michael short

About me

Composer and jazz pianist.

Michael Short was born in Bermuda and educated at Gillingham Grammar School and Bristol University. He then studied music at Morley College and London University and won a Mendelssohn Scholarship which enabled him to study composition in Italy with Goffredo Petrassi, and also in London with Sir Lennox Berkeley.

He has written a wide variety of music, ranging from works commissioned for eminent professional ensembles to pieces for amateurs, educational music, jazz scores and advertising jingles. Many of his compositions have been broadcast on BBC network radio and have been performed in various countries throughout the world. He is a Fellow in Composition of Trinity College of Music, and is a member of the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters.

Besides composition, he has made a special study of the life and music of Gustav Holst. For the centenary of the composer's birth he produced a Centenary Documentation of Holst's works, edited his letters, and organised and compiled the Holst Centenary Exhibition shown in London at the Royal Festival Hall. His comprehensive book Gustav Holst: the Man and his Music was published in 1990 by Oxford University Press. Other writings include Your Book of Music for children, journal articles, record and CD sleeve notes, and radio talks.