Weir, Judith (1954–)
Weir, Judith (1954–)
British composer. Born 1954 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Studied composition with John Tavener in London, with Barry Vercoe at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1973), with Robin Holloway at Cambridge University (1973–76), and at Tanglewood with Gunther Schuller (1975); taught composition at Glasgow University and held fellowships at Oxford and Princeton universities; was composer in association for City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1995–98) and artistic director of Spitalfields Festival, London (1995–2000); works include Where the Shining Trumpets Blow (1973), Out of the Air (1975), Several Concertos (1980), Music for 247 Strings (1981), Thread! (1981), The Black Spider (1984), The Consolations of Scholarship (1985), A Night at the Chinese Opera (1987) and The Welcome Arrival of Rain (2001); collaborated with playwrights Caryl Churchill and Peter Shaffer, storyteller Vayu Naidu, and several theatrical companies, including Royal National Theatre and Peter Hall Company. Named CBE (1995).