Internationally-acclaimed composer Piers Hellawell makes his debut on Delphian with a diverse programme of premiere recordings.

With sources of inspiration ranging from the self-immolation of Jan Palac to the lost Etruscan language and the sculptures of abstract expressionist David Smith, the full breadth and depth of Hellawell’s compositional preoccupations are represented in authoritative performances by some of his closest collaborators. A major recent project is 'Agricolas', premiered at the 2008 Vale of Glamorgan Festival and written for Robert Plane (clarinet) and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Piers Hellawell was born in England and studied with James Wood and Nicholas Maw. At the age of twenty-four he was appointed composer-in-residence at Queen’s University, Belfast, where he is now Professor of Composition. His works have been commissioned, broadcast and performed around the world, including at several ISCM festivals and the Helsinki Biennale. He has collaborated with the Hilliard Ensemble, the Schubert Ensemble of London, the Scottish Ensemble and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.