Freya Waley-Cohen is a British-American composer living in London. Her music has been commissioned and performed by institutions and ensembles including the LA Philharmonic, BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, King’s Singers, and the Aldeburgh, Presteigne, Santa Fe, Tanglewood and Cheltenham Festivals, and released on labels including Signum, Nimbus, Nonclassical, Delphian and NMC records.
Freya’s operatic works include WITCH, commissioned and premiered by the Royal Academy of Music in 2022, and dramatic song cycle Spell Book which was first staged at Longborough Festival Opera in 2022. Freya has created a number of immersive works including Permutations, a synthesis of architecture and music created during an Open Space Residency at Snape Maltings from 2015-2017.
Freya was Associate Composer of the Wigmore Hall in 2019-2020, Composer in Residence with the London Chamber Orchestra in 2021-2022, associate composer of St David’s Hall’s Nightmusic from 2018 to 2021, an Associate Composer of Nonclassical from 2016 to 18 and winner of a 2017 RPS Composition Prize. She is a founding member and artistic director of Listenpony concert series and record label.
Whilst at the Academy, Freya studied with Simon Bainbridge and Oliver Knussen.