Karl Jenkins

Sir Karl Jenkins is a Welsh composer and multi-instrumentalist whose career spans jazz-rock, advertising music, and large-scale choral works. Born in Wales, he trained as a classical musician before moving into jazz and rock circles in London during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He became a key member of the progressive rock and jazz-fusion band Soft Machine, contributing keyboards and saxophone and helping steer the group toward a more jazz-oriented sound during the 1970s, with the band performing at prestigious venues such as the BBC Proms and Carnegie Hall.

After leaving Soft Machine, Jenkins built a prolific career writing music for television and advertising, work that brought him wide commercial exposure. His profile shifted decisively toward concert music with the album «Adiemus», a project blending invented vocal syllables with orchestral and choral textures that became an unexpected crossover hit and established his signature sound: lush, accessible choral writing with hints of world music and minimalism.

His reputation as a composer of large-scale sacred and commemorative works grew with pieces such as «The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace», which incorporates movements like «Benedictus», «Sanctus», «Agnus Dei», «Better Is Peace», and «Hymn Before Action», reflecting on war and peace through a mix of liturgical text and poetry. Knighted for his services to music, Jenkins remains one of the most performed living composers, admired for bridging popular and classical audiences.