Full Biography
(750 Words)
Cameron Biles-Liddell is a highly acclaimed and sought after emerging composer, pianist and educator based within North Wales. His music has been described as 'strikingly compelling' with beguiling textures and harmonies. premiered and broadcast across the UK
Being brought up in the rural countryside of North Wales, Cameron’s music draws inspiration from the natural environment, as well as his own Welsh heritage. This interest is often combined with his love for shimmering textures, rich and colourful harmonies, and subtle timbral detailing, in order to convey narratives in his music. Cameron has relished the opportunity to collaborate with some of the leading musical ensembles and players, where the most notable include the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW), the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), Psappha Ensemble, Fenella Humphreys and Mahan Esfahani, Riot Ensemble, and the Sacconi Quartet. As well as receiving numerous performances and workshops by prestigious ensembles, Cameron’s music has been featured regularly on BBC Radio Three and Radio Cymru. Most recently, his orchestral work, Caer Drewyn (The Hill Fort), received its premiere concert broadcast from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Cameron has also been featured and commissioned by numerous festivals across England and Wales, with the most recent including the Cheltenham Music Festival, the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, JAM on the Marsh and the Spitalfields Music Festival. Recent commissions also include a song cycle for Huw Watkins & Ruby Hughes, NEW Sinfonia, and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. These achievements have complemented his commitment to refining his craft, through distinguished composer development programmes, where he has participated in BBC NOW: Composition Wales scheme in 2021 & 2023, Psappha’s ‘Composing For…’ and the Cheltenham Music Festival’s Composers’ Academy, to name but a few. These programmes have allowed Cameron to expand his networks and refine his fascination with the natural environment, and aspects of momentum. This has allowed his work to garner notoriety and awards from being runner-up in the Royal Music Associations ‘Tippett Medal’ to being award the Paul Mealor Award for Composers by the Welsh Music Guild. Cameron is also looking forward to being a featured composer at the Three Choirs Festival in 2024, where his NEW Sinfonia Commission, Yr Avon Yn Yr Awyr (The River in the Sky), will receive its English premiere in Worcester Cathedral.
Outside of his composition work, Cameron has recently been appointed the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ first North Wales Associate, as well as being a Music Associate at Theatr Clwyd. Through these positions he is a keen educator and community facilitator, with a dedication to making music and composition equitable to all through. Over the past year he has been developing a variety of community-based collaborations with BBC NOW and local communities in north Wales, as well as co-ordinating workshops with local Manchester-based schools with the University of Manchester. Complementing this, he is a founding member, co-artistic director, and producer of the Manchester University New Music Ensemble. This ensemble has seen collaborations with prominent composers such as Huw Watkins and Sadie Harrison, where Cameron is passionate about providing professional pathways into contemporary music in higher education institutions.
Cameron is currently in his final write-up year of his PhD at the University of Manchester, funded by the Victor Sayer Award for composition. During this time, he has been under the expert guidance of Camden Reeves, whilst his wider musical journey has been shaped by internationally renowned composers such as Stuart MacRae, Nico Muhly, Lynne Plowman, and Daniel Kidane. In 2023, his research reached its summation through a large scale work for solo flute and orchestra entitled, Concerto for Flute & Chamber Orchestra. Cameron has regularly participated in the vibrant academic environment at the University of Manchester, where his research has been commended by the School of Arts, Culture and Languages, as well as being awarded runner up for the University of Manchesters’ Postgraduate Research of Year in the Humanities.
Looking ahead to 2023-2024, Cameron is looking forward to his premiere at the Three Choirs Festival as well as his ‘Celtic Connections’ tour with prominent Welsh artists, Huw Watkins, and Ruby Hughes, as well as creating community projects for the BBC NOW in North Wales.
