logo
King's musical sage Errollyn Wallen blazes new path

King's musical sage Errollyn Wallen blazes new path

LONDON: Told she would never belong in the world of classical music, Errollyn Wallen has risen to become the composer to King Charles III and the first person of colour in the historic role.
The 67-year-old became the Master of the King's Music last year, a 400-year-old post and one of the classical world's top honours that involves composing works for landmark events and advising the king on musical matters for royal occasions.
'He's very musical, which everybody's really thrilled about,' Wallen told AFP.
'He likes listening to music and he is curious about it – he has broad tastes, which is really wonderful,' added Wallen, who premiered her 'funky' new composition 'Elements' at the first night of the renowned Proms music festival in London on Friday.
Charles showed a lighter side in March when he shared his favourite songs from around the Commonwealth in an Apple podcast, revealing a surprising appreciation of disco, reggae and Afrobeats and including hits from such artists as Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross.
In a sign of his musical conviction, Charles sought advice from Wallen – 'but in the end the king chose his own' songs, she said.
'It was important for him to choose tracks that brought back personal memories to him and that's the power of music,' said the pianist, violinist and singer.
'Think of the people he's met, all the great musicians. It's incredible,' added the self-confessed cake fanatic.
Teacher inspiration
Wallen was born in the former British colony of Belize in 1958, and soon showed signs of a precocious talent.
'My parents said that as a baby, I didn't cry, but I was always singing.'
She moved to London aged two and her mother and father then relocated to New York, leaving her and her siblings, one of whom is the jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen, in the care of her aunt and uncle.
'I was always making up songs for any boring chore,' she recalled.
Wallen credits a junior school teacher for setting her on her current path.
'I was very lucky that at school, all of us nine-year-olds were taught to read and write music, but also introduced to orchestral music.'
However, she received little encouragement to pursue a career as a composer.
'I love my family, but I think there was the idea that you wouldn't step out of the ordinary,' she explained.
Another early memory is of a non-music teacher telling her 'you know, little girl, classical music isn't for you'.
'These subtle messages going in that I might be good at music, but I wouldn't belong to that world.
Netflix says it used GenAI in Argentine TV series
'But I was so curious and passionate about music… I think the negative messages didn't go in deeply.'
'So shocked'
Indeed, taking the road less travelled only strengthed her conviction and 'led me into other paths of music making which has stood me in great stead'.
'I was a keyboard player and I played music in the community and care homes – it opened my eyes to how music can touch people.'
It was at boarding school that the classical bug really took hold, and it was later nurtured at Goldsmiths', King's College London and King's College, Cambridge.
Wallen also appeared as a backing artist for the 1990s girl group 'Eternal' and performed as a tap dancer, having trained as a dancer in London and New York.
She had her own recording studio, and her work includes 22 operas and a range of orchestral, chamber and vocal compositions.
Her arrangement of Hubert Parry's 'Jerusalem' was performed at the Last Night of the Proms in 2020, and she also composed a piece for the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in 2012.
But she still admitted to being 'so shocked' when the palace called last July, generating headlines about her being the first black woman to assume the role.
'I had to remind the palace, I'm the first black person, full stop. There's never been a person of colour in this role, since 1626.'
Charles I created the role to take charge of his personal band, but today it mainly entails advising and composing.
'I wrote something for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier in the year… and I did say to the palace my main objective is to be a kind of music ambassador,' she said, adding that 'children are my priority'.
She aims to get for 'children some of the things that so many of us had for free' when it comes to a musical education.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Travis Kelce shares Taylor Swift photos in Instagram post indicating growth in relationship
Travis Kelce shares Taylor Swift photos in Instagram post indicating growth in relationship

Express Tribune

time12 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

Travis Kelce shares Taylor Swift photos in Instagram post indicating growth in relationship

Travis Kelce has posted multiple images of Taylor Swift to Instagram, signalling a new phase in their relationship. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end shared 13 photos in total, seven of which included Swift. According to a source speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, the post was "intentional" and "his way of showing how serious things have become." While the couple began dating in September 2023, this marks the first time Kelce has included Swift in his Instagram feed. 'They're in a really solid place and more in sync than ever,' the source added. The images feature the couple in various settings, including a boat, a restaurant in matching outfits, and during a trip to Montana with friends. One of the photos shows Kelce's phone lock screen, a black-and-white image of the couple. The caption read: 'Had some adventures this offseason, kept it 💯,' with appearances from family members, including his brother Jason Kelce and mother Donna Kelce. Swift previously posted a photo including Kelce on June 22 2024, from her Wembley Stadium performance, which also featured members of the British royal family. The post has drawn supportive comments from figures such as teammate Patrick Mahomes and entertainer Flavor Flav.

Colbert hits back at Trump
Colbert hits back at Trump

Express Tribune

timea day ago

  • Express Tribune

Colbert hits back at Trump

Stephen Colbert had an unflinching message for US President Donald Trump in his first broadcast since his "Late Show" was cancelled amid a political firestorm — "the gloves are off." As per AFP, Colbert, who addressed the cancellation of his show by a broadcaster that has been widely accused of seeking to curry favour with Trump for business reasons, came out swinging — telling Trump to "go f*** yourself." The Late Show, a storied US TV franchise dating back to 1993 when it was hosted by David Letterman, will go off the air in May 2026 following a surprise announcement by broadcaster CBS last week. The channel is part of Paramount, which is in the throes of an $8 billion takeover that requires approval by the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission. It pulled the plug three days after Colbert skewered CBS for settling a lawsuit with Trump. He accused it of paying what he termed a "a big fat bribe" of $16 million to the president for what he called "deceptive" editing of an interview with his 2024 election opponent, former vice president Kamala Harris. Trump reveled in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform that "I absolutely love that Colbert was fired." Colbert joked that it had always been his dream starting out as an improv comic in Chicago in the 1980s to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career. He also disputed the logic of CBS who insisted the cancellation was "purely a financial decision." He said that in an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest his show lost $40 million last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing $24 million annually — but wasn't to blame for the other $16 million, a reference to CBS News's settlement with Trump. Monday's cold open was an unsparing riff on Trump demanding that the Washington Commanders change its name back to its former name which was widely considered a slur against Native Americans. The segment suggested Trump sought to rename the franchise the "Washington Epsteins", in reference to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein whom it has been widely reported was close to Trump. Colbert returned to this topic after addressing his show's cancellation, proclaiming that they had killed his show but not him, and doing a deep dive on reporting about just how close Trump and Epstein were. It was a formula that would have been familiar to fans of the show: the deadly serious leavened with humor and quick wit. Outside the taping at Midtown Manhattan's Ed Sullivan theater, protesters held placards that said "Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!" Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert's firing "terrible." "It's really awful that it's come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It's really awful," she told AFP. 'A plague on CBS' Colbert's lead guest on Monday, acclaimed actor Sandra Oh, did not hold back, proclaiming a "plague on CBS and Paramount" — the network on which Colbert's channel is broadcast and its media giant proprietor. Colbert's lip trembled as Oh paid tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny. His other guest, actor Dave Franco, said he had loved Colbert's work in everything from The Daily Show to The Colbert Report and then The Late Show. It was on The Daily Show, under the supervision of comic "anchor" Jon Stewart, that Colbert perfected his alter-ego — a blowhard conservative reporter whose studied ignorance parodied actual right-wing broadcasters night after night. He moved up to a show of his own on the same network, Comedy Central, which was then part of Viacom and today is part of Paramount. Before long he took one of the most coveted chairs in US television — host of the CBS late-night slot. Colbert dropped his arrogant conservative persona and cultivated a reputation as one of the most trusted yet funniest figures on US television. Through the coronavirus pandemic he became a reassuring presence for millions, broadcasting from a spare room in his house and narrating the challenges he faced alongside his wife Evelyn. He also became an arch-critic of Trump, skewering the president for everything from his policies to his fondness for Hannibal Lecter. Skipping a promised question and answer session following the taping of Monday's show, Colbert told his studio audience that "I was nervous coming out here." "I will miss you."

Sparks fly in White House after 'South Park' Trump parody
Sparks fly in White House after 'South Park' Trump parody

Express Tribune

time2 days ago

  • Express Tribune

Sparks fly in White House after 'South Park' Trump parody

The White House on Thursday lashed out at the creators of South Park after the bawdy satire skewered Donald Trump in an episode featuring an AI-generated version of the US president crawling naked through a desert, reported AFP. In a no-holds-barred season premiere, the animated Trump character is also seen begging Satan for sex, only to be rebuffed - in part because his penis is too small. The White House was not amused. "The Left's hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as 'offence' content, but suddenly they are praising the show," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Variety. "Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows." Rogers maintained that the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years" and is "hanging on by a thread" in a bid for attention. "President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history — and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak," he added. The adult animated series, which frequently touches on hot-button issues in American life, is now in its 27th season and remains one of the world's most valuable TV shows. The season premiere begins with the foul-mouthed Cartman appalled that NPR has been taken off the air by the president, while Randy, a parent, is disturbed by the presence of Jesus in public elementary school. Complaints to the fictional White House receive only a threat from Trump to sue the mountain town of South Park for billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the animated Trump is threatening to bomb Canada "like I did Iraq." "I thought you just bombed Iran," the Canadian prime minister replies. The episode, which sees the fictional Trump ride rough-shod over many aspects of American life, ends after the town of South Park makes a financial deal with the president that includes an agreement to make public service announcements. The AI generated short that follows — ostensibly one of those announcements — shows an overweight Trump staggering through a desert as a narrator casts him as a latter-day Jesus. The short ends with a naked Trump as the narrator says: "Trump. His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is large." Merger The episode aired days after creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone reportedly penned a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount that gives the company global rights. The deal comes at a sensitive time for Paramount, which is trying to secure government approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance. The CBS parent caused a furor this month when it agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit Trump had brought over an interview the storied "60 Minutes" current affairs program aired with Kamala Harris ahead of last November's election. The payment was criticised by Democrats as little more than a bribe to help smooth the merger, with Paramount initially dismissing Trump's lawsuit as meritless. Last week CBS sparked fury after it cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert whose host is a pointed critic of the president. The network insisted it was a financial decision, but opponents have painted the move as the latest example of American institutions bowing to Trump.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store