Will Gregory

Will Gregory
Birth name William Owen Gregory
Born (1959-09-17) 17 September 1959
Bristol, England
Genres Electronic, synthpop, Western orchestral / chamber
Occupation(s) Musician, record producer
Instruments Keyboard, synthesizer, oboe, saxophone
Years active 1981–present
Labels Mute
Associated acts Tears for Fears, Goldfrapp

William Owen "Will" Gregory (born 17 September 1959) is an English musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead keyboardist, producer, and composer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp.

Early life

Gregory was born in Bristol,[1] the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer.[2]

"I got into music kind of by default as it was the only thing I was good at – I was the weird one at school who practiced the piano during lunch break. In my teens I met other musicians and was so relieved to find some like-minds that I think I never wanted to leave the ‘weird’ muso club – perhaps it’s the same for many musicians. I ended up playing oboe and then moved on to sax, which got me into diverse musical disciplines."[3]

He studied Western orchestral and chamber music at the University of York.[4]

Career

In the 1980s, Gregory predominantly recorded and toured with Tears for Fears.[5]

In the 1990s, Gregory performed with artists including Peter Gabriel, The Cure, and Portishead, as well as playing oboe for Tori Amos and recording with Paula Rae Gibson.[6] In 1991, he played saxophone with the London Sinfonietta for the Paris début of John Adams's opera Nixon in China.[7] In 1999, vocalist Alison Goldfrapp and Gregory formed the duo Goldfrapp. The pairing has led to international critical, popular, and commercial success.[8]

In the 2000s, as well as Goldfrapp activities, he played saxophone on Portishead's 2008 album Third (on the tracks "Magic Doors" and "Threads").

On 31 March 2011, Gregory's first opera, Piccard in Space, premiered at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. The Hattie Naylor libretto focused on Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer's first balloon ascent, and the theories of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, both of whom are characters in the drama. The reviews were generally negative.[9]

On 11 March 2013, a newly commissioned baroquesque Gregory work (for orchestra and Moog, based on a sarabande of Johann Sebastian Bach) was performed at The Roundhouse in London. The performance was part of BBC Radio 3's Baroque Remixed series, which also included a piece by Matthew Herbert.[10]

Gregory's other saxophone work includes playing with Apollo Saxophone Quartet, Spiritualized, and Michael Nyman.[11]

He composed the music for the 2017 series Spy in the Wild.

Discography

with Tears for Fears

with Tori Amos

with Peter Gabriel

with Portishead

with other artists

  • Four Ways to Cook a Goose – Loggerheads (1987)
  • Gas Giants – Gas Giants (1994)

Film Soundtracks

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.transaudiogroup.com/press-releases/synth-whizz-will-gregory-gears-take-new-goldfrapp-album-masses-atc-assistance/
  2. ↑ https://thebrag.com/goldfrapps-will-gregory-their-enduring-partnership/
  3. ↑ http://www.musictech.net/2014/09/will-gregory-interview-the-moog-ensemble/
  4. ↑ "Will Gregory composes debut opera for BBC Concert Orchestra: Piccard In Space". BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. ↑ http://www.willgregorymoogensemble.co.uk/players/
  6. ↑ "Biography of Paula Rae Gibson". Jazz CDs. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Goldfrapp's Will Gregory tackles opera with Piccard in Space". The Times. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Raphael, Amy (16 October 2015). "A siren sings". Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  9. ↑ 1 April 2011 press on Piccard in Space, included: "Gregory Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall - Reviews - Classical - The Independent". The Independent. 1 April 2011. ; "Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall, review - Telegraph". The Telegraph. 1 April 2011. and "Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London - FT.com". Financial Times. 1 April 2011. (Subscription required (help)).
  10. ↑ "Baroque Remixed - Part 2". bbc.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Will Gregory Moog Ensemble" (PDF). Barbican. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
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