Dr Chris Best

Dr Christopher Best has been senior lecturer and principal tutor in music composition at Falmouth University since 2010, having formerly been reader in music composition at Dartington College of Arts in Devon. He specialises in acoustic composition, both for dance and the concert hall. His research interests include collaborative creative practices and music in a multi-media context. Major works have been commissioned by Scottish Dance Theatre, Bimba Dance Theatre, Jamaican National Dance, Emilyn Claid and Co and SAM (formerly the SPNM).

Works have been especially written for ensembles including Aquarius, Jane’s Minstrels, Kokoro, the choir of Selwyn College Cambridge and Onyx Brass, plus a host of distinguished soloists including cellist Rohan de Saram (ex Arditti String Quartet) and accordionist Milos Milivojević. His compositions have received considerable critical acclaim and been performed and broadcast internationally. Recent output includes; Scending for flutes and accordion (broadcast on Serbian state radio 2018), Emergence for electric guitar (premiered by the composer at the Somextro Symposium Falmouth 2016), Fragilities for bass/alto flute and cello (commissioned by William Sleath with a grant from Britten Pears Foundation), Terra al Sol for voices, string trio and accordion (commissioned by the Fisarchi Ensemble of Florence), How Great, How Fall’n (commissioned by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra) and Echoes of a Lost Music for electric guitar (UK tour 2011-12, New Zealand tour 2009). Additional international teaching work includes co-directing residential music and dance exchanges at London’s South Bank, in Devon and Madrid, and workshops in Spain, Malta, Sweden and Denmark. In his spare time Dr Best is a keen amateur novelist and short story writer, published by Smashwords.