Cheryl Frances-Hoad

Cheryl Frances-Hoad was born in Essex in 1980 and received her musical education at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (BA (Hons) Music (double 1st), MPhil with Distinction (Composition)) and Kings College London (PhD, Composition).

Her music has been described as "like a declaration of faith in the eternal verities of composition" (The Times), with "a voice overflowing not only with ideas, but also with the discipline and artistry necessary to harness them" (The Scotsman).

Recently chosen to be a featured composer on BBC Radio 3's 'Composer of the Week' ('Five under 35, March 2015), her works have garnered many awards, from the BBC Lloyds Bank Composer of the Year award when she was just 15 to more recently the Mendelssohn Scholarship, The Bliss Prize, The Cambridge Composers Competition, The Robert Helps International Composition Prize (USA), The Sun River Prize (China), The International String Orchestra Composition Prize (Malta), The RPS Composition Prize, and the BASCA British Composer Awards (where she became the youngest composer to win two awards in any year for Psalm 1 and Stolen Rhythm in 2010).

Cheryl is currently recording a third album for Champs Hill Records: her first two CDs received rave reviews with The Glory Tree being selected as "Chamber Music Choice" by BBC Music Magazine in October 2011.

Her works include a Piano Concerto, 'Cello Concerto (Katharsis), three piano trios, a ninety minute opera about the life of Amy Johnston (Amy's Last Dive with librettist Adam Strickson), and several large scale works involving young musicians.

2015 saw Cheryl's BBC Proms debut with a premiere for the Cardinall's Musick entitled From the Beginning of the World: the work received rave reviews and was described as 'a ravishing world premiere' and 'an astonishing tapestry of vocal and emotional colours' by The Arts Desk.