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Christopher Wood was born in Stoke-on-Trent. An initial involvement with rock bands developed an interest in songwriting and then instrumental composition. He wrote and arranged for Guest House, his own ten-piece, jazz-influenced ensemble, from 1978-81; his first published pieces were his Quartet for Brass (1977); the jazz ballad Sad Old Sunday (1982) and Fragments from a Shattered Dream for brass quintet (1983).
He was a music critic and arts journalist with the Croydon Advertiser from 1980 to 1996 and contributes music matters, a music column, to the Advertiser every week. He is now a busy freelance composer, writer and PR consultant.
Members of the Fine Arts Sinfonia premiered the composer’s String Quartet in a concert presented by the Croydon Chameleon group of composers, at the Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower, in 1995. In 1997 the FAS premiered the composer’s Conversation Piece for oboe, violin, viola and cello in the lunchtime series at Fairfield. In September of this year the same ensemble also premiered the composer’s Scene From a Sad, Sad Story, for flute, bassoon, string trio and piano, in the same series.
Earlier last year Wood was invited by the London Mozart Players to contribute a piece for the dual celebration of their 10th anniversary as residents of Croydon borough and Fairfield and the half century of their existence. Requiem for the Twentieth Century was premiered at Fairfield on May 15 by solo violist Judith Busbridge and the strings of the LMP.
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