The Commonwealth Resounds

Alison Cox has developed national and international links with an increasing number of professional ensembles and organisations including UNESCO, the London Sinfonietta, the Nash Ensemble, Endymion, the Royal Over-Seas League, the International Federation of Musicians and a number of Commonwealth organisations. She also collaborates regularly with musicians and composers from all over the world. In 2004 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Alison was invited to organise a special concert at Buckingham Palace in March 2005 as part of the Queen's Music Day, including outstanding young performers from all the specialist music schools, conservatoires and other establishments in the UK, and brilliant musicians from other cultural traditions.

In November 2005, as the UK Co-Director and creator of 'The Commonwealth Resounds!' she initiated new projects with musicians from many different countries, and has continued to develop these in successive Commonwealth events.

She studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music with Dr. Anthony Gilbert and in 1979 spent a year in Australia working with young film-makers. Her orchestral composition Trilithon was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Prize in 1980.

Alison Cox is Head of Composition at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, an international specialist music school based near London in the UK. She also creates and runs many outreach programmes in the community.

Martin Wess studied sculpture at the Chelsea School of Art and theatre design at the Slade. He currently runs his own business designing, manufacturing and supplying firegrates to the trade.

In November 2005, Martin successfully stage-managed all the inaugural performances of The Commonwealth Resounds! in Malta. Since that time he has worked closely with Alison Cox and key partners as new proposals emerge. His practical skills and understanding of business procedures is a great asset to the organisation.

Martin's diverse interests and wide-ranging experience enables him to respond creatively and perceptively to new situations, and relate comfortably to all kinds of people, invaluable when developing new Commonwealth partnerships and projects.