I'm delighted to share that a CD which features my Symphony 'To the End, in Songs.' has just been released. Many thanks to the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers for making this recording. You can find out more about the CD via their website. A copy of CD 'To the end in songs'. You can listen to a recording of the premiere performance here: The full track listing includes: To the End in Songs by Peter Relph Text: Psalm 4 The Stranger Among You: Songs of Exile and Home by Jodi

Blea Tarn, marked public domain. Sourced here. I'm pleased to share that four more melodies have been added to the Cumbrian Folk Melody Archive - these are: The Lowther Hunt - From an anonymous tunebook. The Lowther family have a long association with Cumbria, being based at Lowther Castle near Penrith. Noble Squire Dacre comes over the Border - From an anonymous tunebook c. 1830. The Dacre Family also have a strong Cumbrian connection, having a strong association with Nawort

The Royal Albert Hall, marked public domain, sourced here. As a composer, one of the best things about the BBC Proms is that new works are commissioned each year. This helps keep Classical music a living tradition, and also shines a spotlight on both established and up and coming artists. I thought it might be useful to provide an overview of as many of the 2026 world premieres as I could find, complete with relevant information. Click the arrows to expand each item (please n

Cover for 'Eternal Light' I'm very pleased to share that I've uploaded a new score, Eternal Light, to the website. You can view the score for free by clicking here (see 'latest releases'). Eternal Light is a short motet for choir SATB (no divisi). It was first performed in the Old Church of St Martin, Martindale, Cumbria (UK) on the 19th of July 2026. PWR 2026

Cover of CD for 'To the end, in songs.' I am beyond thrilled to share that a recording of my symphony 'To the end, in songs.' is now available to stream. The conductor is Dr Paul French, the soloist is Christòpheren Nomura, and the choir are the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers. I am immensely grateful to them for commissioning and premiering the piece. The recording will also be available soon on CD. Hope you have a good week. PWR 2026

Ullswater, marked public domain. Sourced here I'm pleased to share that I've added a number of new transcriptions to my Cumbrian folk melody blog post, along with notes and links to view the original manuscripts. These include: New Road to Alston Royal Cumberland Bugle Slow March The Cumberland Militia Quick Step The Cumberland Rangers Troop The Sillar Crown Trip to Netherby Upper Denton Squire Dacres Whitehaven Volunteers Workington Races Happy perusing. PWR 2026

I'm pleased to share a little piece for piano - 'O Sacrum Convivium'. You can stream it below, and the score is available here. PWR 2026

Ullswater, marked public domain, sourced here. Throughout my compositional life I have consistently identified 'Cumbrian Folk Music' as a key influence in my writing. I thought it might therefore be useful to create an archive of melodies to show what I mean by this. Introduction 'Cumbrian' folk music is a rather nebulous genre: the music from this area can (and should) be considered part of a wider folk music tradition; sharing much particularly with Northumberland and the S

A recording of Bes Klein performing my piece 'Sisyphe' is now available to watch on YouTube; you can view the video below.

I'm very pleased to share with you that a recording of the Horizon Mass is now available to stream. This setting of the Mass was originally premiered on the 28th of August 2022 by Anchorae in the Church of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. It features the standard movements of Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. You can view the score by clicking here - the Horizon Mass is listed on my Choral Music page. Happy New Year! PWR 2025/6 I Kyrie, eleison. Christe, eleison. Kyrie, eleis

A quick note to say that I've updated the list published last month to include this year's commission The Darkling Thrush by Rachel Portman. You can view the full list via the button below. An early draft of 'The Darkling Thrush' by Thomas Hardy, which the carol sets to music. Image marked as public domain, sourced here.

I'm delighted that Bes Klein ensemble will be performing my choral piece 'Sisyphe' in Amsterdam (6th Dec) and Utrecht (7th Dec) this weekend. You can find out more information about the concerts on their website here. Sisyphe was written as part of the Anchorae Isolation Choir project, which ran from 2020 - 2021. You can listen to a recording of the piece below. PWR 2025 .

Interior of King College, Cambridge.* It's difficult to think of the Advent/Christmas season without the service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Kings College, Cambridge. A particular highlight of this service is the premiere of a new carol commissioned annually, a tradition initiated by the Director of Music Stephen Cleobury in 1983. Not being able to find a definitive point of reference for these commissions online, I thought it might be a good idea to list them below. So, af

I am thrilled to announce the upcoming premiere of a symphony: 'To the end, in songs.'. The first performances will be given by the excellent Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and conducted by Dr Paul French on Sat., May 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m and Sun., May 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. Further details on their website here. The cover of 'To the end, in songs.' features an image of the Aurora Borealis taken by Madeleine Relph. A Note on the Composition In late 2023 I was delighted to be in

There’s been a constant stream of articles and discussion about the continuing spread of AI and its effect on the creative industries. Debate about the opportunities of new AI tools are counterbalanced by concerns about the threat of job displacement for composers.[1] Paganini Variationen: Public domain, sourced here The likelihood is that going forward it will become difficult to impossible to tell the difference between music composed by AI and music composed by human being

I was recently in Portsmouth on route down to France and, having some time to spare, went to have a look around the cathedral. Fortunately for me, evensong was just beginning, and so I found myself a seat in the aisle to listen. The quire of Portsmouth Cathedral: public domain (from wikimedia commons) The choir performed exceptionally: a particular musical highlight was the Leighton Preces and Responses. The Preces (found towards the beginning of evensong) and Responses (foun

I'm delighted to share that I've been selected to present a paper at the upcoming 'Words, Music and Silence' Symposium, being run by The Open University Literature and Music Research Group in partnership with University Music Bournemouth. You can view my title and abstract below. The Dramatic Quiet: Using silence as musical structure in text setting This paper will discuss how silence has been incorporated into a practical model of compositional practice I have developed to e

I'm thrilled to announce that a brand new setting of 'O Sacrum Convivium' (ATB) will be premiered by the choir of St Mary Redcliffe, conducted by Joe Cryan, on the 26th of May 2024 in the service of evensong. The interior of St Mary Redcliffe The Sacrum Convivium Text The short yet deeply meaningful text of 'O Sacrum Convivium' links the eucharist to the Paschal mystery, and has been used as an antiphon to the Magnificat. O sacrum convivium! in quo Christus sumitur: recolitur

Brokkeleyghe Variation 2 is now available to stream on soundcloud. This is the second bonus track from the Sound Garden Project from last year. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to the Churches Conservation Trust, Supersum's 'Let's Gather In Project', and Ralph Hoyte for the project last year. Thanks, Peter

There are certain pieces of music which leave a lasting impression; James Macmillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross (1994), widely considered a masterpiece of contemporary music, is certainly one of them. To describe the piece, it’s important to understand the meaning of the text: the ‘Seven Last Words’ themselves are the seven final sayings of Jesus before death on the cross. The pain and suffering of this crucially important moment in the Christian story is self-evident i