Brendan Beales studied at York University with John Paynter and David Blake, and on the Master's Degree programme at London University with Peter Dickinson. In 1987 he became artistic director for Musicworks, Brixton, and two years later was made responsible for organising their INSET(In-Service Education for Teachers) programme. He has worked extensively with young people in primary and secondary schools, writing and enabling students to write and improvise in a variety of styles (opera, jazz, folk song, classical, pop).
He appears frequently as composer-in-residence and animateur for The London Philharmonic, The Royal Philharmonic, The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Orchestra of the Swan. He is also a popular presenter, introducing concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Warwick Arts Centre. As a lyricist he has worked with Paul Patterson on the recently published Little Red Riding Hood Songbook, and with Hugh Shrapnel on the opera War Games.
