David John Roche
David John Roche
David John Roche (born 1990) is a Welsh composer. His compositional output includes orchestral and chamber works as well as solo pieces for guitar and ukulele.
He is perhaps best known for his hybrid classical/electric guitar concerto Chorus in Alto which was premiered by Grammy-nominated guitarist Sean Shibe, reviewed in the Guardian newspaper.[1] and broadcast on BBC Radio 3[2].
Roche has been commissioned by many different ensembles and organisations including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, La Filharmonie, Tanglewood Music Center, Psappha Ensemble, Solem Quartet, Britten Sinfonia, La Filharmonie, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra, Brazilian National Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, Orion Orchestra, Uproar Ensemble, the National Youth Guitar Ensemble, Tredegar Town Band, Royal Observatory Greenwich and The National Library of Wales.
Televised performances include a documentary about his orchestral piece The waves I ride have never yet been crossed on Rai5, a 5-day run of televised performances on Tellebelluno, a television feature of Uniquely Physical, for Dutch street organ on S4C, and a feature on the Discovery Channel Canada.
His works have been published by Productions d'Oz[3] and Edizioni Curci[4] and recordings of his works have been released on Prima Classic, NMC Recordings and Willowhayne Records.
Roche was born in Tredegar, South Wales. He studied music at Cardiff University, the University of Oxford (Brasenose College), and the University of Cambridge (Downing College), where he completed a PhD in music composition. During his studies and early career, he received multiple scholarships, grants, prizes, and awards that supported his development as a composer. He later studied privately with Welsh composer John Metcalf, citing this as one of his biggest influences[5]
Orchestral and Large-Scale Works (select)
- Waves of Love for orchestra – commissioned by the Vale of Glamorgan festival for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Featured in the BBC Digital Concert Series [6] (also performed by the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra).
- The Thread for chamber orchestra and brass band – commissioned and toured by Britten Sinfonia and written for Britten Sinfonia, Stamford Brass Band, Thundersley Brass Band, and Soham Comrades Brass Band.
- Harm Reduction for chamber orchestra – commissioned and toured by Uproar Ensemble.
- The Vow for brass band – commissioned by the Vale of Glamorgan Festival for Tredegar Town Band.
- EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED (AND MORE) for large orchestra – commissioned by Tŷ Cerdd, Arts Council Wales, and Aberystwyth University; performed by Aberystwyth Philomusica and Sinfonia Cymru.
- Love is Everything for large orchestra – commissioned by County Hall Arts.
- Acoustical Anatomy for orchestra and Dyson technologies – commissioned by the Orion Orchestra and James Dyson.
Chamber, Ensemble and Solo Works (select)
- Chorus in Alto – Hybrid classical/electric guitar concerto for chamber ensemble and soloist (Grammy-nominated Sean Shibe at premiere), co-commissioned by Sinfonia Cymru and Britten Sinfonia; toured extensively with BBC radio broadcasts.
- Practice Patience – Chamber ensemble work commissioned by Psappha Ensemble; inaugural Larner-Walker Commission, premiered at Hallé St Peter’s, Manchester.
- Thousandth Hymnal – double bass septet commissioned by Tanglewood Music Centre (USA) through the Merwin Geffen & Norman Solomon New Commissions Fund. Recipient of the Grand Prize at the ISB 2024 David Walter Composition Competition.
- The Hammer of Acceptance / The Outrage of Repetition – guitar quartet (or octet) commissioned and toured by National Youth Guitar Ensemble (2025).
- The Lyric Path – for string sextet, commissioned by the Nantwen Ensemble with support from a Dementia Trust Disruption Award.
Solo and Duo Works (select)
- Three Settings of “O Mistress Mine” for baritone and piano – three songs commissioned and toured by Mr. Toru Kaku and the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation (Japan).
- I LOVE UKULELE – for solo ukulele, commissioned by Professor Giovanni Albini.
- The Harp of Wales – for solo classical guitar, commissioned by National Library of Wales, released on NMC recordings.
- Prayers of Method – for solo piano, commissioned by The Vale of Glamorgan Festival.
- For Alex - for solo guitar, as recorded by Gerard Cousins
References
- ↑ Evans, Rian (2024-02-26). "Sinfonia Cymru/Shibe review – virtuosity and versatility in tech-themed programme". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "BBC Radio 3 - Radio 3 in Concert, Time Machine: Sean Shibe and Sinfonia Cymru". BBC. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "ROCHE David John - Our Artists". Productions d'Oz. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "David Roche". www.musicandbooks.it (in italiano). Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ Sinfonia, Britten. "David John Roche". Britten Sinfonia. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "BBC - BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC NOW perform the World Premiere of David Roche's Waves of Love". BBC. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
External Links
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