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‘The palace called and I heard myself saying yes’: how Errollyn Wallen went from Top of the Pops to Master of the King’s Music

Written off in her youth, the unstoppable Belize-born musician has overcome indifference, mockery and abuse to become one of Britain’s most acclaimed composers. You have to hang onto your own worth, she says

Her huge catalogue includes works for ballet, brass bands, orchestras, choirs, solo singers, duos, pianists, chamber ensembles; her 22 operas make her almost as prolific as Verdi and nearly twice as productive as Puccini. I have to be able to bash away at the piano late at night – you can’t do that in a London flat Belying the glorious flamboyance of her appearance: pink statement glasses, a long waistcoat studded with felt flowers “from a charity shop”, black satin shirt trimmed with lace, fiery hair streaked with highlights (“thank goodness I’m going to the hairdresser this week”), Wallen’s conversation is quiet, thoughtful, poised. Speaking to Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in July last year, she said: “I spent the next day deleting abusive messages thinking, ‘Well, actually, when was the last time somebody really talked about a new piece of music in the national press?

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