Stephen McNeff

Stephen McNeff was born in Ireland and grew up in Swansea. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later worked as a composer-musician in UK theatre, before becoming the resident composer at the Banff Centre in Canada.

Stephen has become known for his work in opera, with Clockwork (based on the Philip Pullman novel) at the ROH Linbury Theatre, followed by a ROH commission, Gentle Giant, adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s book. He was the first Royal Philharmonic Society | PRSF ‘Composer in the House’ with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, which led to increasing recognition for symphonic and chamber works like Heiligenstadt for the BSO and Strip Jack Naked for the BSO's contemporary ensemble, Kokoro.

Operatically, Banished (2016), Beyond the Garden (2020) and A Star Next to the Moon (2024) have enjoyed success in the UK and abroad. Meanwhile, choral works for the BBC Singers and Chamber Choir Ireland sit alongside works for BBC NOW and the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, as well as concertos commissioned by London Mozart Players and Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark.