Alice Beckwith

Alice Beckwith is a Yorkshire-born composer of orchestral, chamber and vocal music working on commission. Awarded First Prize at the 2025 Charles Wood Festival Composers' Competition, her lyrical melodic sound is firmly rooted in the British Isles - with an emphasis above all upon story-telling.

The creative process never stops. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you tune in (literally) to everything around you - space, colour, sound, energy, words... all seemingly unrelated. My job as a composer is to sift through to find the gem of an idea, often a time-consuming process! But just sometimes, suddenly when least expected, the outline of a sketch effortlessly appears.

Much sought after, Alice has been commissioned by the St Endellion Easter Festival and &Piano Music Festival, in addition to collaborating with The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge and The Carice Singers on new works. A versatile composer of concert music, Alice's sound is lyrical and contemporary - her melodic sound firmly rooted in the British Isles - with an emphasis above all upon story-telling. Originally from Halifax, West Yorkshire, Alice studied at the Junior RNCM before reading Music at Lincoln College, Oxford University. What does being one of Alice's patrons look like? Patrons are invited to join Alice "behind-the-scenes" through regular updates, engaging with her creative process as she collaborates with ensembles and artists on a variety of commissions. Patrons can expect curated playlists, sneak previews of new works, and advance notice of future projects; as well as opportunities to connect digitally through live streaming, and, most importantly, over a cup of tea when in Manchester. For commissioning opportunities, please contact Alice directly though her website.

"Music Patron is a very special opportunity to share my new work, professional success and creative development with an engaged, interactive community of philanthropic individuals."

Supporting a composer on Music Patron gives you a first-hand perspective on the many elements within the creative process and an understanding of the authentic journey of a composer. You can learn more about what it’s like to be a patron here. BiographyAlice Beckwith (b.1989) is a British composer of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music. She is a 2025/26 LSO Soundhub Associate composer. Recent projects include Tomorrow, at dawn - commissioned for Choir & Organ’s New Music Series 2025; The Phoenix - for tenor and harp - first performed by Mark Padmore and Alis Huws at St Endellion; and vocal settings of Heinrich Brockes’ poetry, Nightingale and Reflections - commissioned by Endelienta Baroque. A new song-cycle Five Armitage Songs (2024), commissioned by the AndPiano Music Festival in Huddersfield, marked a welcome return to West Yorkshire - setting texts by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. Alice’s contemporary cantata The Golden Thread (2022) - commissioned by the Green Man Gallery, Buxton, for mezzo and mixed ensemble themed around the Green Man and the Erlking - received a first London performance at the 2023 Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival. Rapidly emerging as a contemporary composer, Alice participated in the 2023 Cheltenham Music Festival Composers’ Academy, for which she created Three Songs with The Carice Singers. Between 2020-22 she was Composer-in-Residence with Lodge Moor Children’s Choir. From Halifax, West Yorkshire, Alice studied at the Junior RNCM before reading Music at Lincoln College, Oxford University; subsequently pursuing further postgraduate studies in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music.