Judith Bingham

Judith Bingham (born 21 June 1952) is an English composer and mezzo-soprano singer. She was a member of the BBC Singers from 1983 to 1995. She is a fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music. Bingham won the 1977 BBC Young Composer Award, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2020 for services to music.

Early life and education Bingham was born on 21 June 1952, in Nottingham. Her parents are Jack Bingham and Peggy Bingham (née McGowan). She was educated at High Storrs Grammar School for Girls in Sheffield, and began learning singing from bass John Dethick from the age of 16. Bingham attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1970 to 1973, where she received the Principal’s Prize for Music in 1972 and was elected as an associate in 1997. Her teachers included Malcolm MacDonald, Eric Fenby, Alan Bush and John Hall (composition) and Jean Austin-Dobson (singing). She was a member of the BBC Singers from 1983 to 1995, and has composed music for them and the Finchley Children's Music Group. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen in 2018. Chartres (orchestral), 1988 Beyond Redemption (orchestral), 1994–5 The Temple at Karnak (orchestral), 1996 Passaggio (concerto no.1 for bassoon and orchestra), 1998 The Shooting Star (concerto for trumpet and orchestra), 1999 Salt in the Blood (for choir and brass orchestra), 1995 The Darkness Is No Darkness (for choir and organ), 1993 The Snows Descend (for brass orchestra), 1997 First Light (for choir and brass orchestra), 2001 Bright Spirit (for wind ensemble), 2001 Mass 2003 The Secret Garden (Botanical fantasy for SATB and organ), 2004 Shadow Aspect (for choir, youth choir, organ and timpani), 2009. Commissioned by Edinburgh Royal Choral Union for its 150th anniversary season Leonardo (concerto no.2 for bassoon and thirteen strings), 2012 The Angel of Mons (concerto for oboe and thirteen strings), 2014 Ghostly Grace (for choir and organ), 2015 Watch With Me (Anthem for Somme 100 Vigil), 2016 Mozart's Pets (Suite of five vignettes for woodwind orchestra, 2021. Commissioned by Shea Lolin and the Bloomsbury Woodwind Ensemble and premiered at St James, Clerkenwell on Saturday 20 November 2021. The piece was subsequently recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble in 2023, conducted by Shea Lolin. Barnaby Rudge (concerto for clarinet and thirteen strings), 2022 Elsewhere (Clarinet quintet), 2024