I am a composer working in north-west England. Since 1989 I have held the post of Head of Composition at Chetham's School of Music. My 1998 Churchill Fellowship enabled me to spend seven weeks in the USA, including sessions at Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a week at IRCAM in Paris, working on a project entitled The Benefits of New Technology to Musical Creativity. I was able to meet people who are world experts in the development and application of music software and establish contacts with top ranking institutions.

My current teaching job includes working with exceptionally gifted young people, exploring many ways of using music technology as part of their education. The Fellowship has helped me to further their enjoyment of musical composition and broaden their horizons in the use of creative recording techniques. I have incorporated electro-acoustic techniques in my own compositions, including a Sonata for piano and tape, and Closed Circuit for clarinet, piano and live electronics, which has been commercially recorded on CD.

My music, which is published by Composers Edition, has been widely performed in the UK and abroad.