F L Dunkin Wedd was born at Chiddingstone Castle, Kent in 1955. He studied piano and cello at school, and sang in the choir; as a teenager he played guitar and wrote material for folk and jazz groups.
Composition came naturally; even before he could read music he was writing it - with his elder sister as reluctant amanuensis! But he did not settle down to serious composition until the 1980s, when he studied with Peter Aviss and Barry Seaman.
His piece Dimitri's Train won first prize in its category in the London Chamber Group Piece of the Year competition of 2003, winning best piece for string quartet and wind solo. His works include symphonic and choral music; songs; chamber music for piano, wind, brass and strings, and music for a film; an opera is near completion.
His works have been performed by ensembles such as the Cann Duo, the Bingham String Quartet, the Bebeto String Quartet, The Rivoli String Quartet, Kingston Brass, London String Soloists, and The Cremone Trio; instrumentalists Clifford Benson, David Campbell, Rena Rzaeva, Penelope Howard and Elizabeth Moore; choirs The Sporgersi Singers, The Sackville Singers, Wimbledon Chamber Choir and the occasional singers; and singers Jane Manning, Dilys, Sarah and Emily Benson and Sandra Graham. Performances have taken place as far afield as Germany and Azerbaijan. He is a member of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.