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Described as “a champion of his generation” and whose music is “hauntingly beautiful’ (Media Wales), Nathan James Dearden is an award-winning Welsh composer, conductor, and educator. He has been performed and featured by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Tippett Quartet, Genesis Sixteen, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Heath Quartet, Grand Band, Fidelio Trio, Hebrides Ensemble, CHROMA, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, and Dunedin Consort. His music regularly features in concerts across the UK and overseas, including at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Dartington International Summer Festival, International Young Composers' Meeting, CROSSROADS International New Music Festival and Vale of Glamorgan Festival of Music. His music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, Resonance FM, RTÉ lyric FM, S4C and Soho Radio, and has been released on NMC Recordings and Delphian.
Recent notable performances and projects include: a Welsh tour of The day following with UPROAR New Music Ensemble, That now are distant, commissioned by Nicky Spence and Andrew Matthews-Owen; anthem, commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; love songs for the broken with saxophonist Robert Burton and Britten Sinfonia; and Everything about us in collaboration with poet Rufus Mufasa, commissioned by the National Youth Choir of Wales.
A champion for bringing audiences and communities diverse and exciting programming, Nathan is also a sought-after conductor, arts advisor, event curator and educator. He is currently Lecturer in Music Composition and Music Performance Manager at Royal Holloway University of London, Conductor of the New Voices Consort and New Music Collective, and holds arts advisory roles with several international organisations.