Birmingham Royal Ballet

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David Bintley CBE, Director
Christopher Barron, Chief Executive
Koen Kessels, Music Director

Ballet Staff
Dancers

Conductors
Orchestra Management and Music Staff
Royal Ballet Sinfonia

Administration

The Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries

Board of Directors
Royal Ballet Governors

Colin Towns

One of Britain’s most prolific film and television composers, Colin’s name has graced the credits of many prestigious and popular features. For further information on this part of Colins work please go to www.ColinTowns.com

London-born Colin Towns began his music career playing piano in various UK-based jazz ensembles. Since then he has gone on to front two of the most innovative and exciting big bands in Europe - the Hamburg-based NDR Big Band and the Colin Towns Mask Orchestra.

Formed in 1990, the Colin Towns Mask Orchestra is a rhythmically infectious 19-piece big band presenting some of the greatest and most important new and established players in jazz today. Band members include Alan Skidmore, Barnaby Dickinson, Henry Lowther, John Parricelli and Guy Barker.

The Mask Orchestra has now released five highly successful albums for Provocateur Records and is currently regarded as one of the most dynamic and original ensembles in European jazz. For more information go to www.provocateurrecords.co.uk

‘By providing an outlet for the jazz composing and arranging skills of Colin Towns, The Mask Orchestra has brought a wholly individual voice, imbued with freshness and vitality, to the European scene.’
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

Colin has also recorded one album with the NDR - 2001's The Theatre Of Kurt Weill - which was released on ACT Records to major critical and commercial success. To date, The Theatre Of Kurt Weill has been performed in Chicago, London, Hamburg, Berlin and Bilbao. Colin's most recent collaboration with the NDR - 2004's Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells) - has already received rave reviews.

As an arranger, Colin has been involved with the likes of Michael Brecker, Christof Lauer, Norma Winstone and the Guy Barker / Sting collaboration You Don't Know What Love Is.

Since 2003 Colin has also made regular appearances as a guest composer, conductor and arranger with the Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna (featuring vocalist Maria Pia deVito).

To purchase a copy of the music for The Orpheus Suite, click here.