The futility of war

Sally Beamish is one of Britain’s leading composers. She spoke with Ian Kirk-Smith about her life, work and Quaker faith.

Sally Beamish. | Photo: Photo: Ashley Coombes.

On Friday 1 August Sally Beamish’s Violin Concerto, based on the theme of war, is being given a London premiere at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms season. The programme, commemorating 100 years since the outbreak of the first world war, includes William Walton’s Symphony No.1 in B flat minor and Ivor Gurney’s War Elegy.

Sally’s career began as a violist with the Raphael Ensemble. However, it is as a composer that she has made a significant mark on British music, particularly after her move from England to Scotland in 1990. She has written for the orchestra (including two symphonies and several concertos) and also chamber and instrumental music, film scores and theatre music.

Sally, who currently lives in Stirlingshire in Scotland, had a Quaker father and a Church of England mother. This meant a childhood alternating, on Sundays, between church and Meeting house.

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