( b Wickham Bishops, 28 April 1947). English composer, daughter of Elizabeth Maconchy. She studied at Oxford and the RCM, and was lecturer at King's College, London, 1977-94, then becoming professor at York. Her works, ranging from music-theatre (Dawnpath, 1977; Blood Wedding, 1992) to chamber music, are distinguished by their linear qualities, their idiomatic treatment of instruments and their exploration of the player-instrument relationship.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.