Errollyn Wallen made Master of the King's Music in the UK

The composer and singer-songwriter has been appointed Master of the King's Music by King Charles

Errollyn Wallen succeeds Dame Judith Weir, the first woman to hold the role of Master of Music in the United Kingdom.  The role was originally created in the reign of King Charles I, honoring an artist who adds to the musical life of the UK and the Commonwealth. In recent years, the role has a fixed term of 10 years.

As it is an honorary role, there are no set duties, but according to the BBC, the Master will often compose pieces for special royal occasions such as coronations and royal weddings.

Wallen is a Belize-born British composer and performer. Her output includes twenty-two operas and a large catalogue of orchestral, chamber and vocal works. She was the first black woman to have a work featured in the BBC Proms and the first woman to receive an Ivor Novello award for Classical Music for her body of work.

She has composed for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012, for the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, a specially commissioned song for the climate change conference, COP 26, 2021, and a re-imagining of Jerusalem for BBC’s Last Night of the Proms 2020.

BBC Radio 3 featured her music across the first week of 2022 for its flagship programme, Composer of the Week and she has made several radio documentaries including Classical Commonwealth, nominated for the Prix Europa, which explored the impact of colonialism on music in the Commonwealth.

Wallen founded her own group, Ensemble X whose motto is “we don’t break down barriers in music…we don’t see any.” Their orchestral album PHOTOGRAPHY on the NMC label was voted a Top Ten Classical Album by USA’s National Public Radio. Orchestra X performed Errollyn’s composition Mighty River, which was featured in PRSF’s New Music Biennial 2017 and which was performed at this year’s PRSF Biennial by National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain Inspire at Coventry Cathedral and the Southbank, London.

Errollyn Wallen collaborated with artist Sonia Boyce on her installation, Feeling Her Way, for the British Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale which won the Golden Lion prize for Best National Participation.

Errollyn was awarded an MBE in 2007 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and a CBE in 2020 in the New Year Honours, for services to music.