Sheila Smith

He was born in London in 1962 and grew up in Croydon. He sang in various choirs from the age of seven, and began learning the organ when he was 10. His first appointment was as Organist and Choirmaster of a local church when he was 16. Subsequently, he became Organ Scholar at Kings' College, London, where he studied from 1981 to 1984. At the same time, he specialised in composition, studying with Nicola LeFanu and David Lumsdaine. Having completed his postgraduate training at the London Institute of Education, Alan began his teaching career in Croydon. In 1990, he was appointed Head of Music at Hazelwick School, Crawley, a post he still holds. In recognition of his ongoing work in developing composing at the school, he has subsequently been awarded the additional post of composer-in-residence.

1990 was also the the year that Alan first came to prominence as a composer when he won the RSCM's annual composing competition. His winning piece, Let the Peoples Praise You O God, has subsequently been widely performed and remains one of his best known works. Since then, he has won various awards, most recently the 2003 Thornesian Prize, an honourable mention in the 2004 Vanguard Premieres Competition (Michigan, USA, a highly commended award in the 2005 IMRO Composers' Competition as well as first prize in an RSCM anthem writing competion. In 2006, he was a shortlisted finalist in the Canadian Choral Composition Contest and in 2007, a prizewinner in a Handel-inspired Chamber Organ Composing Competition.

In addition to the 140+ scores on SibeliusMusic.com, he has a further 100 or so titles available through 12 different publishers in the UK and America. Further details of these may be found in Alan's webpage on the British Academy of Composers' Register of Members. A complete catalogue of all works is available on request.

Since 1988, Alan has been Director of Music at St Andrew's Church in Burgess Hill. He lives in the nearby village of Newick with his wife and three children.

–––––––––––––––––––––––- SPECIAL OFFER ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Buying any of my choral music scores listed on this website entitles the purchaser to make a set of copies for their own choir, making it a very cost-effective way of stocking a choir's library.