Long biography
c 400 words
Focuses on composition achievements, performances, and highlights, but also includes some general information on other work and activities.
Last updated: July 2023
Lillie graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2016, studying composition with Haris Kittos and winning the Elgar Memorial prize for her final portfolio. Musical from a young age, her interest in composing grew out of learning instruments, a flair for languages, and a love of creative writing; narrative ideas and complex emotions are often a core element in her compositions. In recent years her twin passions for text and music have come together in the form of new choral and vocal works.
Her pieces have been performed by ensembles including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Psappha, and London Symphony Orchestra, who in 2019 commissioned her to write new pieces for their Elmer's Walk Under-5s concert. Awards and other highlights of recent years include the Tenso Young Composers Award in 2017 for her song cycle setting poems by August Stramm, one of which was shortlisted for the London Oriana Choir five15 competition 2019; her piece Dormientes Bestia for paetzold and tape being in the winning programme in the RCM Contemporary Competition 2016; joint-winning Echo Vocal Ensemble’s composition competition 2019; and two choral works written on the NYCGB’s Young Composer Scheme being released on NMC Recordings in 2020.
More recent performances include a choral work and trumpet fanfare for Cheltenham Music Festival 2021 through the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Emerging Composers programme; a choral work commissioned by Chapter House Choir, York, premiered in York Minster in November 2021; a new art song Kind Regards, commissioned by the Royal Opera House with text by Laura Attridge, whose online premiere received 1.5 million views; a Christmas carol for Choir & Organ magazine premiered online as part of the Voces8 Live from London festival 2021; and song cycles for children’s voices with librettist Laura Attridge commissioned by Warwick: A Singing Town, and Glyndebourne, East Sussex Music, and Berwick Church.
Outside of composition, Lillie writes the user manual for Steinberg’s notation software Dorico, sings with Covent Garden Chorus, and does engraving and copying work primarily for film, TV, and game music recording sessions at studios including Abbey Road and Air.
Shorter biography
c 250 words
More concise focus on composition achievements. (Acronyms of organisations can be expanded for accessibility for audiences less familiar.)
Last updated: January 2024
Lillie graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2016, studying composition with Haris Kittos and winning the Elgar Memorial prize for her final portfolio. Musical from a young age, her interest in composing grew out of learning instruments, a flair for languages, and a love of creative writing; narrative ideas and complex emotions are often a core element in her compositions. In recent years her twin passions for text and music have come together in the form of choral and vocal works.
Her pieces have been performed by a variety of professional ensembles including Psappha, the RSNO, LPO, and LSO, who commissioned her to write new pieces for their Elmer's Walk Under-5s concert in 2019. Lillie has won or been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the Tenso Young Composers Award 2017 for her song cycle setting poems by August Stramm, Echo Vocal Ensemble’s composition competition 2019, and London Oriana Choir’s five15 competition 2019. Two choral works she wrote on the NYCGB’s Young Composer Scheme were released on NMC Recordings in January 2020, and her chamber work Elsewhen was released on Nordic Viola’s debut album in 2023.
Recent commissions and premieres include an art song Kind Regards for the Royal Opera House (text by Laura Attridge), a choral work and trumpet fanfare for Cheltenham Music Festival through the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Emerging Composers programme, a new work for Chapter House Choir York, and song cycles for children’s voices commissioned by Warwick: A Singing Town, and Glyndebourne, East Sussex Music, and Berwick Church.
Short biography
150 words
General focus on musical interests, compositional approach, and work and activities outside composition.
Last updated: July 2023
Lillie Harris is a contemporary classical composer based in the UK. She studied at the Royal College of Music with Haris Kittos and was awarded the Elgar Memorial Prize for her final composition portfolio.
Musical from a young age, her interest in composing grew out of learning instruments, a flair for languages, and a love of creative writing; as a result, narrative ideas and complex emotions are regular features in her pieces. In recent years her twin passions for text and music have come together in the form of choral and vocal works, including song cycles for children’s voices commissioned by Warwick: A Singing Town, and Glyndebourne, East Sussex Music, and Berwick Church.
Outside of composition, she writes the user manual for Steinberg’s notation software Dorico, sings with Covent Garden Chorus, and does engraving and copying work for publishers and film, TV, and game music recording sessions.