Collard Fellowship 2015: Mark Boden

The 2015 Collard Fellowship has been awarded to composer Mark Boden.

Mark David Boden graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2008 with First Class Honours, studying composition with Lynne Plowman and Peter Reynolds in addition to piano with Fazlidden Husanov. Mark continued his studies as a scholar at the Royal College of Music studying with Kenneth Hesketh where he was generously supported by the RVW Trust and the Henry Wood Trust. He graduated with Distinction from the MMus course in Advanced Composition in 2011.
During his time at RWCMD, Mark was the recipient of several awards including the Dr David Harries Memorial Award (2006), the Eirwen Thomas Scholarship (2007) and the Composition Prize (2008). Since graduating, he has been awarded a Worshipful Company of Musicians Silver Medal (2008), the LSQ New Music Competition First Prize (2008), the Composers of Wales William Mathias Composition Prize (2009), The Friends of the Music of St Giles Cathedral Composition Competition (2010), the British Composer Awards (BASCA) Student Competition (2010) and the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Composition Competition (2011).
Mark has been commissioned by a varied range of ensembles including London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hebrides Ensemble, Bath Abbey Choir, Sinfonia Cymru, Camerata Nordica and Sinfonia Newydd in addition to writing for the ABRSM Spectrum series.
He is currently a lecturer in Music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Artistic Advisor to Sinfonia Newydd and is published by Cadenza Music. Future projects include new works for BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Quatuor Tana (Belgium), Nexus Reed Quintet (Switzerland) and the premiere of a substantial chamber work commissioned by violinist Bartosz Woroch.
Mark’s website is at www.markdavidboden.com.

The Company is very grateful to Court Assistant Chris Lawrence and Freeman Marcus Barcham-Stevens for reading all the applications and interviewing the shortlisted candidates.