Ruthless Jabiru will give the European premiere of Paul Stanhope’s Qinoth for string orchestra at our 14 October performance, Maralinga Lament.

Paul Stanhope (b. 1969) is an award-winning Australian composer with recent performances in the UK, Europe, Japan, and both North and South America. After studies with Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz and Peter Sculthorpe, Paul was awarded the Charles Mackerras Scholarship which enabled him to study at the Guildhall School of Music in London.

Paul’s international standing was confirmed in 2004 when he was awarded first place in the Toru Takemitsu Composition Prize. He received two APRA/Australian Music Centre Awards in 2011 for Instrumental Work of the Year and Vocal/Choral Piece of the Year, and is the recipient of a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship for 2013-2014, the first Australian composer to be granted this honour.

In 2010 Paul was Musica Viva’s featured composer. His String Quartet no. 2 received nation-wide performances by the Pavel Haas Quartet as part of the season, as did his Agnus Dei – After the Fire for violin and piano, performed by Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien. Paul’s music has been featured at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and at the City of London Festival, with recent performances by the Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, among many others.

Paul’s forthcoming projects include a choral-orchestral cantata about the life and deeds of Western Australian indigenous hero Jandamarra, written together with librettist Steve Hawke, and a new piece for string quartet.

Ruthless Jabiru and Lara St. John perform Maralinga Lament at the Union Chapel, London at 19:30 on Monday 14 October. Tickets are £16 advance from the Union Chapel online store or £18 at the door.