The King has appointed the composer behind the 2012 Paralympics as his first Master of the King’s Music.
Errollyn Wallen CBE, 66, has been handed the honorary appointment by the monarch and succeeds Dame Judith Weir DBE, the first woman to hold the role.
In a statement, Ms Wallen said: “I am thrilled to accept this royal appointment. It will be a privilege and a great honour to serve His Majesty The King, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
“I look forward to championing music and music-making for all.”
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The Belize-born composer is best known for her work for the 2012 Paralympics and the COP26 – the 2021 environmental summit in Glasgow.
Ms Wallen – who studied music and composition at Goldsmiths, King’s College London and King’s College, Cambridge – was the first woman to receive an Ivor Novello Award for classical music, and the first black woman to have a work featured in the Proms.
She was made an MBE by the King when he was the Prince of Wales in 2007, and then a CBE by the Princess Royal in 2021. Both honours were for her services to music.
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While it carries no fixed duties, the Master of the King’s Music will often compose pieces on special occasions for the Royal Family, such as weddings or jubilees if they wish.
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In recent years the role has a fixed term of 10 years, in line with the comparable honorary position of poet laureate.
It was created during King Charles I’s reign, with the first appointed Master being Nicholas Lanier in 1625.
