"I like songs that are about things happening all around us, right now."
Howard is a composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores, an award-winning broadcaster and the National Ambassador for Singing. Almost everyone knows at least one of his popular TV themes for Blackadder, Mr Bean, Red Dwarf, The Catherine Tate Show, Q.I. or The Vicar of Dibley. Other television scores include The Borrowers and his BAFTA-nominated The Gathering Storm.
In the theatre his musicals have been performed throughout the world. The Hired Man, which he wrote with Melvyn Bragg in 1984, won The Ivor Novello Award for Best Musical (1985),
four Olivier Award nominations, in Holland a John Kraaijkamp Musical Award (2001),
seven Waterford International Musical Festival awards and in 2004 the UK’s TMA Award for Best Musical. Since it first opened in the West End, it has had over 100 productions. His most recent musicals are A Winter’s Tale (The Sage Gateshead 2005) Two Cities (Salisbury Playhouse 2006) and the forthcoming Love Story (2008).
His choral music has featured on several platinum-selling CDs. In Memoriam Anne Frank was performed at the first National Holocaust Memorial concert in January 2001, and his settings of Psalm 23 and Love Divine are amongst the most performed of all contemporary choral works.
He has written and presented his own music documentaries for Channel 4, including Howard Goodall’s Big Bangs, which won in 2000 the prestigious BAFTA Huw Weldon award in the UK, a Peabody award (USA) for Journalism & Mass Communication, and an IMZ TV award for Best Documentary (Austria). His 2004 series, Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats, won an RTS Award for Education and was nominated for a BAFTA Award and an International Rose d'Or. His most recent 4-part series, How Music Works, was aired on Channel 4 in Autumn 2006 and has since been repeated four times.
Howard has been awarded a British Academy of Composers & Songwriters Gold Badge for exceptional work in support of his fellow composers, an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, recognising his work in music education, a Royal Television Society Judges' Award, the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to Education in Broadcasting' and in 2007, the Making Music/Sir Charles Grove Prize for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Howard Goodall's music is published by Faber Music. Click here for more information.
Ms Wilson Report this comment
Posted 19th Apr 2010 11:01
I worked with Gerry in Wythenshawe and I think this is a fitting song to celebrate Gerry's life. SHe was quite remarkable with her constant energy and enthusiasm and she brought many amazing opportunities to the young people of Wythenshawe