Alan Smith

Alan Smith was born in London in 1962. He was Organ Scholar at Kings’ College, London, where he studied composition with Nicola LeFanu and David Lumsdaine, and also holds a Licentiate Diploma in Composition from Trinity College, London. Currently, he is Head of Music at a large secondary school and is also Musical Director of his local parish church.

In 1990, he came to some prominence by winning the RSCM’s annual composing competition. His successful entry, Let the Peoples Praise You, became his first published piece and continues to be widely performed. Since then, his choral and organ compositions have won several awards, most recently the 2003 Thornesian Prize, an honourable mention in the 2004 Vanguard Premieres Competition, in 2005, a highly commended award in the IMRO Composers Competition together with first prize in the RSCM Norwich and Norfolk anthem writing competition. He was also a shortlisted finalist in the 2006 Canadian Choral Composition Contest. Alan’s output is predominantly of choral and vocal music, much of it written for specific choirs or occasions.

Recent commissions include work for the Burgess Hill Choral Society (Sussex, UK), St James the Greater (Charlestown, WV), the 2007 Oundle Festival (Peterborough, UK) and a chamber organ piece for Paul Ayres (London, UK). His catalogue runs to over 200 works, most of which is published. In the UK, his music is published by Animus, Curiad, Cantiones Press, Escorial Edition, Fagus Music and RSCM, while in America, his publishers include Abingdon Press, Alliance Music Publications, CanticaNOVA, OUP, Pavane, and Roger Dean. Alan is a member of the British Academy of Songwriters and Composers and of the Incorporated Society of Musicians.

Three Psalm Preludes (2007) were performed during the 2007 AFNOM festival in London.