Karl Jekins

Karl Jenkins started with clarinet lessons at twelve in Wales. He studied composition at London's Royal Academy of Music, where Lennox Berkeley and Alan Rawsthorne were among his teachers. His early work mixed jazz, folk, and classical elements in ways that didn't always sit well with traditional listeners.

One of his better-known pieces is 'Then Silence,' a choral work about war. In 2005, his 'The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace' drew criticism from some who felt it didn't properly condemn violence. Jenkins said it was meant to reflect human complexity instead.

He also created the Adiemus series in the mid-1990s, which used wordless choral writing over rhythmic patterns. The music tends toward accessible melody with layered textures, avoiding strict classical forms.