Karl Jenkins b. 1944

Measured in terms of record sales, Karl Jenkins is the most successful British classical composer: his album Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary has sold over three million copies in 50 countries, and its sequels, Adiemus: Cantata Mundi and Adiemus: Dances of Time, all rapidly topped the charts. His music is widely familiar through TV advertising usage in the UK, such as the De Beers Diamond campaign (Palladio) and Delta Air Lines (Adiemus).

Among the most popular modern composers, in 2004 Jenkins entered Classic FM's Hall of Fame at No 8: the highest position for a contemporary composer. His massively successful choral compostions include The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, Requiem and Stabat Mater.

Jenkins is equally at home on the concert platform, in the recording studio, and writing music for TV or the advertising industry. His music crosses all frontiers, from experimental jazz and rock via world music to classical music commissions for leading international performers including Evelyn Glennie, Bryn Terfel and the London Symphony Orchestra.

"As a composer, he recognises no boundaries - musical, commercial, geographical or cultural. His is a way of thinking and composing that is perfectly in tune with the spirit of the times..." — Classic FM Magazine