Julian Wagstaff

Who is Julian Wagstaff?

Julian Wagstaff is a Scottish composer of classical music, musical theatre and opera.

Born in Edinburgh, Wagstaff originally majored in German language and politics, and graduated from the University of Reading in 1993. Wagstaff worked as a translator and interpreter in the German language before turning to music as a profession in the late 1990s. His interest in language and political history continues to be reflected in much of his music and in his theatre libretti.

He came to public attention with the musical John Paul Jones, based on the life of the Scots-born sailor and hero of the American Revolution. Premiered in Edinburgh in 2001, this was the first of the composer's works to reach a significant audience. In it, Wagstaff's eclectic compositional style began to emerge. John Paul Jones was revived as a concert version in 2010 in association with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The composer began to study musical composition at the University of Edinburgh with Professor Nigel Osborne in 2001, earning a Master's degree in music in 2002 and a PhD in 2008.