ‘Ultimate excellence lies…in defeating the enemy without ever fighting’, but falling into a maelstrom or chaos and mutiny at every turn.  

Sun Tzu's 'five fundamentals' of 'The Way', 'Heaven', 'Earth', 'Command' and ‘Discipline' became important musical characters in the piece and loosely form five of the six main sections. After battling not only within themselves, but also with the 'offstage' orchestra, the piece reaches an ethereal, transcendent epilogue with the music rising ever higher and higher. 

To add an extra dimension to this piece, I was able to work with the CCSO's Artist in Residence, Lesley Fotherby, whose artwork is going to be projected above the orchestra during the performance. Lesley has been busy creating abstract watercolour sketches based on early rehearsals of the music, which in turn have been up on my wall as inspiration while completing the piece.


In Search of Strategy - Full BBC Recording

Tycho's Dream, a sci-fi youth opera for the Glyndebourne main stage, premiered 8th Nov 2014. Part 2: Fear of Counting Forward

Tycho's Dream: Part 2, Fear Of Counting Forward

Introduction by Ankita Saxena.
Music: Stuart Hancock and Drum Heads.
Words: Mat Lloyd.
Performed by the Snapshot Songs Choir.
Soloists: Jacqueline Acheampong, Julius Xavier, Olivia Preye Bradbury, Kevin Speid.

01 Overture - This City

Some clips from my orchestral piece, 'In Search of Strategy', commissioned as part of the 'Adopt a Composer' scheme and nominated for a British Composer Award.

In Search Of Strategy_Clips

A short extract from my chamber opera of Macbeth. Commissioned by Glyndebourne. Premiered August 25th, 27th, 28th, 29th 2015 by Glyndebourne singers and the LPO. Performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden on the 9th of September 2015.

Why did you bring these daggers from the place?

Performed by Ensemble Amorpha and Tangent. Premiered as part of Emulsion at The Vortex, 19.05.12 
Review from the Cheltenham Festival 2015: "But highlight of the evening was Luke Styles‘ highly atmospheric Chasing the Nose, doleful despite a persistent funked-up tribal groove; focussed on a wonderfully lyrical bass clarinet line, it expanded into a feisty duet with saxophone at its conclusion; exhilarating and immersive stuff." 5:4 http://5against4.com/tag/luke-styles/

Chasing The Nose

Ep2. Scene 3

Luke Styles is a British (and Australian) composer based in London. He recently completed 3yrs as the Glyndebourne Young Composer in Residence and from Feb-Dec 2015 was composer in residence at the Foundling Museum. At Glyndebourne, Luke composed two chamber operas and two youth operas, which were performed on the famous Glyndebourne main stage, by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductors such as Vladimir Jurowski. Alongside his operatic work Luke has found time to write new works for the London Sinfonietta, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and members of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.


Luke began his composition training with a Bachelor of Music (composition) degree at the Royal Academy of Music London (graduating with honours in 2005, in 2015 Luke was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music). Following this Luke went on to postgraduate studies with Wolfgang Rihm at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany, with George Benjamin at King’s College London and with Detlev Müller-Siemens at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Vienna.


Throughout his career Luke has been heavily involved in creating collaborative and multi-disciplinary works. These have included works for dancers and circus performers, in the form of Handspun, commissioned by the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and subsequently produced in Oslo, Helsinki, Prague, Stockholm, London and Panama City. Luke has composed silent-film scores for the British Film Institute and works for musicians and actors for Kings Place and the Werkraum Festival in Germany.


Luke has collaborated with many of the worlds top soloists such as horn player David Pyatt and violinist  Matthew Truscott. His music has featured at festivals including the Wien Modern, Aldeburgh Festival, Glyndebourne Festival and the Darmstadt International Festival for New Music. Major performance venues where Luke’s music has been heard include the Sydney Opera House, Glyndebourne, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Finnish Music Center and the Vienna Concert Hall.


Luke has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions including, a carol for the Financial Times, the Wolfgang-Rihm Scholarship from the Privatbrauerei Hoepfner 2008, an Association for Cultural Exchange Study Tours Scholarship with George Benjamin (08/09), DAAD scholarship for 06/07, PRS New Works commission, RVW Trust commission, Britten-Pears Foundation commission Prize Winner ‘Remasterpiece’ Competition 2006, Sonic Arts Network Expo 2005 commission, Young Australian Composer of the Asian Composers League (2003), Associate composer of the Australian Music Centre, Mosco Carner Composition Award winner (2001-2003), Lena P Green Award (2004), Pullen Memorial Prize (2005), Moscow International Schnittke composition competition 2nd place winner (2002), 24th International Competition of Electro acoustic Music Russolo finalist (Italy 2002) and Australasian Performing Rights Association Professional Development Award winner.


Luke has been awarded scholarships to take part in various courses throughout Europe and Asia where he has worked with composers such as Brian Ferneyhough, Harrison Birtwistle, Marco Stroppa and Gunnar Eriksson. Luke was also part of the 2010/2011 Jerwood Opera Writing Programme at Aldeburgh Music. Luke is Artistic Director of Ensemble Amorpha.