David John Roche’s music is direct, determined, and loud. Strongly influenced by heavy metal, lush orchestral music, and his working-class Welsh background, David’s work has been praised for its “passages of intense expressive power” (Thomas Adès), described as “exquisite” (Adam Walton, BBC Introducing), and marked out as “bold, exciting, and beautiful” (Sir James Dyson).
In tandem with a consistent string of international performances and commissions, his compositions have been broadcast, televised, and written about internationally to millions of people (Rai5, Tellebelluno, S4C, NHK, BBC Radio 3, BBC Introducing, London Evening Standard, and many others). He is currently completing commissions for the Tanglewood Music Centre, Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation, and the Vale of Glamorgan Festival (Tredegar Town Band). He is also undertaking research and production work with Meta Arts and Wales Arts Review.
2010-2023 Commissioned Works
2023 Sinfonia Cymru and Aberystwyth Philomusica: new work for orchestra (30 minutes), Aberystwyth University CERDDWN Commission funded by Aberystwyth University, Tŷ Cerdd, and Arts Council Wales.
Jeremy Huw Williams: new work for baritone and piano, Welsh Music Guild Paul Mealor Award Commission
Tredegar Town Band; The Vow for brass band, Vale of Glamorgan Festival Commission,
2022 TMC Double Bass Ensemble: Thousandth Hymnal for double bass septet, Tanglewood Music Centre Commission, with the generous support of the Merwin Geffen M.D. and Norman Solomon M.D. New Commissions Fund.
Solem Quartet: A Prayer at the Edge of Silence for string quartet (22 minutes), Solem Quartet Commission.
Brian Ellis: Eastern Standard Canons (The Grid) for solo ukulele, private commission.
2021 Psappha Ensemble: Practice Patience for chamber ensemble, inaugural Larner-Walker Commission.
Toru Kaku: Three Settings of O Mistress Mine for baritone and piano, commissioned by Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation in conjunction with Mr Toru Kaku.
Fresh Inc Festival Ensemble: Ten Hours Daily Screen Time (in Sound), for chamber ensemble, commission supported by the Steven R. Gerber Trust.
2020 Giovanni Albini: I LOVE UKULELE for solo ukulele, private commission.
National Library of Wales: The Harp of Wales, for solo classical guitar, commissioned by the National Library of Wales.
2019 BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Waves of Love, for orchestra, Vale of Glamorgan Festival Commission.
Siwan Rhys: Prayers of Method, solo piano, Vale of Glamorgan Festival Commission.
2018 Hijinx Theatre: Hansel, Gedeon, and the Grimms’ Wood for fixed media (theatre), commissioned by Tŷ Cerdd.
Royal Observatory Greenwich: Ted’s Space Adventure for fixed media (planetarium), commissioned by the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Psappha Ensemble: No Steel Leaves for toy piano and percussion, commissioned by Rachel Swanick in conjunction with Psappha as part of the Hear and Now wellbeing project, supported by Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts Program.
Astrid the Dutch Street Organ: Uniquely Physical, Vale of Glamorgan Festival Commission
NAFA Ensemble: Hands Held, for chamber ensemble, NAFA Ensemble Commission
NAFA Ensemble: Endellion, for chamber ensemble, NAFA Ensemble Commission
2017 Orion Orchestra and Dyson: Acoustical Anatomy large orchestra and Dyson technologies, commissioned by the Orion Orchestra and Dyson.
Jan Willem Nelleke and Jose Zalba Smith: Leading by Example for flute and piano, Vale of Glamorgan Festival Commission.
2014 Cambridge University Communications Department: Prader Willi Syndrome: Vagal Nerve Stimulator Film, six pieces of music were written to accompany this 40-minute film.
Cambridge University Communications Department: From the Front to the Backs: Story of the First Eastern Hospital, five pieces of music were written to accompany this 36 minute film.
2010-2013: The British Library; 2 commissions, one for music accompanying videos on their website and a piece of music accompanying a film about Charles Dickens featuring actor Simon Callow.
2011-2012: Centre of the Cell: 5 Commissions, 2 pieces of music accompanying documentary films, 2 60 second loops for video games, and music for a film. The Trauma Show – for Cheltenham Science Festival.
AWARDS / PRIZES (SELECT)
2023 (Jan): Recipient of a Britten Sinfonia Magnum Opus Residency.
2023 (Jan): Recipient of a Fellowship Assistant Award from the Mostly Modern Festival.
2022 (Oct): Shortlisted for an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
2022 (May): Awarded an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice Grant.
2022 (June): Selected for NMC Recording’s Lockdown Survey release.
2021 (October): Third Prize, Artinno Award for Orchestral Composition.
2021 (September): First Prize, Dante 700 Composition Award for Orchestral Composition.
2021 (August): 2nd Prize, She Lives Rome Award.
2021 (April): Finalist, Film Scoring Academy of Europe Composition Competition.
2021 (March): Winner, Solem Quartet BBN Call for Scores.
2021 (January): Winner, NYC Contemporary Music Symposium Call for Scores.
2021 (January): Second Prize, Tōru Takemitsu Composition Award (Thomas Adès judging).
2021 (January): Sound and Music COVID Composer Award.
2021 (January): First Prize, Dante Moro Composition Competition.
2020 (November): Selected for the final of the Composition Competition TGMUSIC Online.
2020 (August): Awarded a Theatr Clwyd Micro-bursary during the COVID 2020 Lockdown.
2020 (August): Awarded an Equal Sound Organisation Award for the Impulse New Music Festival.
2020 (January): Awarded a Composer Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center.
2019 (November): Selected for the final (Thomas Adès judging) of the Tōru Takemitsu Composition Competition.
2019 (September): Awarded a fellowship from The Guild of St. Teilo.
2019 (September): Awarded a funding grant from the UK Friends of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation.
2019 (August): 1st Place, Senior Category, in the final round of the 2019 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition (awarded for my orchestral work Six Prayers).
2019 (August): Special Prize for Best Orchestral Composition, Senior Category, in the final round of the 2019 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition (awarded for my orchestral work Six Prayers).
2019 (August): Awarded a funding grant from the Lithuanian Arts Council.
2019 (August): Awarded a Help Musicians UK Transmission Fund.
2019 (July): Awarded a scholarship to participate in the São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival Course.
2019 (April): Awarded a scholarship to participate in Longy’s Divergent Studio at Bard College, Boston, United States.
2019 (April): Shortlisted for the Help Musicians Transmission Fund (not awarded)
2019 (February): My composition Tremolo Study 4 was selected for performance on Adam Walton’s BBC Radio Introducing Show. Described as ‘exquisite’ and ‘beautiful’.
2018 (September): Composition We Are Key selected for the final of the Future Blend Project Composition Competition.
2018 (August): 2nd Place, Senior Category, in the final round of the 2018 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition (awarded for my orchestral work Four Bridges, Four Movements).
2018 (August): Special Prize for Best Composition, Senior Category, in the final round of the 2018 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition (awarded for my orchestral work Four Bridges, Four Movements).
2018 (January): My composition Ten Acre Riots! was shortlisted as the Wales ISCM World Music Days entry.
2017 (November): Winner, 2017 Orion Orchestra Composition Competition.
2017 (August): 3rd Place, Senior Category in the 2017 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition.
2017 (August): 3rd Place, Senior Category, in the first round of the 2017 International Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition (awarded for my work Ten Acre Riots!).
2017 (June): William Barclay Squire Fund Grant.
2017 (May): MPA Richard Toeman Scholarship (shortlisted).
2016- 2017 (February): Eight Separate Seton Cavendish Travel Grant Awards in this time period in support of my studies.
2016 (December): Vale of Glamorgan Festival Composer’s Bursary, in support of my attendance at the festival.
2016 (June): Friends of Musicfest Aberystwyth Bursary, awarded to support my attendance at Musicfest Aberystwyth.
2016 (June): Fletcher Players Funding Grant, awarded to support my third opera Scenes from A Void.
2016 (June): Psappha Bursary, awarded to support my role as a composer in Psappha’s Composing for Piano Scheme
2013 (July): HCR Service Award for my ‘contribution to postgraduate life’.
2012 (August): Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Prize - runner up in the inaugural awarding of this scholarship.
2012 (August): AHRC Studentship awarded by University of Oxford covering all fees associated with the course undertaken.
2012 (July): Morfydd Owen Prize – ‘Exceptional academic performance’ final year undergraduate.
2011: Cardiff University Scholarship – ‘best academic performance’ 2nd year undergraduate.
2010: Cardiff University Scholarship – ‘best academic performance’ 1st year undergraduate.
2009: Cardiff University Scholarship for academic performance on entry to university.