Robert Ramskill was born in Leeds in 1950. He studied music at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth where his composition tutors were Ian Parrott and David Harries. In 1975 he was appointed to the post of Lecturer at the Coventry School of Music. He is currently Principal Lecturer in Music at Coventry University and is responsible for the running of the University's two B.A. music courses.
Robert Ramskill has written works which range from those written for young and amateur musicians, at all ability levels, through to those composed for professional performance. His output includes orchestral and choral music, piano pieces, works for a variety of wind and brass ensembles (including wind and brass bands), and pieces for various chamber ensembles.
Works include an anthem written for the choristers of St. Paul's Cathedral, a Tuba Concerto (written for the tuba virtuoso, Colin Sneade, who has played it in this country and abroad), a Piano Concerto (premiered by Julian Hellaby and the Leamington Chamber Orchestra in Leamington in February 1998), and a 'Jazz Impromptu' for violin and piano which was selected for the final stage of the 'UK and Eire Composers' Platform and performed in the Purcell Room, London, in December 2000 by Adam and Catherine Summerhayes. This last piece has also been recorded commercially on the Sargasso label. Most recently he was commissioned (with funds from the Arts Council of England) to write a piece for two pianos which, in April and May 2004, was performed in Coventry, Leicester, Lancaster, Radley College, Dartington and at the CBSO centre in Birmingham by Peter Noke and Julian Hellaby.
Robert Ramskill has written many albums of music for the Brasswind Publications catalogue and a number solo brass pieces from these albums are set in the current syllabuses of all the major practical examination boards.
He is also very active as an arranger, and is a regular contributor of arrangements to BBC Television and Radio programmes, most notably for BBC 1's 'Songs of Praise'. He wrote three of the arrangements for the 40th anniversary edition of the programme in 2001 which featured the BBC Concert Orchestra and The Royal Society Chorus (amongst a number of other choirs).
