Anthony Payne was born in London in 1936 and educated at Dulwich College and Durham University. An extensive list of commissions includes four major works for the BBC Proms as well as works for the BBC Philharmonic and London Sinfonietta. His discography includes three portrait CDs of chamber music. He has published books on Schoenberg, Frank Bridge, and Elgar’s Third Symphony, the completion of which, in 1997, brought him worldwide acclaim. There are now six CDs of this in the catalogue. He has been Visiting Professor at Mills College, California and Composition Tutor at the New South Wales Conservatorium, Australia, and is a frequent broadcaster for BBC Radio and Television. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Birmingham, Durham and Kingston, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music.  He is married to the soprano Jane Manning, with whom he formed the ensemble Jane’s Minstrels in 1988.