Bill Carslake
Bill composes music inspired by fieldwork in collaboration with artists, scientists and outdoor specialists. He maintains a busy conducting career. He is passionate about eco sail travel and trade.
His latest orchestral composition, Carrownagappul, was commissioned by the Harry Woolhouse Trust for the 25th anniversary of Imperial College Sinfonietta and is inspired by fieldwork at Carrownagappul raised bog, Galway. He collaborated with renowned Irish photographer, Tina Claffey, whose photographs inform the work. The premiere was in June 2024 at Imperial College, London.
In 2018/19 he won a Finzi Scholarship to compose an orchestral piece inspired by Mountain Hares: Mountain Hare was premiered by Farnborough Symphony Orchestra in 2022. The fieldwork trips also inspired the travel essay, Composing in the Cairngorms, and the project features in a Finzi Trust podcast.
In 2016 Bill collaborated with the poet, Helen Mort, on an exploratory climbing expedition in East Greenland for a commission from The Little Baroque Company: The Singing Glacier includes original spoken poetry by Helen and has been performed at festivals in London, Sheffield, Aldeburgh, Wells-next-the-Sea and Inchigeelagh, Cork. Helen’s poetry and the project were celebrated by Hercules Editions in a chapbook, The Singing Glacier, with paintings by Emma Stibbon RA. 2025 sees the launch of The Sea of Trees. This will include sailing to the Faroe Islands, with a focus on phytoplankton – the so-called ‘marine forest’.
Bill is Artistic Director of Farnborough Symphony Orchestra and St Albans Symphony Orchestra, and he guest conducts widely. He is co-founder of Guild of Ships – a booking system and circular economy platform for traditional sail travel.