VOCES8 Foundation Advisory Board
Roxanna Panufnik
Roxanna Panufnik ARAM, GRSM(hons), LRAM studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music and, since then, has written a wide range of pieces – opera, ballet, choral works, orchestral and chamber compositions, and music for film and television – which are performed all over the world. Thanks to her mixed heritage, she has a great love of music from a huge variety of cultures and different faiths, whose influence she uses liberally throughout her compositions. Her mission to build musical bridges between the three Abrahamic faiths has resulted in high-profile commissions premiered by the conductor Valery Gergiev and The World Orchestra for Peace in Jerusalem and at the BBC Last Night of the Proms, in 2018. 2018, Roxanna’s 50th Birthday year, saw some exciting commissions and premieres. As well as the Proms, a co-commissioned oratorio “Faithful Journey – a Mass for Poland” for City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Poland, marking Poland’s centenary as an independent state.
2019 included a new commission for two conductors and two choirs (and one symphony orchestra!), premiered by Marin Alsop and Valentina Peleggi with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and 2022 will see the world premiere of “Ever Us” for 10 choirs + symphony orchestra commissioned by the Rundfunkchor Berlin for their 2020 Beethoven anniversary celebrations and ‘Dalia’ a new people’s opera for Garsington Opera Festival. Her works are published by Peter’s Edition Ltd and recorded on many labels including Signum, Warner Classics, Chandos, and EMI Classics. Further details can be found at www.roxannapanufnik.com.