John McLeod

John McLeod, one of Scotland's most prolific composers, studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Sir Lennox Berkeley. His brilliantly coloured orchestral and vocal music has been performed and recorded in many countries by leading orchestras and soloists, and his commissions have included works for the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (which made McLeod its associate composer 1980 - 82), the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, and for artists such as Evelyn Glennie, Benjamin Luxon, Peter Donohoe, Jane Manning, Murray McLachlan and Colin Currie. His music has also been heard regularly at many UK Festivals including the BBC Proms, and the Edinburgh, Bath, Cambridge and St Magnus (Orkney Islands) festivals, as well as being featured in several European festivals. Most of his works have also been heard on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, BBC TV and Channel 4. Since 1983 he has also composed a whole series of film and TV scores and during the period 1991 - 97 he was Head of Composing for Film and Television at the London College of Music, Thames Valley University, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music.
His superb Clarinet Concerto (with Strings, Timpani and two Percussion), full of colour and atmosphere, was commissioned by Linda Merrick and written in 2005.

McLeod must be counted a major force in contemporary Scottish music. The Scotsman