Described as a ‘masterclass in the exquisite handling of sounds’ (Simon Cummings, 5:4), Edwin Hillier's music is rooted in an exploration of timbre. Developed through a physical and tactile composition process, his output – both acoustic and electronic – typically investigates ‘febrile and protean sonic matter’ (Tom Service, BBC Radio 3). Frequently drawing inspiration from the work and working practices of visual artists such as Alberto Burri, Cy Twombly and Alan Davie – and from the visceral, charged quality of their output – Edwin too seeks to conjure something of the intimate and human through his own ruptured designs.

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Edwin's work has been presented internationally at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Royaumont Festival (France), Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Roulette (New York City), Neimënster (Luxembourg) and Nonclassical, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Quatuor Tana, EXAUDI, Explore Ensemble, Red Note Ensemble, The Hermes Experiment and Talea Ensemble. His music has been broadcast several times on BBC Radio 3, live on France Musique, and recorded by NMC. In 2025, Port Dundas: Traced Landscapes, recorded by David Zucchi, was released on 1066Hz and later broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s New Music Show.

 

Alongside his compositional work, Edwin performs analogue electronics in the improvising duo Gozzi/Hillier with saxophonist Gerardo Gozzi; recent appearances include The Vortex, Dalston, with an album forthcoming in 2027. He has twice received a Scottish Award for New Music, for Electroacoustic/Sound Artwork and the Dorico Award for Small/Medium Scale Work.

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Edwin is Masters Composition Coordinator at the Royal College of Music, overseeing the postgraduate MMus in Composition and MComp programmes, alongside his work as a Composition professor. He has previously held composition teaching posts at the University of Nottingham and the Junior Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

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A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Edwin was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music to pursue his postgraduate studies, supported by the RVW Trust and the AHRC. He completed his doctorate in composition at the RCM in 2021. During this time, Edwin undertook private study with Rebecca Saunders in Berlin, in addition to receiving tuition from Pierluigi Billone, Raphaël Cendo and Frédéric Durieux, among others.

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In parallel with his compositional work, Edwin is also active as a choral conductor, working with a range of ensembles in both professional and educational contexts.