Sally Beamish (born 1956)
Sally Beamish was born Sarah Frances Beamish in London. Her mother was a violinist of the renowned chamber music ensemble Academy of St. Martin in the Field. Sally studied viola at the Royal Northern College of Music, and later also played with the ASMF.
The viola often figures in Sally Beamish’s music. She has composed three viola concertos, as well as other orchestra and chamber music. Her 1996 opera Monster is based on the life of Mary Shelley.
Recently Sally Beamish was commissioned by the Academy of St. Martin in the Field to write a string octet, and she called it Partita:
The three movements feature (respectively) tunes from a Bach solo violin partita, from Handel’s Messiah (“And He shall reign for ever and ever”), and from Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.