Hannah Kendall

Known for her attentive arrangements and immersive world-building, British composer Hannah Kendall’s music looks beyond the boundaries of composition. Her work bridges gaps between different musical cultures, both honouring and questioning the contemporary tradition while telling new stories through it. Contrasting fine detail with limitless abandon, she has become renowned both as a composer and a storyteller, confronting our collective history with narratively-driven pieces centred on bold mission statements.

Kendall’s work has been widely celebrated. She has created pieces such as Disillusioned Dreamer (2018), which the San Francisco Chronicle praised for having a ‘rich inner life’, as well as The Knife of Dawn (2016), a chamber opera that received critical acclaim for its involving and claustrophobic representation of the incarceration of Guyanese political activist Martin Carter.

She has worked with ensembles including London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, LA Phil, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé, Ensemble Modern, Klangforum Wien, and London Sinfonietta. In 2022, she was the recipient of the Hindemith Prize for outstanding contemporary composers, and nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the Small Chamber category. In 2023, Hannah won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Large Ensemble Composition for shouting forever into the receiver, and Even sweetness can scratch the throat was nominated for Best Chamber Ensemble Composition.