Composer
Paul Lovatt-Cooper started composing whilst at the University of Salford, studying under the brass and wind band composer Peter Graham.
After joining Black Dyke, the conductor Dr Nicholas Childs realised Lovatt-Cooper's potential as a composer.[citation needed] He soon had the band performing Lovatt-Cooper's works, starting with the world premiere of his Trombone Concerto "Earth's Fury" at Birmingham's Symphony Hall, which was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. In 2005, Lovatt-Cooper won the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band's 125th Anniversary Composers Competition with his piece "West Rydings".[citation needed]
Lovatt-Cooper's "Where Eagles Sing" was included as the finale to Karl Jenkins' CD This Land of Ours. "Where Eagles Sing" was also performed on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night by the Band of the Coldstream Guards.
Lovatt-Cooper's music was featured in the gala concert of the National Championships of Switzerland 2007 by International Soloist David Childs where Lovatt-Cooper was the invited guest. Lovatt-Cooper's piece "The Dark Side of the Moon" was selected as a test piece for the regional championships 2008 and received performances all over the world.[citation needed] It was also selected as the test piece for the Dutch National Championships 2008.[citation needed]
Lovatt-Cooper has written several works for youth bands; his first, "Solar Eclipse", was commissioned by Colin Duxbury and the Stockport Schools Band, who performed it at the National Youth Championships of Great Britain in 2000, in which they won. "The Big Top" was composed for the Wardle High School Junior Band as part of their award-winning performance at the National Festival of Music for Youth Final at Birmingham's Symphony Hall in 2006.[citation needed]
"Dream Catchers" was commissioned by the National Children's Band of Great Britain in 2007 and has since been performed at York Minster in the summer of 2008 by the Yorkshire Youth Band. Lovatt-Cooper was commissioned by the British Federation of Brass Bands to compose the test piece for the National Youth Championships of Great Britain 2009.[citation needed]
