David Ward's music has been commissioned by, amongst others, the BBC, London Festival Orchestra, Edinburgh Quartet, Bingham String Quartet, Saltire Quartet, Shetland Arts Trust, Woodend Music Society, Woodend Arts, Ross Pople, Michael Beeston, Shinobu Miki, Nigel Boddice and Richard Stilgoe, with funds from the Arts Council of GB, the Scottish Arts Council, Creative Scotland, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the National Lottery as well as sponsors, subscribers and trust funds. David has also received direct grants from the Arts Council of Great Britain, the Scottish Arts Council and Enterprise North East as well as from the Hope-Scott Trust, John Younger Trust and other trusts and foundations.
Ward's music is direct clear and expressive; players and, I should guess, particularly singers must find his work grateful to perform ... Ward's compositions display, at their best, the stamp of the authentic, the 'necessary'.
The Snow Queen works particularly well ... one of the BBC's more distinguished opera for radio commissions.
