Errollyn Wallen describes herself as a musical explorer.

Born in Belize but raised in London, his career as a composer has taken him all over the world but always brought him back to Scotland, where he has had homes in Orkney and Sutherland for the past few years.

The second is a decommissioned lighthouse he first discovered almost a decade ago.

“I found my home in the lighthouse, but the moment I moved there there was something different about the air, the people and the landscape.

“It totally revitalized my music and increased my productivity; then I found this beautiful house in Orkney that felt great and was perfect for making music, and when I bought it I was thinking I wanted to bring as much music as possible into this house and share it with others.

Sharing music is something Errollyn has been passionate about since she started her business. He trained as a dancer in the USA before studying music, but returned to England to concentrate on composition, studying first in London and then in Cambridge in the 1980s.

It was a challenging career path, especially for a young black woman, but she didn’t let it limit her music.

In the 1991 documentary Half The Story, he is determined to make an opera about the Greek legend of Daedalus.

“A lot of people, including my friends, said why don’t you write about how hard it is to be a woman, how hard it is to be black. But I don’t want to be restricted. “I want to write about the subjects I want to write about in my own way.”

His first orchestral commission was a concerto for percussion and orchestra that he wrote for Scottish musician Colin Currie and was performed at the BBC Young Musician of the Year final in 1994.

Daedalus was the name of the song on the 2012 album that formed the opening and closing themes of the BBC drama One Night. Another piece was used at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony in 2012.

Errollyn says she is excited that her work is connecting with younger audiences and those new to contemporary classical music.

“It was a difficult path to become a professional composer, but when my success came, I realized that the strongest response was not from large institutions, but from music lovers, children, amateur groups and communities,” he said.

“Music creates a bond, and I want it to connect even more. There’s a lot that composers say about music that can illuminate it.”

He is a visiting professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and advises students to embrace the ups and downs of a composer’s career.

“Make the best music possible, stay close to the music, learn from other composers, support a network of other musicians, and try not to get too tired when things don’t go your way.”

In recent months, he was forced to take his own advice, admitting he received hundreds of abusive messages after creating a new version of Jerusalem for his pandemic-weakened 2020 balls.

He added a line to include Commonwealth nations and dedicated it to the Windrush generation.

He said that there was a particular climate in Jerusalem that caused this explosion, as hundreds of arrangements existed, adding that what we heard at the Balls had already been rearranged by Elgar.

“This is not Parry’s original and there is no fuss about it,” he said.

“As someone who was born in Belize, a former British colony where we grew up with these hymns, having lived here all my life, it would be strange to think that music wouldn’t be a part of me.”

Earlier this year, Errollyn met King George III. He was appointed Master of the King’s Music by Charles II.

He admits he hasn’t had a private conversation with the King yet about his role, but has plenty of ideas.

“It’s a huge responsibility, but I feel like it aligns with things I’ve been thinking about my whole life,” he says.

“I want everyone to have access to making music, not just listening to it. “I will defend the birthright of every child to be able to read, write, make and perform music.”

He says he recently met poet laureate Simon Armitage, who did not wait for government commissions but came up with his own ideas.

“That’s what I thought I would do,” Errolyn says.

“Like a few weeks ago, I encouraged people to use the extra hour resulting from the time change to write songs. Small challenges and bigger tasks.”

Larger works are still being commissioned. He is currently working on a new work about nativity.

“I sit down at the piano and I see Herod and I think here are the notes.”

“And that’s the same feeling I felt as a six-year-old from the imagination and excitement of creating new work. “I can’t explain the rest, except to say that I feel like a musical explorer. There are always new things to find.”

And in this respect he follows in the footsteps of another Orkney-based composer, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. He is also a member of the Ivor Novello academy and a Master of Queen Music. Not to mention a champion of music education.

“I didn’t move to Orkney to follow him but I can see why he loves Orkney so much and it’s an honor to be here,” Errollyn said.

“As soon as I entered this house I noticed a photograph of Peter Maxwell Davies and George MacKay Brown in the garden next to my pond.

“It’s amazing that a contemporary composer can make such an impact. He’s still very much loved and talked about all the time.”

He works with young people at Stromness Academy to create new jobs.

Like his entrance into the Ivors Academy alongside John Adams, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Joan Armatrading, this is another milestone on the path he is proud to have explored.

“It’s a great honor to receive this, especially considering those who came before me. It makes me think of all the help I received on my way here and all the people who encouraged and supported me.

“I didn’t set out to win awards and have this big career. Writing music and having it performed was enough, but I feel extraordinarily honored.”