R. Bryan Barnes was born in Accrington, England in 1934, and studied music at St. John's College, Cambridge. For 30 years he taught music, mainly to University students, but also to small children. He has also trained as a conductor (in Cambridge an London); and has conducted many orchestras and choirs, both professional and amateur, adult and children, throughout the United Kingdom. In his music career, in addition to his full-time teaching committment, he organised instrumental music schools for young people, and was nationally recognised and respected in England for his work in this field. In 1989 he accepted early retirement from his full-time post at Colchester, Essex in order to spend more time in freelance conducting, and on composition.
Bryan first came to Mallorca in 1976 on holiday, and returned several times, bought an apartment in 1986, and decided to come and live here permanently in 1995. In 1997 he bought a small finca in Ullaro, where he now lives, and he divides his time between his composition, his friends and his vegetables'
Many of his first compositions, vocal and instrumental were for children, but now he has a wide range of compositions: 7 cantatas for choir and soloists with orchestra; 9 children's operas; 4 cycles for voice and piano; many pieces for various solo instruments, with or without piano; a string quartet; and 3 instrumental trios. The latest trio, composed for 3 members of the Balearic Symphony Orchestra, was first performed on March 10th 2003, at the Museo de Mallorca, Palma.
The Serenata De Campanet, is a setting of 3 poems by the Mallorcan poet. Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcell, it has been commissioned by the organisation of the Primavera Musical de Campanet.