Tristan Latchford

Tristan is an English composer who takes a keen and active interest in bringing novel and exciting musical experiences to listeners from all backgrounds, which has led to his writing several cross-cultural works. His recent commissions include: A Celebration of Women in the Bible (2020) and Tides (2023). Tristan is the subject of a 2023 documentary by Fugue State Films.

At Durham University, Tristan was awarded a three-month position as ‘Composer in Residence’ at the SeoulOratorio in Korea, before graduating with first class honours and master’s degrees.

These experiences nurtured research interests - The Philosophy of Composition, Music Theory and Analysis, Indonesian Gamelan, Musical Styles of South America, and Psychology of Composition and Audience Reception – that formed the foundation for his Doctor of Musical Arts at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. At Peabody, he was awarded the Eugene Scheffres and Richard E. Hartt Scholarship together with the Peabody scholarship for Composition.

With performance artists, Tristan works to build insight between individuals as a pathway toward understanding and unity. When composing, Tristan writes by hand before typsetting, leading to unique score designs that are easy to perform. His clarity of communication extends to the performance space, where he creates differing musical effects by moving the position of performers to remove social barriers and integrate listeners with music.

His method has built lasting collaborations with many exciting contemporary performers, including Andrew Earis; St Stephen Walbrook Scholars; The Harmonicham Choir; Christian Cang Cuesta; MIVOS Quartet; and Ryo Hasegawa. 

August 2023