About
Bethan Morgan-Williams (1992-) is a composer who writes quirky, rhythmically-intricate music, finding motivation in the apogee of musical performance. Described as “marvellously oblique and obscure” [5against4] while being “rooted in something ancient and folky” [The Telegraph], Bethan’s music plays with expectation and variance. Recurring themes include concealment, dualism and nonconformity; while ongoing preoccupations include the passing of time (flow), the link between perception and memory, the interplay between systems and intuition, and the effects of revisiting material interactions on the substructure of ‘finished’ pieces.
Bethan enjoys the opportunity to work closely with players and considers collaboration a key part of her practice. Bethan’s music has been commissioned and/or performed by internationally acclaimed ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Riot Ensemble, Psappha, New European Ensemble, Uproar Ensemble, Ensemble 10/10, Mivos Quartet and the Ligeti Quartet; as well as numerous established soloists, including Carl Rosman (clarinet), Antoine Tamestit (viola), Colin Currie (percussion) and Ben Goldscheider (horn).
Bethan has already accrued a significant number of prestigious awards, including the Jonathan Harvey Scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of Huddersfield (2024-), Darmstadt Ferienkurse Stipend (2023); Leverhulme Scholarship (2018-9); Susan Bradshaw Composer Prize (RPS – 2017-8); Christopher Brooks Composition Prize (Young Composer in Residence with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic) (2015-7); and LSO Panufnik Scheme (2015-6). Her music has already reached a wide audience through performances at venues/festivals including LSO St. Luke’s, Kings Place and the British Museum, London; Hallé St. Peter’s and the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; the Philharmonic Hall and St. George’s Hall, Liverpool; Colston Hall and Arnolfini Arts, Bristol; Cheltenham Music Festival; Norton Centre for the Arts (KY), USA; Korzo Theatre, Studio Loos and Haarlem Organ Festival, The Netherlands; and Radialsystem Berlin (Maerzmusik), WDR Funkhaus, Studio des Ensemble Musikfabrik and Darmstadt Ferienkurse, Germany, with broadcasts on WDR, S4C, BBC Radio 3, Hometown Radio (KY) and the Dutch radio society Omroep Max.
Bethan is currently Tutor of Composition at Yorkshire Young Musicians (Leeds).
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