Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen has been announced as the next Master of the King's Music, following 10 years of Dame Judith Weir in the role. She is the first Black musician to hold the post, as well as being only the second woman following Weir.

The Master of the King's Music is called upon to compose pieces for special royal occasions and awarded to musicians who have added to the musical life of the nation. The post has existed since 1626 when Nicholas Lanier was appointed by Charles I. 

66-year-old Wallen's work as a composer spans orchestral, choral and chamber music, as well as having 22 operas to her name and much success as a singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of a British Composer Award and an Ivor Composers Award, as well as an MBE in 2007 in the Queen's Birthday Honours and a CBE in 2020 in the New Year Honours.

Speaking of the appointment Wallen said: 'I am thrilled to accept this royal appointment … I look forward to championing music and music-making for all.'

Late last year Wallen released her memoir Becoming a Composer and within which shared both beautiful and difficult elements to her career and early life. Born in Belize, Wallen's family moved to the UK where her parents left her and her siblings to be brought up by their aunt and uncle, unsure why their parents had left. It was from here that Wallen's interest in music and composition arose, subsequently studying at both Goldsmith's and King's College, Cambridge.

The book tells the story of Wallen's journey through a suicide attempt in her late teens through to working within pop music and the importance of poetry and words in her life. She writes about her love of teaching and supporting young people and the impact of silence. She now lives in northern Scotland in a converted lighthouse.

In an interview about the book on the Gramophone Classical Music Podcast in December 2023 Wallen said: 'There's this myth about what a composer is - I know that a composer can come from anywhere. Things that happen in our life make us who we are and it would have been a mistake to leave some of those things out.'

Wallen will hold the role for the next 10 years, the fixed-term being introduced when Sir Peter Maxwell Davies became Master in 2004. Other eminent composers who have held the title include Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Walford Davies, Sir Arnold Bax and Sir Arthur Bliss.