Christopher Best
composer ~ educator ~ performer ~ writer
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Biography
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REQUEST CVBorn in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, Christopher Best spent his formative years in a small outlying village. He was educated at Aylesbury grammar school, an experience he remembers principally for his involvement in annual opera performances and music festivals. However Chris was discouraged from taking A-level music (as it was generally viewed as best left as a hobby) and soon found himself at University College London reading for a degree in geography. He stuck at it for a year, but felt his heart was just not in it and left to do a number of office jobs whilst trying to find a path for himself. |
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At twenty-one Chris decided to enroll at night school and study for A-Level music. Having attained top grades, he secured a place at Lancaster University (taking composition as a first study under Edward Cowie) from where a 1st class degree propelled him on to Churchill College Cambridge (Masters in composition and analysis under Hugh Wood) and then to Nottingham (Doctorate in composition under Nigel Osborne and James Fulkerson). Around the time he was completing his doctorate, Chris fell in love with adult education work, offering music appreciation classes all over Nottinghamshire. This work was immensely enjoyable - and a great education in itself, requiring the preparation of new topics every week. A year or so later the opportunity came up to teach BTEC and A-Level music at the Coventry Centre for the Performing Arts. Having just bought his first house, it was a steady income too good to turn down and an ideal foot in the door for a career in higher education. It could hardly have worked out better. CCPA was just about to move into HNDs and staff were invited to design courses and submit their proposals for approval. Chris crafted an HND in music composition, the first of its kind anywhere in the country, which was eagerly accepted. In 1995 Coventry Centre For The Performing Arts was taken over by Coventry University, its HND courses converted into degrees and suddenly Chris found himself heading up his very own degree course. A further career break came in 1998 when he accepted the post of director of composition at Dartington College of Arts in beautiful rural Devon, later being awarded the title 'Reader in Music Composition'. In a strange repetition of history, Dartington was merged in 2008 with University College Falmouth, finally re-locating to Cornwall in September 2010. Chris continues in his role there as principal composition tutor, whilst maintaining a base in Devon to continue his freelance composition work. |
Updated November 2011
© Christopher Best 2011