ABOUT

​

Annabel Kershaw is a composer based in Scotland. He creative work combines elements of documentary fieldwork with new music, bringing focus to under-represented voices, explorations of place and community, and the telling of stories. 

​

Her first major project as lead artist (as composer / producer) was The Mariner's Daughter (2024) co-commissioned by the Sound Festival and supported by the Creative Scotland Open Fund for Individuals. Scored for quintet and recorded voices (based on fieldwork interviews) the piece explored a range of intergenerational perspectives of women with a strong connection to the North Sea. The work premiered at the 5th Findhorn Bay Festival and toured as part of Sound Festival 2024. 

​

Annabel trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying composition with Diana Burrell.  Her formative experiences as a composer combined creative projects with educational and collaborative work, including scoring for theatre and film. Her early works included Morning Star, Evening Star commissioned by The Barbican Trio as part of the Park Lane Young Composers Symposium; Little Robin Red Vest, a collaboration with children's author Jan Fearnley and commissioned by The Wigmore Hall; and Haikus on the Beach, performed as part of the Aldeburgh Festival by Ipswich Community Choir.

​

Her work within music education has most recently included developing composition resources for primary schools through the Laidlaw Music Centre's StAMP / ABRSM composition project, and her ongoing work with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, as both a teaching artist on the NYOS Lab project and as a mentor on the current NYOS Music Leaders programme.  She balances a creative freelance career with a busy family life.