Composer Errollyn Wallen: A Life as a ‘Musical Explorer’

Errollyn Wallen identifies herself as a ‘musical explorer’. Although born in Belize and raised in London, her career as a composer has taken her across the globe, consistently bringing her back to Scotland, where she has maintained homes in Orkney and Sutherland for the past few years. Her Sutherland residence is a decommissioned lighthouse, which she first discovered nearly a decade ago. “I stumbled across my home at the lighthouse but the moment I moved there, there was something different about the air, the people, the landscape. “It totally revitalised my music and increased productivity, and then I found this beautiful home in Orkney which feels so fantastic and is perfect for making music and as I was buying it I was thinking I want to bring as much music into this house as possible and share that with others.” From the outset of her career, Errollyn has demonstrated a strong commitment to sharing music. Prior to her musical studies, she pursued dance training in the US, but she subsequently returned to the UK to focus on composition, undertaking studies first in London and then Cambridge during the 1980s. Her professional journey presented difficulties, particularly as a young black woman, yet she declined to permit these challenges to constrain her musical expression. In the 1991 documentary, *Half The Story*, she expressed her resolve to create an opera based on the Greek myth of Daedalus. “Quite a few people including friends said why don’t you write about how hard it is being a woman, how hard it is being black? But I don’t want to be restricted. I want to write about the subjects I want to write about in my own way.” A concerto for percussion and orchestra marked her initial orchestral commission. This piece was composed for the Scots musician Colin Currie and premiered during the 1994 finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. The song “Daedalus,” featured on a 2012 album, functioned as the opening and closing themes for the BBC drama *One Night*. Additionally, another of her compositions was utilized in the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in 2012. Errollyn expressed delight that her compositions appear to resonate with younger audiences and individuals unfamiliar with contemporary classical music. “It was a hard road to become a professional composer but once my success happened, I noticed the strongest response was not the major institutions, it was music lovers, children, amateur groups, ensembles,” she said.”Music does connect and I’d like it to connect even more. There’s a lot composers can say about music which can demystify it.” As a visiting professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she counsels students to embrace the inherent fluctuations of a composer’s career. “Make the best music you can , stay close to the music, learn from other composers, support a network of other musicians and try not to get too jaded and when things are not going your way.” In recent months, she has found herself applying her own counsel, acknowledging that she received hundreds of abusive messages following her creation of a new rendition of “Jerusalem” for the reduced 2020 pandemic Proms. She incorporated a line to encompass the Commonwealth nations and dedicated the piece to the Windrush generation. She attributed the strong reaction to a specific prevailing atmosphere, noting the existence of numerous arrangements of “Jerusalem” and pointing out that the version typically performed at the Proms is already an Elgar rearrangement. “It’s not Parry’s original, and there’s no fuss about that,” she said.”Being born in Belize, a former British colony where we were brought up with these hymns, it would be strange to think, having lived here all my life that music wouldn’t be part of me.” King Charles III named Errollyn as Master of the King’s Music earlier this year. While she acknowledges not yet having had a private meeting with the King regarding her position, she possesses numerous concepts. “It’s a huge responsibility but I do feel it chimes with the things I’ve been thinking about all my life,” she says.“I want everyone not just to have access to listen to music but to make music. I’ll be advocating for the birth right for every child to be able to read and write music, to make music, to perform music.” She mentioned a recent encounter with poet laureate Simon Armitage, who reportedly generates his own concepts rather than awaiting state commissions. “I thought I’d do that too,” says Errolyn.“Like a few weeks ago, I encouraged people to use the extra hour from the clocks changing to write a song. Little challenges as well as bigger works.” Larger-scale compositions continue to be commissioned, with her current project being a new work centered on the nativity. “I sit at the piano and I see Herod and I think here are the notes.”“And that’s the same feeling I had as a six-year-old, from the imagination and the excitement of creating new work. I can’t explain the rest, other than to say I feel like a musical explorer, there’s always new things to find.” In this regard, she mirrors the path of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, another composer who resided in Orkney. He was also a fellow of the Ivor Novello Academy, Master of the Queen’s Music, and a notable advocate for music education. “I didn’t moved to Orkney to follow after him, but I can see why he loved Orkney so much and it’s an honour to be here,” Errollyn said.“The moment I walked into this house, I noticed a photo of Peter Maxwell Davies and George MacKay Brown, taken in the garden by my pond.”It’s fantastic that a contemporary composer had such an impact. He’s still very much loved and he’s talked about all the time. “ She has collaborated with young individuals at Stromness Academy on the creation of new musical pieces. Her induction into the Ivors Academy, alongside figures such as John Adams, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Joan Armatrading, represents another significant achievement on a journey she is proud to undertake. Regarding this recognition, she stated, “It’s a huge honour to receive this, especially considering my predecessors. It makes me reflect on all the help I’ve had getting here, all the people who encouraged and supported me.“I didn’t set out to win awards and have this big career. It’s been enough to write music and have it performed but I feel exceptionally honoured.”