ROBERT RAMSKILL (BMus, MMus, PhD)

Composer and arranger

Robert Ramskill was born in Leeds in 1950. He studied music at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.

In 1975 he moved to Coventry to work as a music lecturer, initially at the Coventry School of Music and, from 1996, as Course Director for the music degree courses at Coventry University (achieving the status of Principal Lecturer in the process). During this time he feels that he has played a small part in making new generations of music students aware of the importance of traditional musical values. At the same time he has enjoyed the great personal benefits that working with young musicians for 34 years have brought in ensuring that he has always kept in touch with contemporary developments in music. In August 2009 he retired from his teaching post and now works as a free-lance composer and arranger. In July 2010 he was awarded a PhD by Portfolio by Coventry University.

Robert Ramskill has developed a style of composition which combines jazz influences with classical forms to produce works which are of serious intent but which audiences find approachable and enjoyable.  .

Another strand within Robert Ramskill s output has been the production of many works for youth orchestras (and other groups of young musicians) which have been much enjoyed for their integration of lyrical appeal and rhythmic excitement with contemporary idioms. These works are considered challenging yet rewarding. 

Again in educational vein, Robert Ramskill has written some 40 albums of music for brass instruments for the publisher Brasswind Publications (see www.brasswindpublications.co.uk). Pieces from the solo albums involved here have been set by all the major music practical examination boards since the late 1980s. He has also had works published by Boosey and Hawkes, by Warwick Music and by Trinity College. Trinity have just selected one of Robert's piano pieces for children for their Grade 2 syllabus from 2024.

In addition to his work as a composer, Robert Ramskill is also much in demand as an arranger, most notably perhaps, in his work as one the regular arrangers for BBC Television Songs of Praise programme (with, at a rough estimate, a total of 250 arrangements to his credit to date). Following on from this Robert has been invited to contribute several arrangements for Aled Jones' and Russell Watson's albums (both joint and solo albums) each year since 2019.