Nicholas Hare composer / arranger

Nicholas Hare began his musical career as a chorister at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, under Dr William Harris. His education continued at Marlborough College, Wiltshire, after which he went on to the Royal College of Music in London, studying harmony and counterpoint with Dr Sydney Watson and organ with George Thalben-Ball. From there he took up a scholarship to Corpus Christi College Oxford to study music, again with Sydney Watson. This was followed by research into the early 16th century composer, John Taverner. Alongside his academic work he sang with numerous student groups, in particular the Schola Cantorum of Oxford and the Clerkes of Oxenford.

After leaving Oxford he began a teaching career and served as Assistant Director and then Director of Music at Cheltenham College Preparatory School, for around eleven years. There he gained experience working with choirs and orchestras, making numerous arrangements for mixed instrumental groups. For 8 years he directed Music Vera chamber choir in Cheltenham, covering a wide range of repertoire from the 16th to 20th centuries, culminating in a performance of Bach’s St John Passion in 1979.

In 1979 he took up an editorial role at Chester Music, London. There he worked on numerous projects ranging from the Chester Books of Motets and Madrigals to editing new works by living composers such as Lennox Berkeley, Geoffrey Burgon, Magnus Lindberg, Witold Lutoslawski, Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Nyman and Kevin Volans. He was involved in the production of new scores and orchestral material for many first performances. He oversaw the production of new editions of established works by Manuel de Falla, Igor Stravinsky, Lennox Berkeley and others.

By contrast he was also closely involved in many educational projects, contributing instrumental arrangements of his own that are widely used in schools. These include the Kaleidoscope series for mixed ensembles, and arrangements for string, wind and brass ensembles (the latter under the pseudonym Colin A H Asher).

In 1990 he started working freelance. Whilst the work on Chester projects continued apace, he also undertook similar editorial and arranging work for Faber Music, Boosey & Hawkes, Trinity College London the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and others. Boosey & Hawkes publish five books of his arrangements in the Magic series for wind and brass solo with piano, whilst Novello publish books of his arrangements for ladies' and men's barbershop and close harmony groups, and several pieces in a similar vein for mixed voices.

In 2018 the RSCM published his short Mass for Lent, based on the well-known Lenten hymn tune Forty days and forty nights. This was written for the choir of St Saviour's Church, St Albans, in which Nicholas and his wife Susan sing. It was first performed by the choir on Ash Wednesday 2017 conducted by Dr John Winter.