biography
| name: |
Tavener, Sir John (Kenneth)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1944– )
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| biography:
| Composer, born in London, UK. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London (1961–5), and has been professor of music at Trinity College of Music since 1969. His music is predominantly religious, and includes the cantata The Whale (1966), Ultimos ritos (1972, Last Rites) for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, and a sacred opera Therese (1979). In 1994 he co-published Ikons: Meditations in Words and Music. He was converted to the Russian Orthodox faith in 1976. His Song for Athene (1993), written to commemorate the death of a family friend, Athene Hariades, in a cycling accident, became nationally known when it was chosen as part of the funeral ceremony for Princess Diana in 1997. His choral work, A New Beginning, was premiered during the Millennium Dome New Year celebrations. He was knighted in 1999. |
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