Born in 1928, and still composing music almost a century later, Thea Musgrave is a musical icon. Over a remarkable international career, Thea has created a body of work bursting with energy, ready to leap off the page and seize our imagination. Her music abounds with such style and sophistication, constantly asking fresh and daring questions of musical forms and traditions. She lures us in by suffusing her music with so much of the world we know, drawing in particular on paintings, poems, myths and her Scottish heritage as the starting point for so many of her musical voyages.

She has long been beguiled by the inherent theatre of the concert hall, compelling soloists and ensembles to assume new formations, making audiences think anew about what we are witnessing onstage – and our part in it. This was evident in her thrilling Clarinet Concerto, proudly commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1969. Thea has received many significant awards including two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Ivors Classical Music Award 2018, and The Queen's Medal for Music. She was awarded a CBE on the Queen's New Year's Honours List in 2002.

In recognition of her remarkable artistry and achievements, we were proud to present Thea with RPS Honorary Membership in 2022. In February 2025, Thea’s opera Mary, Queen of Scots was newly staged by the English National Opera to packed houses and much critical acclaim. We invite performers and audiences to delve into the extraordinary canon she has gifted us, teeming with treasure: athletic and adventurous for its players; atmospheric, suspenseful and cinematic for its listeners.

To discover more, visit the dedicated page on the website of her publisher Novello & Co and Chester Music, part of Wise Music Group, which features her complete repertoire, details of key works, her biography and career highlights, and a short film of Thea talking about her music.

Peter Mark is a renowned conductor, viola player and teacher. For over 35 years, he conducted Virginia Opera where he was also Founding Artistic and General Director. In this role, leading over 100 productions, he conducted the US premiere of Thea’s opera Mary, Queen of Scots and the world premiere of her opera A Christmas Carol. He subsequently conducted the forces of the Royal Opera House at Sadler’s Wells in the European premiere of the work. He has conducted on five continents, and also worked extensively as an opera coach with singers around the globe live and on Zoom with his unique OperaVoiceBodyWork.com.

He began his career as an eminent viola player, and toured extensively throughout Europe, South America, and the UK as a soloist. He performed as Principal with Chicago Lyric Opera, Assistant Principal at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and teaching at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he met visiting professor Thea Musgrave. They were married in 1971 in London. In 1973, Thea wrote her Viola Concerto for Peter which he premiered that year at the BBC Proms with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Thea conducting.