John Barber is a composer from Bristol with a passion for voices, collaboration and storytelling.

His versatile, rhythmic and intensely dramatic music has been performed by some of the UK and Europe’s leading opera houses, theatres, ensembles and choirs including the Royal Opera House, Gothenburg Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra and The Sixteen.

He has written several operas and large-scale vocal pieces, including We Are Shadows (Spitalfields Music), Mighty Oaks (Royal Opera House), Consider the Lilies - based on the stories of refugees in the UK and Seven Seeds - a major retelling of the persephone myth featuring 1500 singers, full orchestra and soloists.

John’s music has been recognised with various awards including a British Composer Award and two Royal Philharmonic Society awards. He has just been awarded a prestigious Arts Foundation Fellowship for his choral music. Projects for 2021 include The Selfish Giant for Garsington Opera and Opera North, Existence - a major new commission for the Arctic Light Choir/Gothenburg Opera Youth Choir and Joy! - a reflection of the Ode to Joy for the massed voices of the Dartington International Summer School.

Working collaboratively with people of all ages and abilities to make high quality and rewarding work is central to John’s musical life. He has devised and led collaborative projects all over the world and has worked in schools, care homes, prisons, pupil referal units and even a post-natal ward! He was a co-founder of Woven Gold - a choir made up of refugees and asylum-seekers who work with London-based musicians - who continue to thrive after almost 15 years of singing together.

John performs and records with pop experimentalists Firefly Burning who released their third album, Breathe Shallow, in 2019.

When he’s not composing he likes to cook curries.