Louis Palfrey
Louis is one of eight composers selected for a place on the 2027 RPS Composers programme. This will culminate in him writing a new piece, commissioned by the RPS, for violinist Fenella Humphreys.
On this page, Louis introduces himself in his own words, and shares links to his music, his website, and his social media platforms. We warmly invite programmers and commissioners to take a closer look at Louis' work, and please be in touch with us if you would like to connect with him.
About Louis
'My compositional journey began with experimentation. I have always been more interested in discovering what sounds instruments and recording devices could produce, rather than learning to use them ‘properly’. I spent my early teens playing bass in punk bands before discovering music technology, which opened up a broader world of composition and sound. Since then, I have worked across a wide range of genres and contexts, creating music for film, audio drama, podcasts, games, performance and installation, as well as releasing music independently and collaboratively.
I draw influence from experimental and improvised music, noise, punk, electronic music and hip-hop, alongside a fascination with music technology, digital tools and generative processes. I am particularly interested in what happens when these influences collide rather than remaining within distinct genres.
My work has increasingly moved towards experimentation, improvisation and exploration, informed by the Zen concept of ‘beginner’s mind’. I approach composition as a practice of play-not-practise: a process of attention, response, and remaining open to uncertainty. My current research into free improvisation and Neurodivergence continues this trajectory, exploring music as an embodied, collaborative and accessible practice rather than simply as the realisation of a predetermined musical object.
Sometimes I make stuff just because.'
Highlights
- Louis’ piece TRIANGLING, commissioned by Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) for The Clarion Trio, has been performed at CoMA Festival 2026 and Drake Music’s DMLab Festival 2026.
- In 2025, he released his soundtrack album Where the Land Forgets Itself, a reinterpretation of the poetry collection of the same name by Connor Sansby.
- Louis organised a ‘Playable Graphic Scores’ workshop as part of the 2023 Lucy Hale Day of Music, Disability and Technology at the Royal Northern College of Music. The workshop focused on using Makey Makey kits, pencils, paper and tin foil to create playable graphic scores.
- Louis organised and ran a ‘NAÏVE NOISE’ workshop and performance in Margate. This one-day intensive composition, improvisation and performance workshop, co-led with Yuri Landman, was funded by the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries Idea Fund, and the performance was recorded and released on cassette tape by Industrial Coast.
Find out more
The RPS Composers programme could not happen without the support of RPS Members, PRS Foundation Talent Development Network supported by PPL, Delius Trust, Fidelio Charitable Trust, Garrick Charitable Trust, Idlewild Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Marchus Trust, Presteigne Festival, RPS Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, Vaughan Williams Foundation, WildKat, and several anonymous donors.
