About CRW

Colin R Waller     is a British composer and Conductor born in London UK in April 1954.  A student of English composer Richard Arnell he has written a considerable amount of music across many genres, including two Symphony's, two concerti (one for horn and the most recent for cello) several Concert Overtures, a wealth of music for Military band, and many songs of a more modern pop nature. He can point to experience across a broad spectrum of genres including what is often labelled Classical music, Jazz/Big Band and Pop and Rock. Colin has won several accolades in his career including prizes and a Fellowship at Trinity Laban (then Trinity College of Music, London), Songwriting competitions and an award for excellence from The Royal Navy.

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Education

Colin was born in Forest Gate, East London whose father Frank (often known as Tony) was a Record Producer and mother Veronica a medical clerk. As a child, he learned to play the horn, and later the piano and percussion, and began composing by the age of 13 or 14. He was educated at Plaistow Grammar School, Newham Academy of Music and at Trinity College of Music London (now Trinity Laban), where he studied Horn (with John Burden - Principle. Horn CBSO and MFO and most notably The Beatles "Sgt Pepper" Album ), Percussion (Michael Skinner - Principle Percussion Covent Garden), Composition (Richard Arnell) and Conducting (Bernard Keefe - BBC broadcaster), earning his Fellowship as a composer in 1976 and an LTCL in 1975). He followed his time at Trinity with an extra years study at Middlesex Polytechnic to gain Qualified Teacher Status (Certificate in Education). His enthusiasm to ensure he had first hand knowledge of as many instruments as possible led to him studying all the members of the brass family at Trent Park (with Peter Gane-Bass Trombone with the LSO) and being self taught in electronic music (synthesisers and programming, then in its infancy), Guitars and Bass Guitar, and he added Drum Kit to his skills as a percussionist!

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Career

Colin stayed in London in after leaving college in 1979 to further his career with a variety of “gig” jobs as an Electric Bass player and various Peripatetic Teaching jobs in the Outer London Boroughs. His very first contract was a months run in repertory  theatre of “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” an experience which was to give him a taste of Musical Theatre which would come in very handy in his later years. In the 1980s and struggling to earn an adequate wage from “gig” work he took the decision to concentrate on instrumental teaching for the London Borough of Newham (Newham Academy of Music) bringing his musical education back full circle. At NAM he rose through the ranks to become a Head of Department with responsibility for its innovation into Jazz and Pop along with Electronic Music. The later culminated with participation on stage and video in the now notorious “Destination Docklands” concerts by French superstar Jean Michel Jarre in front of the late Dianna Princess of Wales, notorious because of its large scale and the amount of rain performers had to endure repeatedly in the middle of the London docks. To quote Jean M-J "us Frogs love the rain"(It was indeed actually HIS quote)! The late 80’s saw a move to Southend on Sea to advise on Electronics and Computers in Education  and it was here that he became an associate conductor of the Southend Youth Symphony Orchestra and the founding Musical Director of the Southend Youth Symphonic Wind Orchestra the later of which was to become well know for its large scale performances.

1999 saw a major change in direction with a move to the West Country as Director of Music & Worship at the prestigious “Upton Vale Baptist Church “ in Torquay which led to the formation of the Icthus Orchestra and the series of concerts “Bay Praise” with visiting celebrities from stage and TV including comedians Peter Goodnight and Cannon & Ball.

With his reputation for innovation in music education now firmly established it was not long before Torbay Council approached Colin to act as a Music Development Coordinator for Childrens Services (in 2006) leading to the establishment of the highly respected “Schools Festival of Performing Arts” and the “Westward Symphony Orchestra” the later of which was to specialise in giving school children the experience of a full symphony orchestra concert and for most their first taste of live orchestral music.

Ill health led to early retirement from education in 2012 and it was not until 2014 that he re-entered the music business as Conductor of the Royal Navy “Britannia Royal Naval College” Bands (Military Band, Marching Band, Big Band and Corps of Drums) a period of his life and with many friends he fondly remembers (see separate page).

With his wife Pauline becoming very Ill he took the decision to retire from BRNC to look after her. On leaving the Royal Navy he was to be awarded with the “Captains Award for Excellence” an honour that he particularly treasures. In 2023 with the death of his beloved wife from what turned out to be a rare form of Alzheimer’s, he decided to scale back on musical life only to find that his composition output suddenly increased dramatically. 

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Music

As a composer Colin was highly productive and as a artist, composer and songwriter tended to work in traditional genres. His Fellowship of Trinity College of Music London, F.T.C.L. drew very gracious comments from UK composer Arnold Cooke (a contemporary of the "English tradition") and which has remained a constant encouragement in a world of emerging atonalism (which is not a criticism) .  His early music follows this English tradition with the influence of Cooke, Vaughn Williams, Holst and others, but it then changed drastically from the time of his move in 1999 to the West Country. His output of the 1980s and 90s is far more basic, overtly harmonic and non-dissonant but by 2016 he found himself settling into a style which would become a more comfortable genre. If this mature music shows the modern influences of Walton and Shostakovich, it is also still leavened with the English sense of lyricism that is RVW and company. In a recent article posted on social media he comments "my music is a part of my existential being and no longer do I seek the approval of others to it being relevant to its success or failure. I write because I have to, my soul cries out and my music as such is a response. To quote the great Jimmy Page “music is not a competition its a sharing”! “The only One I write for is He who made me and gave me what limited gifting I may have in order to converse with Him. Anything else for me is secondary!"

His output of orchestral music lies alongside a massive number of pop/rock songs written for various bands but heavily influence by his spirituality which by now is mature and a major part of his life. In these genres he has written two musicals, two cantata/celebrations, a video track and been a winner in two songwriting competitions most notably BBCTV Festival of New Hymns (although its title should really be songs). In 2017 his Rock Anthem “Long Live The King” received its premier at the Royal Albert Hall under the baton of Dr Noel Tredennick and his music has been featured on both Radio and Television. In 2018 his stage musical “Something Beyond The Star” was given its premier run at the Palace Avenue Theatre Paignton.

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Personal

Colin has been a spiritual person for most of his life and was baptised as a (Baptist) Christian when he was 18. It is only in his later years that he prefers not to tag himself with any denominational label and his more mature spirituality was to have a greater influence on his musical output. He was married for 43 years to Pauline and they have two children Adam & Joanna and currently 3 grandchildren Elliot, Bella and Penny and its not so surprising that they all share his musical genes. He refuses to back any one political belief believing there is too much “back room” influence in the major protagonists.

 

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