Rodney Newton

Rodney Newton was born in Birmingham, England in 1945 and received his initial musical education at Birmingham School of Music (now Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, of which he is an Honorary Member) and his postgraduate education many years later at London Film School and Salford University (from which he holds the degrees of MA and PhD). After leaving college in 1967, he divided his career between orchestral playing (timpani and percussion), composition, conducting, teaching and music journalism. He was a member of the English National Opera Orchestra for 11 years before leaving to work in films and television as a composer, arranger and conductor. Subsequently, he entered the world of higher education and taught at London College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. He was Music Consultant to London Film School (of which he is an Honorary Associate) for almost 22 years and has contributed to television and radio programmes.

In the late 1980s, he became involved with brass and military bands and created brass band arrangements for Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller's Acid Brass project. He was Features Editor of British Bandsman magazine from 2001 until 2010 and civilian Arranger-in-Residence with the Band of the Coldstream Guards for six years.

His catalogue includes 14 symphonies for various forces, several concerti, works for brass and wind bands, chamber music and a two-act chamber opera.