THE Contributors

Classically-trained sitar player Bishi started her own label Gryphon Records in 2007. She is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. Bishi developed her Mini Operas soundtrack with partners Matt Hardern and Neil Kaczor.

An independent musician, artist and performer based in London Bishi has a reputation for unique and ambitious work. She combines ancient folk, left field pop and Asian instruments with fluency, charm and lyrical melody.

Bishi has won a ‘Global Achievement Award’, judged the prestigious PRSF award and had an entire album performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. As her own label manager she is also a business mentor for Grazia Magazine and an ambassador for The Diana Award (UK charity).

Bill Ryder-Jones is a musician and composer originally from Warrington. He was lead guitarist in The Coral from 1996-2008 and over the past several years has focussed increasingly on composing for film.

Sxip Shirey is a composer and performer who lives in New York City.

He has performed solo at Boston Symphony Hall and the Boston Pops, composed for film written and directed by Neil Gaiman, featured at TED in Monterey, California and appeared at festivals and venues across the US and UK.

Sxip would like to thank Trevor Wilson, Eliza McKelway, and Alice Tolan-Mee for their help workshopping the piece in Brooklyn, New York and ENO singers Alexander Anderson-Hall, Ronan Busfield, Imogen Garner, Anita Mackenzie Mills and Carris Jones for performing the work for the recording in London.

Neil Gaiman is the bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett); the Sandman series of graphic novels; and the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things. He is also the author of books for readers of all ages including the Newbery Medal winning novel The Graveyard Book, in addition to the bestselling novels Coraline and Odd and the Frost Giants. He is the winner of numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy Awards.

Neil Gaiman’s Story- The Sweeper of Dreams

A.L. Kennedy is a writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. An Associate Professor in Creative Writing at University of Warwick, her novels include Looking for the Possible Dance, So I Am Glad, Paradise and 2007’s Costa Book of the Year, Day. Kennedy has produced eight short story collections including Tea and Biscuits, Original Bliss and What Becomes, and three non-fiction publications: Life & Death of Colonel Blimp, On Bullfighting and Luwak Care and Breeding. In addition, her screenwriting credits Stella Does Tricks and Dice received critical acclaim, as did her selected radio plays, notably Confessions of a Medium which was broadcast as the Saturday Play on BBC Radio 4 in 2010.

A.L. Kennedy’s Story - On Paper

Journalist, critic and fiction writer, Will has penned both novels and short fiction including the critically acclaimed The Quantity Theory of Insanity which won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize; How the Dead Live which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year; and 2010’s Walking to Hollywood. During his career he has pursued a career as a cartoonist for the New Statesman and has even tried his hand at stand-up comedy. He has made many appearances on British television, notably as a panellist on Have I Got News For You and a regular on both Shooting Stars and Grumpy Old Men. Will was appointed Professor of Contemporary Thought at Brunel University in February 2012.

Will Self’s Story - The Death of a Government Inspector

Chi-chi is Principal Double Bassist and founder member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Endymion Ensemble. She is Professor of Double Bass Historical Studies at The Royal Academy of Music and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. She also works as a broadcaster, having presented BBC Radio 3 Requests for 4 years, as guest for the TV Proms and on the Jury for BBC 2’ TV Classical Star.

Chi-chi sits on the Board of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Association of British Orchestras and the Royal Philharmonic Society. She is a Patron of the Mayor’s Fund for Young Musicians, Music Preserved, Kew Music Festival and the Cherubim Trust. She was awarded an MBE for services to Music in the 2001 Queen’s Birthday honours.

Tamsin Collison is a librettist. Her commissions for English National Opera include ‘Pierrot: a Biography’ and ‘For the Public Good’, with composer Orlando Gough; children’s operas‘Lionhunt’, (for Year 2), and ‘The Ballad of Slippery Jack’ (for Year 5), with John Webb; and ‘Mr. Purcell: His Ground’, with David Knotts. She has also contributed to two works for vocal group The Shout - ‘Stand’ , which was also performed at the BBC Proms in 2006, and ‘Open Port: We Turned on the Light’, a large-scale choral piece commissioned to mark the end of Stavanger’s year as City of Culture in 2008. Tamsin is a graduate of ENO’s performance course ’The Knack’ and ROH’s writing course ‘The Singing Word’ and is a current member of the London songwriters’ workshop ‘Book, Music and Lyrics’.