Param Vir

Who is Param Vir?

Param Vir is a British composer originally from India.

Born in Delhi into a family life permeated with Indian classical music, Param Vir's strong interest in music developed as a teenager when attending a Roman Catholic secondary school and had informal lessons from composer Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, then resident in India. With no prospects as a composer in India, he read history and philosophy at Delhi University, but returned to music on graduation in 1974 as a teacher. From 1983 Vir studied composition at Dartington with Peter Maxwell Davies and at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Oliver Knussen.

His works include Horse Tooth White Rock and the operas Snatched by the Gods and Broken Strings, and Ion, given at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2000. He has won, among other prizes, the Tippett Award and the Britten Prize.