composer

Glasgow born Edward (Eddie) McGuire studied with James Iliff (Royal Academy of Music, London, 1966-70) and with Ingvar Lidholm in Stockholm. He received a British Composers Award (2003), Creative Scotland Award (2004) and has been featured composer at several international festivals including the Bath International Guitar Festival, International Viola Congress and Edinburgh International Harp Festival.

The BBCSSO Proms performance of "Calgacus" was selected for BBC Music Magazine's CD 'The Very Best of the BBC Orchestras' (1997). Commissions and broadcasts have included those from St Magnus Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Lorient Festival, Glasgow Festival Strings, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, RSNO Chorus and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Notable successes are his 3 act ballet Peter Pan (Scottish Ballet; Hong Kong Ballet), opera "The Loving of Etain" (with librettist Marianne Carey) and concertos for guitar, trombone, violin, accordion, viola and bass. He writes for and plays flute with The Whistlebinkies traditional Scottish group and Chinese traditional group Harmony Ensemble.

Recent works include "Let the Games Begin" for Glasgow Chamber Choir, "Three Donne Lyrics" for Paisley Abbey Choir and Overture: "Revival" for Merchant Sinfonia and "Nocturne and Sunrise" for the Saitenwirbel Guitar Festival in Nuremberg where Stefan Grasse released a recording in 2023 with him playing all 5 parts. This work marks the culmination of over 50 years of writing for guitar, encouraged by Phillip Thorne who commissioned and premiered his guitar works in the 1980s and 1990s.

Since childhood he has been interested in science, especially astronomy. In 2015 his "Symphonies of Galaxies" was premiered at University of St Andrews by its New Music Ensemble - a collaboration with its Department of Astronomy and Physics. It features at the 2023 Orkney International Science Festival. 2016 saw the premiere of "Botanic Gardens" (4 players at 2 pianos) at the University of Glasgow, repeated at the Purcell Room, London, in May 2018 by 'Piano40'. It has been one of several premieres and commissions of his music heard in this University, starting in 1973 when James Durrant premiered his 'Martyr' for violas. His "String Trio" was his third University of Glasgow McEwen Commission in 2019.

Both CD collections of his music (on Delphian Records) have achieved 'Editor's Choice' in Gramophone Magazine - "Eddie McGuire: Music for Flute, Guitar and Piano" (2006) and "Entangled Fortunes" (2015, performed by Red Note ensemble).

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