Bill Connor has made his living as a composer since the 1970's working across many genres and media from rock and jazz to the symphony orchestra. He has written music for over 300 film and television projects and spent 6 years as composer-in-residence for Granada Television in Manchester UK.
He has written many music theatre pieces including commissions from Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester/Manchester Camerata, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra/South Australian Opera Company, and has devised music/drama projects for the BBC Philharmonic in the community and Strangeways prison including a community opera for the 75th anniversary of the BBC.
He is well known for his work in the community, especially with young people, bringing together traditional performance practices with communal composition and group improvisation.
He has worked as composer and conductor with many orchestras across the world including the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC national Orchestra of Wales, Goldberg Ensemble, Manchester Camerata, BBC Singers, Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and was Composer-in-Residence (1996-99) with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Australia with a particular focus on music/drama in the community.
His concert music includes Operas, Symphonic music, music-theatre, Concerti and many theatrical pieces bringing together the Symphony Orchestra, actors, children and audience as he has done on three occasions for the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
He has written much chamber music and his love of language and words is evident in the many choral pieces. As a conductor he has a wide range of music from the classical repertoire to contemporary British and American orchestral and chamber music.
Since 2000, at the behest of the British Council he has been working with the Sibenik International Children's Festival in Croatia with schools and community groups to create new music/theatre work based on the childrens' own ideas.
He is artistic director of the Llandudno Festival, conductor of the Gwynedd/Mon Youth Orchestra.
