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Cecilia McDowall was born in London in 1951, educated at Edinburgh and London Universities and was a prize-winning student at Trinity College of Music. She has a distinctive style which speaks directly to listeners, instrumentalists and singers alike. Her most characteristic works fuse fluent melodic lines with occasional dissonant harmonies and rhythmic exuberance.
Her music has been commissioned and performed by leading choirs, including the BBC Singers, ensembles and at festivals worldwide. She was shortlisted for the 2005 British Composer Awards in two categories: the Liturgical section and the Making Music Award. Her works are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio.
A recent commission, Five Seasons, for which she was selected from a large list of composers by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, was for a choral and instrumental work. This exciting and unique project involved McDowall and the poet, Christie Dickason, taking up mini residences at five organic farms (under the auspices of the Soil Association). The brief for the commission was to ‘celebrate the organic landscape'.
Works published by OUP in the New Horizons series include three Latin motets: Ave Regina, Ave Maria and Regina Caeli, the exuberant Christmas cantata Christus Natus Est, the sumptuous peace motet Ave maris stella and the Magnificat.
Dutton Epoch have now released three CDs of her works. Her first choral CD (CDLX 7146) includes a recording of Ave maris stella, Magnificat and Christus Natus Est. The second choral recording, (CDLX 7197) includes Ave Regina, Ave Maria and Regina Caeli. These motets will be featured on a CD of works recorded by the Phoenix Bach Choir, Arizona which will be released in Autumn 2008 on the Chandos label.
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