Will Gregory

William Owen Gregory (born (1959-09-17)17 September 1959) is an English musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead keyboardist, producer, and composer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp.

For other people with the same name, see William Gregory (disambiguation).

Will Gregory
Birth nameWilliam Owen Gregory
Born (1959-09-17) 17 September 1959
Bristol, England
GenresElectronica, trip hop, synthpop, Western orchestral/chamber
Occupation(s)Musician, record producer
InstrumentsKeyboards, drum programming, guitars, synthesizer, oboe, saxophone
Years active1981–present
LabelsMute
Associated actsTears for Fears, Goldfrapp

Early life

Gregory was born in Bristol,[1] the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer.[2]

"I got into music kind of by default as it was the only thing I was good at – I was the weird one at school who practiced the piano during lunch break. In my teens I met other musicians and was so relieved to find some like-minds that I think I never wanted to leave the ‘weird’ muso club – perhaps it’s the same for many musicians. I ended up playing oboe and then moved on to sax, which got me into diverse musical disciplines."[3]

He studied Western orchestral and chamber music at the University of York.[4]

Career

In the 1980s, Gregory predominantly recorded and toured with Tears for Fears.[5]

In the 1990s, Gregory performed with artists including Peter Gabriel, The Cure, and Portishead, as well as playing oboe for Tori Amos and recording with Paula Rae Gibson.[6] In 1991, he played saxophone with the London Sinfonietta for the Paris début of John Adams's opera Nixon in China.[7] In 1999, vocalist Alison Goldfrapp and Gregory formed the duo Goldfrapp. The pairing has led to international critical, popular, and commercial success.[8]

In the 2000s, as well as Goldfrapp activities, he played saxophone on Portishead's 2008 album Third (on the tracks "Magic Doors" and "Threads").

On 31 March 2011, Gregory's first opera, Piccard in Space, premiered at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. The libretto by Hattie Naylor focused on Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer's first balloon ascent, and the theories of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton, both of whom are characters in the drama. The reviews were generally negative.[9]

On 11 March 2013, a newly commissioned baroquesque Gregory work (for orchestra and Moog, based on a sarabande of Johann Sebastian Bach) was performed at The Roundhouse in London. The performance was part of BBC Radio 3's Baroque Remixed series, which also included a piece by Matthew Herbert.[10]

Gregory's other saxophone work includes writing for and playing with the Apollo Saxophone Quartet,[11][12] and playing with Spiritualized, Moondog and Michael Nyman.[13][14]

He composed the music for the 2017 series Spy in the Wild.[15]

He composed the music for The Royal Shakespeare Company's 2019 production of King John at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.[16][17]

Discography
See also: Goldfrapp discography

with Tears for Fears

with Tori Amos

with Peter Gabriel

with Portishead

with other artists

  • Four Ways to Cook a Goose – Loggerheads (1987)
  • Gas Giants – Gas Giants (1994)

Film Soundtracks

See also

References
  1. "Synth whizz Will Gregory gears up with ATC SCM25A". TransAudio Group.
  2. "Goldfrapp's Will Gregory On Their Enduring Partnership". Thebrag.com. 29 March 2017.
  3. "Will Gregory Interview - The Moog Ensemble!". Musictech.net. 29 September 2014.
  4. "Will Gregory composes debut opera for BBC Concert Orchestra: Piccard In Space". BBC. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  6. "Biography of Paula Rae Gibson". Jazz CDs. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  7. "Goldfrapp's Will Gregory tackles opera with Piccard in Space". The Times. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  8. Raphael, Amy (16 October 2015). "A siren sings". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  9. 1 April 2011 press on Piccard in Space, included: "Gregory Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall - Reviews - Classical - The Independent". The Independent. 1 April 2011.; "Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall, review - Telegraph". The Telegraph. 1 April 2011. and "Piccard in Space, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London - FT.com". Financial Times. 1 April 2011.
  10. "Baroque Remixed - Part 2". bbc.co.uk. 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  11. "Biography | Apollo saxophone quartet". Apollosaxophonequartet.com.
  12. "First & Foremost by Apollo Saxophone Quartet". Rateyourmusic.com.
  13. "10 Questions for Musician Will Gregory". theartsdesk.com.
  14. "Post". The Viking of 6th Avenue.
  15. "BBC - Spy In The Wild - Media Centre". Bbc.co.uk.
  16. "Latest Press Releases | Royal Shakespeare Company". Rsc.org.uk.
  17. Davies, Michael. "Review: King John (Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon)". Whatsonstage.com.
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