Ryan Latimer

Ryan Latimer is a British composer.

His music has been described as 'anarchic and cartoonishly fun' (BBC Radio 3), 'deliciously playful' (Classical Music Magazine), and 'irresistible in its tongue-in-cheek irreverence' (ISCM).

Ryan's work has been performed internationally by leading ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic, and London Sinfonietta.

A recipient of the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists, Ryan was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 2024 for Pound of Cure, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia. Among his major orchestral works is Bestia, a trumpet concerto co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and The Florida Orchestra, premiered at the Barbican by soloist Selina Ott and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His earlier orchestral work Antiarkie, also featured at the ISCM World Music Days in Beijing and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

In 2021, Ryan’s debut album was released on NMC Recordings. Described as 'allusive, sparkling and emphatically rhythmic' (The Guardian), it reached #2 in the Official Specialist Classical Chart and received a five-star review from BBC Music Magazine. Other works, including Bellwether, Mills Mess, Rhapsody, and Gorilla and Orange Sun, have also been released on NMC, Ablaze Records, LSO Live, and Birmingham Record Company.

An active collaborator, Ryan has worked regularly with contemporary dance company Cohan Collective and choreographers Jacqueline Bulnes, Dane Hurst, and Jade Brider. His stage works include the interdisciplinary chamber opera Three Tall Tales of Dr Monsieur Façade, created in collaboration with performers and dramaturges from Warszawskie Centrum Pantomimy in Poland.

Ryan's works have featured at major international festivals, including Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, and Darmstädter Ferienkurse. He is an Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Birmingham and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). His scores are published by Composers Edition.