Gary Carpenter studied composition under John Lambert at the Royal College of Music. He has lived in Holland and Germany and has written much for the theatre: the award-winning GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM with Michelle Magorian (Opera House-Buxton, Wolsey Theatre-Ipswich, Library Theatre-Manchester); the even more award-winning CHINA SONG (4 Vivian Ellis Awards - 1998) with Simon Nicholson, THE STREETS OF LONDON with Ian Barnett (Theatre Royal-Stratford, Her Majesty’s Theatre-Haymarket London); ALADDIN with Andy Rashleigh (Unicorn/Arts Theatre-London), three operas (with Ian Barnett), one 10 minute opera buffa - DOGGONE - with Simon Nicholson, and TABLOID!!! with Nick Owen (Unity Theatre-Liverpool); as well as a radio music drama - THE ONE ALONE - with Dame Iris Murdoch, animated and live action film scores, several ballets and a large amount of concert music performed by, amongst others, Nederlands Dans Theater, Vera Neubauer, the Hallé, BBC Concert, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestras, Ensemble 10:10, Anthony Pini, John Harle, Gerald MacChrystal, Joanna MacGregor, Grimethorpe & Britannia Brass Bands and the Haffner Ensemble. He is active as a lecturer and tutor (at the Royal Northern College of Music, National Youth Orchestra and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts), musical director and as a pianist. He was musical director and arranger on the film The Wicker Man.
He has also orchestrated film, TV scores for Stanley Myers, Michael Nyman, Damon Albarn and others. He arranged the lion’s share of Simon Callow’s West End and Toronto production of The Pajama Game.
His discography includes as:
conductor: The Orchestral Music of Billy Mayerl
co-arranger and keyboard player: John Harle’s Silencium
producer: Havergal Brian’s 17th and 32nd Symphonies
as pianist: Crossing The Border with the Steve Martland Band
arranger: 3 Cole Porter Songs for Joanna MacGregor, Ravenous, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Wicker Man, The Claim soundtrack albums
composer: Saxophone Sonata (Simon Haram - On Fire), Une Semaine De Bonté (Quartz Saxophone Quartet - Faces), The Lamplighter (Vacation Chamber Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, etc - Xenophon Kelsey), Fantasy on Themes from ‘China Song’ for tuba solo and brass band
James Gourlay (tuba), Garry Cutt (cond.) Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band Doyen label
His most recent piece is a trombone quartet ‘Secret Love Songs’ (commissioned by Bones Apart; 1st perf. May 6th 2003, RNCM Manchester) He recently finished a Horn Concerto for Steven Stirling and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (BBC commission) for the 2003/4 season.
