Alan Rawsthorne has been played on NTS shows including NTS Guide to…, with Serenade For Strings first played on 21 November 2025.

Alan Rawsthorne (1905–1971) was an English composer.

Rawsthorne was born on the 2nd May 1905 in Haslingden, Lancashire. After attempting careers in dentistry and architecture, he decided instead to study music, which he did in Manchester and Berlin. His breakthrough came with the "Theme and Variations" for two violins (1938) and "Symphonic Studies" for orchestra (1938). Other acclaimed works by Rawsthorne include a viola sonata (1937), two piano concertos (1939, 1951), an oboe concerto (1947), two violin concertos (1948, 1956), a concerto for string orchestra (1949), and the "Elegy" for guitar (1971), a piece written for Julian Bream, who completed the unfinished work after the composer's death. Other works include a cello concerto, three acknowledged string quartets among other chamber works, and three symphonies.

He died on the 24th July 1971.