Born in London in 1948, Malcolm Dedman was initially self-taught, having started to compose when he was 12. He had formal composition lessons with Patric Standford at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1974-75, but did not receive a formal qualification in music until 2005, when he passed his Masters Degree in Composing Concert Music at Thames Valley University with distinction. Major performances of his music include piano and chamber music as well as a Christmas Cantata. He has also gained several composition awards, including the Stroud Festival and the Recontres Internationales de Chant Choral.