Thea Musgrave is a successful Scottish-American composer whose orchestral, choral and operatic works are known for their rich musical language and strong sense of drama. Born in Edinburgh in 1928, Musgrave studied in Edinburgh and Paris before living and working in London for several years. In 1970 she took up the post of Guest Professor at the University of California and married American violist and conductor Peter Mark the following year. From 1987 until 2002 she was Distinguished Professor at Queens College, New York, where she trained many young and gifted student composers. Musgrave has received numerous awards and recognitions, including a CBE in 2002 and an honorary degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 2004.