Zebedee Strudwick(1998-)

Zebedee Strudwick felt the urge to compose soon after beginning piano lessons at six years old, when his family moved to Cornwall. He began by writing short pieces for piano; in tandem with his love of history, these were largely influenced by 18th century styles (at the time, his favourite historical period!) - the emulation of composers from this era culminated in the composition of a symphony in the style of late Haydn/early Beethoven at the age of sixteen. This work, when shown to the director of the Cornwall Youth Orchestra, resulted in him being awarded a grant to study with the South West Music School. Since then, through playing in various ensembles and orchestras as a violinist, he has become fond of many other styles of music, in particular English music of the early 20th Century. In 2018 he won the Watford Youth Sinfonia composing competition with his piece, "A Youthful Overture". Since graduating with a degree in music from Royal Holloway, University of London, he has mostly composed music tailored to amateur orchestras, which he believes is highly important in the creation of accessible new concert music, as these ensembles bring music-making directly to ordinary people. He is currently (2022) based in the Hampshire area and is leader of Deane Sinfonia, for whom he composed "Walks with Elgar", his first piece to be published.