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Universal Edition Signs Two Composers

Jul. 03, 2007

http://www.eamdllc.com/images/logos/UELogo.gifUniversal Edition proudly announces the addition of two composers to their roster: Luke Bedford and Saed Haddad. A British born composer, Luke Bedford’s music has been performed successfully throughout Europe, Japan and the U.S. He has received many honors including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Composition Prize for the under -29’s (2000), and the BBC Radio 3 Listeners’ Award at the British Composer Awards ceremony (2004). Most recently, he won the Selected Work Award in the under-30 category at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s International Rostrum of Composers.

Mr. Bedford has received commissions from the BBC, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (North German Broadcasting) and the Royal Philharmonic Society. In April of 2007 his new work for orchestra Outblaze the Sky received a critically acclaimed world premiere with the London Symphony Orchestra. Shortly thereafter Mr. Bedford’s song cycle Or voit tout en aventure was nominated for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Prize, in the category for Large Scale Composition. Forthcoming compositions include a twenty-minute piece for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, premiering in December 2007; a new piece for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group scheduled for a Spring 2008 premiere; and a work for the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin for the 400th anniversary of Milton.

Saed Haddad identifies as a Christian Arab working within a Western contemporary musical idiom. Born in Jordan and currently residing in northern Germany, Mr. Haddad’s music represents a new direction for the UE catalogue, combining the cultural and musical influences from two distinct worlds. Interestingly, Haddad considers himself on “other” in both Western and Arabic cultural contexts, making his work in these idioms particularly compelling.

He has received commissions from renowned festivals such as the Donaueschingen Festival where his work Joie Voilée saw its premiere by the Arditti Quartet in 2006. The reception to this work was such that it earned Mr. Haddad another commission for the festival in 2008, this time in the hands of Ensemble Modern. Mr. Haddad’s list of honors includes the Dean of the Faculty of Composition, Conducting and Music Education Prize at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in 2001 and the New Millennium Competition Prize-Birmingham in 2003.

For more information on Luke Bedford and Saed Haddad, please visit www.universaledition.com.

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