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About John Baird
John Baird hails from Greenock in the west of Scotland. Despite making London his home since his college days, he maintains a strong affinity with Scotland, and its influence is apparent in much of his music.
John studied with Herbert Howells and Sir Adrian Boult at the Royal College of Music, where he also met his wife, Penny. Subsequently, he has divided his career between composing, conducting, playing and teaching - mainly at Westminster School - becoming Director of Music there in 1983 and then Composer-in-Residence from 1996 to 1999.
Since retiring from Westminster School and a career largely spent in the environs of Westminster Abbey, John now enjoys working in Wandsworth Common, the London suburb where he first settled as a student. Besides composing and teaching, John is organist and choirmaster at the local St Mary Magdalene church and conductor of Medici Choir.
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NEWS
Sing, Choirs!
"Sing, Choirs! is a library in miniature."
It contains many of the Christian church's popular traditional anthems, including at least one example that will be suitable for each of the major services of the year.
Read more or BUY ONLINE>
Date: 05/03/2015 | Posted by Caroline
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When I do count the clock that tells the time...
A new arrangement of John's Sonnet, based on the Shakespeare Sonnet number 12, will be performed in July to mark 400 years since the death of Shakespeare.
More details to follow.
Date: 06/06/2016 | Posted by Anita
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Sing, Choirs! with the Brandenburg Singers and Medici Choir
This month the Brandenburg Singers and Medici Choir presented a programme of music old and new, celebrating John Baird's collection of anthems, psalms and hymns for choirs, recently published by Novello.
Click here to read more
Date: 28/04/2015 | Posted by Anita
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Medici Choir Commission
To celebrate its Diamond Jubilee, Medici Choir commissioned a new work from John - Incarnatus- first performed at St.Sepulchre-without-Newgate in December 2014.
Date: 20/12/2014 | Posted by Anita
The Return of Mouse and Mole
John has written the music for a 30 minute animation film 'Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time' starring Alan Bennett, the late Richard Briers and Imelda Staunton.
It was broadcast on Boxing Day 2013 on BBC1.
Click here to read more
Date: 12/12/2013 | Posted by Anita
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The Flowers of the Forest
An ancient Scots melody forms the basis of this work, first performed in London on St Andrew's Day 2013.
Click here to read more
Date: 25/11/2013 | Posted by Roxane
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Radix malorum est cupiditas!
This theme (Greed is the root of all evil) of John Baird's opera 'Treble Chance', performed at St.Margaret's Church Westminster Abbey in 2013, is as topical in today's climate as when it was first written in 1974.
Click here to read more
Date: 30/06/2013 | Posted by Caroline
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Finishing The Unfinished Mass
Spring 2013 saw the performance of John's completion of the Mozart Mass in C Minor. John contemplates
why Mozart never completed this great work.
Click here to read more
Date: 17/02/2013 | Posted by Anita
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