The call from Buckingham Palace came on a summer morning, when Errollyn Wallen, wearing a pink onesie with pom-pom trim, had just finished a breakfast of toast and marmalade at her seaside home in Scotland. A private secretary for the British royal family had phoned with momentous news: King Charles III wanted Wallen to serve as Master of the King’s Music, an honorary position roughly equivalent to that of poet laureate. Wallen, a composer and a pianist who was born in Belize, a former British colony, has spent her career challenging conventions in classical music.
“I was astonished,” Wallen, 66, said in a recent Zoom interview. “I paused for a few moments, then cheerfully accepted.” Wallen, whose appointment was announced in August, is the first Black woman to serve in the role, which was created during the reign of King Charles I in the 17th century.
While there are no fixed duties, Wallen is part of the royal household and will likely be called upon to compose pieces for special occasions, including weddings, jubilees and coronations. She is expected to hold the post for 10 years. “I want to champion music for all,” she said.
“I see the arts and music as the lifeblood of a nation. But we are sadly heading for a world in which adults have no idea how music is made.” Wallen makes music in many styles: classical, pop, minimalism, the blues.
She has written symphonies, chamber pieces, operas and ballets, and her work often explores social and political themes.
