Author Archives: Ben

BBC Symphony Orchestra Workshop

I had my first workshop at Maida Vale Studios with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Garry Walker, on Monday 18th March. They played the first sketches for my ‘Lullaby for Joni’, which I am writing as part part of the Sound and Embedded Residency with the orchestra. It was great to hear my piece and gave me a lot to think about. It was also good to hear the embryo works by the two other composers Tom Coult and Aaron Holloway Nahum. It was also good to have our mentor Richard Causton around to discuss ideas with. Now I am frantically doing revisions and writing new material for my next workshop in April!

Photo: Aaron Holloway-Nahum

 

KCYO Concerto for Ivo Neame

I’m so excited to say I’ve been commissioned by the Kent County Youth Orchestra to compose a piece for their fiftieth celebration concert in September. I was in KCYO for many years so it is a great honour to be invited back. I’m going to be writing a concerto for fellow KCYO alumni and amazing jazz pianist Ivo Neame. He is a bit of a monster so I’d better get my best funk on!

The premiere will be in Maidstone on 7th September alongside Britten’s Sea Interludes and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. No pressure then…

KCYO

Workers Union Ensemble Call for Works

The Workers Union Ensemble have just announced our Call for Works 2013, part of our PRS for Music Foundation funded ‘Constructing a Repertoire’ commissioning project. We are really pleased to be teaming up with LSO Soundhub to offer the chance for up to four composers to have their works performed and recorded at our LSO St Luke’s gig in November 2013.

The deadline for emailing us your new scores is 5th July 2013 so composers get cracking!

Reading Phoenix Choir release recording of Debussy’s ‘Des pas sur la neige’

In 2011 David Crown, conductor of the Reading Phoenix Choir, commissioned me to do an arrangement for choir. I had free reign to chose what I wanted to do and set about arranging one of my favourite Debussy Piano Preludes, Des pas sur la neige. The choir have since sung the arrangement in several concerts, recorded it and released it on their label. You can read a review of one of the concerts here, buy their CD from Amazon/iTunes or listen on Spotify:

I would be keen to hear from any other choirs interested in performing the work in the future.

Prelude, Fugue and Riffs

I took part in the final part of the International Composer Pyramid Competition this weekend. I didn’t win but I was voted best piece by the audiences in both Canterbury and Boulogne-sur-Mer, as well as the musicians who played the piece. I was very pleased with this vote of confidence and with how the musicians, conducted by Mark Foster, approached my music. Many thanks to them. The following is the recording from the French gig…

ICP Performances, Canterbury (8th December) and Boulogne-sur-Mer (9th December)

I am in Canterbury at the moment for rehearsals for the International Composer Pyramid Competition 2012. My piece, Prelude, Fugue and Riffs, sounded pretty good in rehearsal this morning! Mark Foster is conducting the ICP Ensemble. The first performance is Saturday 8th December at 3pm in St Augustine’s Hall, Canterbury, and the second in Boulogne-sur-Mer on Sunday also at 3pm…

Selected as BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sound and Music Embedded Artist

I’ve been selected as one of three composers for the SAM Embedded Residency with the BBC SO. The other composers are Tom Coult and Aaron Holloway-Nahum.

We will write pieces for the orchestra over the coming year, which will be performed and recorded at Maida Vale in November 2013. We will also get the chance to try out some of our ideas in workshops early in 2013. This is obviously an amazing opportunity to take some risks and try some things out, and pretty special to be selected in such a competitive atmosphere!