Born in London in 1967, Rebecca Saunders studied violin and composition at Edinburgh University, before putting her instrument to one side when she won a scholarship to Karlsruhe Music College, Germany, where she studied with Wolfgang Rihm. She returned to Edinburgh between 1994 and 1997 to pursue a PhD in composition with Nigel Osborne and currently lives in Berlin.
Saunders’ compositions feature sometimes unusual combinations of orchestral instruments with ones such as accordion, electric guitar and whistle. They range in size from pieces for soloists and duos to large-scale works, such as Chroma (2003, revised 2010) which at its hcmf// 2010 performance will feature 20 different ‘modules’ made up of solo or grouped musicians, as well as gramophones and music boxes. Her 2003 work insideout accompanied Sasha Waltz’s dance installation, whilst traces featured at the BBC Proms in 2009.
Saunders’ work has been recognised with many honours and awards, including membership of the Berlin Academy of Arts, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival’s Paul Hindemith prize and the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Award for chamber music in 2008. She has lectured at the Darmstadt summer school and was chosen as Capel-Compositeur (composer in residence) for Staatskapelle Dresden 2009–10. Her work is published by Peters Edition.
| Year of birth | 1967 |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Period | Contemporary |