Intermedia Art

New Media, Sound and Performance

John White   

John White was born on April 5, 1936. His works include nine ballet scores, three film scores, two operas, two symphonies (one for organ and six tubas), three concertos and 98 piano sonatas as well as a vast amount of music for the composer/performer ensembles which he has initiated.

His musical experience includes that of: pianist (studied at the Royal College of Music from 1955-58); tuba player (from 1971-72 in the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble); Musical Director in theatre and ballet (e.g. for Western Theatre Ballet in its early stages from 1958-60 and for Canterbury Tales from 1970-72); session musician; arranger; improviser (with Cornelius Cardew from 1967-69); member of the Scratch Orchestra (1969-72), of the Promenade Theatre Orchestra (1969-72; predominantly four toy pianos and/or reed organs), of a duo with Christopher Hobbs (1972-76; percussion duo, piano duet, piano and tuba, finally multi-instrumental) and of the Garden Furniture Music Ensemble (1977 onwards; multi-instrumental); teacher (of piano and composition to music students at the RCM from 1960-64 and at the Yehudi Menuhin School from 1974 onwards; of drama students at the Drama Centre, London from 1969-77 and at RADA from 1978-79).

Biography sourced from JEMS - Journal of Experimental Music Studies website

John White

Live performance recordings of John White's compositions