Three Choirs Festival

Described as “a champion of his generation” and whose music is “hauntingly beautiful” (Media Wales), Nathan James Dearden (b. 1992) is an award-winning Welsh composer of concert music and mixed media, conductor, and educator.

Nathan's music has been commissioned, performed, featured and workshopped by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Berkeley Ensemble, Welsh National Opera, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, The Tippett Quartet, Genesis Sixteen, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, National Youth Orchestra of Wales, The Heath Quartet, Grand Band, the Fidelio Trio, Hebrides Ensemble, CHROMA ensemble, and flautist Carla Rees.

Nathan began his professional composing life as an inaugural Young Composer-in-Residence with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and Music Creator for Sinfonia Newydd in 2013. Since then his music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, Resonance FM, RTÉ lyric FM, S4C and Soho Radio, whilst also released on NMC Recordings and Delphian.

As a conductor, Nathan is carving a career as one of the most sought-after interpreters of his generation for the performance of twentieth and twenty-first century repertoire. Nathan has held posts and guest conductorships at National Youth Orchestra of Wales, National Youth Choir of Wales, CHROMA, Cardiff University, Cardiff Contemporary Music Group, London Metropolitan University / CASS Institute, and is currently the Director of New Music Collective and New Voices Consort at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Nathan is Lead Composition Tutor at Centre for Young Musicians (Guildhall), Chair of Wales Council for Ivors Academy, a Member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (SMISM), a Trustee of Classical Remix, Board Member of the Welsh Music Guild, Featured Composer and Mentor with Cerddwn, Associate Artistic Director at MusicFest Aberystwyth, Festival Manager of Chamber Music on Valentia, an Academy Member of the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors (Ivors) and an Associiate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

At the 2023 festival, Nathan will be premiering a commission from the Three Choirs Festival on Sunday 28 July with the Festival Voices.

If you're interested in performing this piece, contact us. More information will be available in early 2024.

For an exploration into Nathan's work, listen to this Spotify playlist below.