Issie Barratt is an internationally active composer, conductor, arranger, baritone sax player and educator, who has performed at a majority of Britain’s leading concert halls, jazz clubs and festivals.

Known for her commitment to composing works that forge creative relationships between musicians from the orchestral and jazz worlds, Issie has been awarded commissions by the the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, 4th Dimension String Quartet, Delta Sax Quartet, Vortex Foundation Big Band, Conservatoires UK Big Band and more recently Sweden’s Bohuslän Big Band and UK’s Voice of the North; was twice awarded funds from both The PRS Foundation for New Music and Youth Music and was featured as one of the Jerwood Foundation’s Rising Stars in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival of 2001.

Over the last 5 years various European performances have featured internationally acclaimed artists such as Anders Bergcrantz, Tim Garland, Mark Lockheart, Joe Locke, Dennis Rollins and Steve Waterman Annie Whitehead, with more recent commissions now offering performance and collaborative opportunities across Europe and the Americas, including the recently formed quartet with Swiss composer, organist and pianist Carl Rütti and two of Issie’s long time UK collaborators, Rowland Sutherland (flutes) and Mick Foster (clarinets and saxophones), which will be making its debut performance in June 2007 (see commissions and performances below) .

Issie also directs her own ensemble Arrange of Space (comprising 16 of Europe’s leading jazz artists), which will be recording its debut album in October 2007, and includes:

Flutes: Rowland Sutherland
Reeds: Pete Whyman, Mark Lockheart, Russell Van den Berg + Mick Foster
Trumpets + Flugels: Anders Bergcrantz, Steve Waterman + Sid Gould
Trombone: Björn Samuelsson and Mark Bassey
Trombone and Euphonium: Mike Kearsey
Drums: Simon Pearson
Electric and Acoustic Bass: David Jones
Guitar: Mike Outram
Piano: John Crawford
Harp: Sefa Steer

Never afraid to visit the full breadth of the psychological spectrum, Issie’s music invariably combines the warmth of an embrace with the full zest of a lemon!

"A great great composer, who writes beautiful, beautiful music" Julian Joseph

"Exciting and beautiful music: written with great knowledge and depth" Anders Bergcrantz

"I love her writing" Joe Locke

"It’s GREAT music" Mark Lockheart

"Distinctive and memorable" Leicester Mercury.

"The eccentric Don Ellis element can from Issie Barratt" John Fordham, The Guardian

" When Issie’ conducting, it gives the music a whole new lease of life." Göran Levin

"Issie Barratt's Still While Waiting - also conducted by its composer - provided welcome Mingus-like mayhem" James Griffiths, The Guardian