George Christofi

Cypriot born composer George Christofi, shortlisted by the SPNM (Society for the Promotion of New Music) wherein he has participated in various projects and workshops, has been selected as a composer by the British ISCM on several occasions since 2006, and enjoyed active participation at the ACANTHES Composition workshops in Metz (France) and Mons (Belgium), working with Aperghis, Hosokawa, Neuwirth, Pesson, Boesmans, Sciarrino, Reverdy and Nieder.

One of the fifteen composers selected from four hundred applicants for the prestigious Composition Fellowship of the Fondation Royaumont (Paris) in 2007, Christofi had lessons with Brian Ferneyhough, Daniel D'Adamo and Thierry Blondeau; and the following year joined an IRCAM ACADEMY course in Glasgow working on computer-aided composition software such as OpenMusic, AudioSculpt and MAX/MSP. He has worked with artists from the cast of the L'Opéra National du Rhin and was subsequently invited to Brussels as a guest composer for the Musiques Fraîches concert series. He also collaborated with choreographer Peter Fønss writing music for a dance project organised by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds (UK).

Recent commissions include works for the Flutist Mario Caroli (Published by ARS Publica Edizioni Musicali), the Soprano Sarah Leonard, the Trio IAMA and the European Contemporary Orchestra.

Christofi’s music has reached audiences in Belgium, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, and the U.S. and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Some of the Events and Festivals where his music was played include:
‘Clarinet baix i electronica’ by PHONOS-FUNDACIÓ MÚSICA CONTEMPORÀNIA (Spain), International Music Festival Heidelberger ‘Frühling 2007’ (Germany), ‘Attention Musiques Fraîches ! 2008’ Festival (Belgium), Pescara Fiera Festival 2008 (Italy), 2008 Seoul International Computer Music Festival (Korea), Nuova Musica a Treviso (Italy), The 3rd Pharos Contemporay Music Festival (Cyprus).

His music has been performed by such prestigious soloists and Ensembles as Bass Clarinet player Harry Sparnaay, Cellist Rohan de Saram, Flutist Mario Caroli, Prodromos Symeonides (Piano), Xie Ya-ou (Piano), Eric Chartier (percussion), Pascal Pons (percussion), GEMINI Ensemble, Jeunes Voix du Rhin, Ensemble 360, Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, Ensemble 10/10, Orchestre National de Lorraine, The Endymion, The Kreutzer Quartet, Ensemble Cairn, Ensemble SHADOW PLAY, Ensemble Berlin Piano Percussion, among others.

Christofi graduated at the University of Hull (B. Mus. First Class Honours) and was awarded a prize for his exceptionally high results and academic excellence. Whilst studying Composition, Orchestration, Analysis, Stylistic Composition he studied the guitar with Tom McKinney and Craig Ogden (Royal Northern College of Music) and obtained his Licentiate diploma in Guitar Performance (LGSMD) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has also attended Guitar Masterclasses under the direction of David Russell, Hübert Käppel, Antigoni Goni, Aniello Desiderio and others. He furthered his work in Composition at the University of York under the supervision of Thomas Simaku where he obtained his Masters (MA) with Distinction, and has recently gained his PhD, funded by the Vinson Award, The Sir Jack Lyons Research Grant and The A.G. Leventis Foundation Research Scholarship.