Arthur Keegan is a composer from Coventry. He attended his first classical music concert aged 16, describing it as a ‘turning point that has led me to find community, joy and work in classical music’. Now based in Burnley, Lancashire, Arthur’s work often draws inspiration from poetry and literature. His process is led by collaboration with performers and his technique includes elements drawn from formative experiences writing electronic music. You can read more about Arthur and and his music on our website here.

Arthur's new work, inspired by Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, will be performed by Hebrides Ensemble as part of their Music for Time tour in February 2026, with the premiere performance at RPS Award-winning festival The Cumnock Tryst. The concert will also feature Messiaen’s quartet, in a tribute to the 85th anniversary of its first performance. A masterpiece of 20th-century chamber music written in a prisoner-of-war camp during WWII, Quartet for the End of Time is also a seminal work for Hebrides Ensemble, having been part of their first ever concert performance. Keegan’s composition takes Messiaen’s ideas of eternity and renewal as a starting point, creating a contemporary reflection on faith, fragility, and the passing of time. The programme will have repeat performances in Edinburgh, Skye, and Glasgow.

Sun 01 Feb 2026, 5pm - Dumfries House, Cumnock, KA18 2NJ (world premiere)
Mon 02 Feb 2026, 7pm – Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF
Fri 6th Feb 2026, 7.30pm - Bun Sgoil Ghaidhlig Phort Righ, Skye, IV51 9EG
Sat 7th Feb 2026, 7pm – Adelaide Place, Glasgow, G2 4HZ

Arthur says: 'My new piece was written specifically for  this programme in collaboration with the Hebrides Ensemble for their Music for Time Tour. It’s been fascinating to delve deep deep into Messiaen’s musical language and beautiful musical imagery. My piece transports the soundworld of Messiaen’s closing music, depicting a moment beyond time, after time, beyond our understanding of existence to the moments before life emerged on earth. Coalesce then unfolds imagining the emergence of life from chaos and it’s development to complex life and humans. It closes gently, with a prayer for humanity’s future. Collaborating with the Hebrides Ensemble on this piece has been an absolute joy and I’m so grateful to the RPS who commissioned the piece.'

Arthur is one of eight individuals we are supporting on the 2025 RPS Composers programme, giving each a commission and premiere with a noted ensemble, festival or venue, as well as a year of professional development which gives them the chance to meet industry experts and professional composers, furthering their confidence and skills to seek further commissions and premieres of their own. The RPS Composers programme is made possible by a range of trusts and foundations, and through the kind support of RPS Members.

You can find out more about RPS Membership and how you can help us support talented musicians like Arthur here.

Arthur is writing for Hebrides Ensemble. Click the button below to visit their website and book your tickets for the performances.