GRANT McLACHLAN Grant McLachlan was born in South Africa in 1956. In 1975 he moved to the UK to study music at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar. He left in 1978 with a first class degree and after two years in Chichester Cathedral choir, he studied for a Mmus Composition degree at King's College, London, under the composer David Lumsdaine.   Grant then pursued a teaching career, throughout which time he continued to compose regularly for various groups, including several pieces for the Music at Mill House summer festival in Oxfordshire. His Oesterwal Landscape was performed by the Music Group of Manchester in June 1992 in the Purcell Room in London.    Grant was also active in the theatre, both as a composer and as Musical Director for various theatre companies. He wrote songs and incidental music for several theatre productions, including Tom Jones, and Pravda, and also wrote two musicals: Cyrano, and When Dinah Saw a Dinosaur.   In 1992 Grant gave up teaching to pursue a career in composing for film and television after obtaining an MA in Electro-acoustic Music for Film and Television at Bournemouth University. His work in this field includes the music for more than 50 wildlife documentaries including Mountain Of The Sea, part of the BBC Natural World series, as well as many films for Londolozi Productions such as Living with Tigers, a Discovery Channel special.   Other documentaries include City Slickers, a film about penguins which won an international Emmy award nomination; Cosmic Africa, a feature/documentary about the personal odyssey of African Astronomer Thebe Madupe, as he journeys through Africa, by award winning film makers Craig and Damon Foster (Grant, together with co-composer Barry Donnelly won a Stone Craft award for the music for this film); Flying with Condors, a film about a world champion hang-glider, and her attempt to fly with Condors; Ocean Voyagers, a feature documentary about humpback whales; and Sharkman, a Discovery special, screened as part of Discovery’s 2007 Sharkweek. Feature films include Running Wild, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Sheen with John Varty; a thriller set in Australia, Deadly Chase; a film for German television; The Jammed, a fact-based film about sex trafficking in Melbourne, Australia (for which he received the award for best music at the Inside Film Awards, Brisbane 16th November 2007); and Faith Like Potatoes, based on the autobiography of Kwazulu-Natal farmer, Angus Buchan.   Much of his film music includes elements of, and inspiration from African music, and he has collaborated with many African musicians. He also continues to write much choral music, the most popular of which is Come, Colours Rise, a South African Christmas Anthem with words by Frank Barry, published by Theodore Presser. His Umbhiyozo Wase Afrika, for harpsichord and African percussion and commissioned by Elisabeth Chojnacka, was first performed at the Gulbenkian festival in Lisbon in 1999. “Evening Hymn” was written for and performed by the choir of Val-de-Grace in Paris in 2006.  As part of Animal Planet’s 10th anniversary, the documentary “Ocean Voyagers” was screened in London in December 2007, the music being performed live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by film composer Debbie Wiseman.  Grant returned to South Africa in 1994, and lives and works in Cape Town. He is married with two daughters.

GRANT McLACHLAN

Grant McLachlan was born in South Africa in 1956. In 1975 he moved to the UK to study music at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar. He left in 1978 with a first class degree and after two years in Chichester Cathedral choir, he studied for a Mmus Composition degree at King's College, London, under the composer David Lumsdaine.

Grant then pursued a teaching career, throughout which time he continued to compose regularly for various groups, including several pieces for the Music at Mill House summer festival in Oxfordshire. His Oesterwal Landscape was performed by the Music Group of Manchester in June 1992 in the Purcell Room in London.

Grant was also active in the theatre, both as a composer and as Musical Director for various theatre companies. He wrote songs and incidental music for several theatre productions, including Tom Jones, and Pravda, and also wrote two musicals: Cyrano, and When Dinah Saw a Dinosaur.

In 1992 Grant gave up teaching to pursue a career in composing for film and television after obtaining an MA in Electro-acoustic Music for Film and Television at Bournemouth University. His work in this field includes the music for more than 50 wildlife documentaries including Mountain Of The Sea, part of the BBC Natural World series, as well as many films for Londolozi Productions such as Living with Tigers, a Discovery Channel special.

Other documentaries include City Slickers, a film about penguins which won an international Emmy award nomination; Cosmic Africa, a feature/documentary about the personal odyssey of African Astronomer Thebe Madupe, as he journeys through Africa, by award winning film makers Craig and Damon Foster (Grant, together with co-composer Barry Donnelly won a Stone Craft award for the music for this film); Flying with Condors, a film about a world champion hang-glider, and her attempt to fly with Condors; Ocean Voyagers, a feature documentary about humpback whales; and Sharkman, a Discovery special, screened as part of Discovery’s 2007 Sharkweek.

Feature films include Running Wild, starring Brooke Shields and Martin Sheen with John Varty; a thriller set in Australia, Deadly Chase; a film for German television; The Jammed, a fact-based film about sex trafficking in Melbourne, Australia (for which he received the award for best music at the Inside Film Awards, Brisbane 16th November 2007); and Faith Like Potatoes, based on the autobiography of Kwazulu-Natal farmer, Angus Buchan.

Much of his film music includes elements of, and inspiration from African music, and he has collaborated with many African musicians. He also continues to write much choral music, the most popular of which is Come, Colours Rise, a South African Christmas Anthem with words by Frank Barry, published by Theodore Presser. His Umbhiyozo Wase Afrika, for harpsichord and African percussion and commissioned by Elisabeth Chojnacka, was first performed at the Gulbenkian festival in Lisbon in 1999. “Evening Hymn” was written for and performed by the choir of Val-de-Grace in Paris in 2006.

As part of Animal Planet’s 10th anniversary, the documentary “Ocean Voyagers” was screened in London in December 2007, the music being performed live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by film composer Debbie Wiseman.

Grant returned to South Africa in 1994, and lives and works in Cape Town. He is married with two daughters.