Paul Ayres
Paul Ayres (accompanist) is a west Londoner born and bred, growing up in Northolt and Ickenham, and attending Bishop Ramsey School in Ruislip. He studied music at Oxford University, and now works freelance as a composer & arranger, choral conductor & musical director, and organist & accompanist.
His works have been awarded prizes in composition competitions in Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, and he has received over one hundred commissions from musical groups of all shapes and sizes. Most of Paul's output is choral, vocal, small-scale instrumental, and music for theatre. He genuinely finds as much joy in writing a very simple arrangement of, say, a nursery rhyme for beginner violinists as in constructing a large-scale score for professional performers. A particular creative interest of Paul's is exploring the interplay between popular styles and baroque/classical forms, and his works frequently use cross-reference, numerical patterns, and humour.
His works have been awarded prizes in composition competitions in Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, and he has received over one hundred commissions from musical groups of all shapes and sizes. Most of Paul's output is choral, vocal, small-scale instrumental, and music for theatre. He genuinely finds as much joy in writing a very simple arrangement of, say, a nursery rhyme for beginner violinists as in constructing a large-scale score for professional performers. A particular creative interest of Paul's is exploring the interplay between popular styles and baroque/classical forms, and his works frequently use cross-reference, numerical patterns, and humour.
Paul conducts City Chorus (Holborn), Morning Chorus (Hanwell) and Questors Choir (Ealing), and accompanies and freelances with many choirs in the London area. As an organist he has given recitals on many tours to Europe and North America, and has released three solo CDs: Passacaglia, Handel-Inspired, and Rainbow Toccatas. He enjoys leading music workshops with children, playing keyboards for improvised comedy shows, and devising cryptic crosswords. Please visit www.paulayres.co.uk to find out more.
January 2024
