Toby Young is a composer whose work explores the boundaries between pop and classical music. After winning the Guardian/BBC Proms Young Composer of the Year (2006 and 2008) and International ABRSM Composition Competition (2009), Toby’s music has been much in demand, with works being performed by renowned ensembles and orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of Ancient Music, Fretwork, London Mozart Players, Britten Sinfonia and CHROMA. He has also formed close relationships with several instrumentalists and chamber groups, including pianist Melvyn Tan, clarinettist Julian Bliss, Sacconi Quartet, Navarra Quartet, cellist Guy Johnston, and mezzo-soprano Clare McCaldin.

Toby’s music is particularly popular amongst choirs. He has been commissioned by numerous groups, including the choirs of King’s College Cambridge, New College Oxford, Queens College Oxford, Westminster Abbey, the Choir of Royal Holloway, the Joyful Company of Singers, and the BBC Singers. Many of Toby’s works have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM, and he has been the featured composer at the Kings Lynn and Stratford Festivals. He is currently Composer-in-Residence with the Armonico Consort, following past residencies with the London Oriana Choir and Reverie.

Toby is also active as a researcher, exploring the relationship between creative practice and philosophy in his work as the inaugural Gianturco Junior Research Fellow at Linacre College, Oxford. He frequently gives public talks about this work, including a recent TEDx talk entitled ‘Why do we warble?’

from notes by Signum Classics © 2017