I had so much fun playing tracks from ‘Birth of the Cool’ with the PLAYLIST Collective directed by Dan Mar-Molinero back in June. Here’s a video of ‘Israel’:
Regeneration
I’m super looking forward to conducting Hollie Harding‘s new PLAYLIST commission Regeneration on 1 November at God’s House Tower in Southampton. We will also perform amazing Villa Lobos’ Choros No. 7…
Drip Feed Video
Here’s a video of the premiere of Drip Feed for solo harpsichord featuring the fantastic Jane Chapman:
The Driver
Terrific workshop last week with Riot Ensemble for my collaboration with poet Luke Wright. Exciting to be putting stuff together and making plans for a tour, hopefully in 2021.
Here’s a taster of the poetry:
Is this how it ends for all of us?
love born at festivals
in chemicals and poetry
love that lived beyond our bodies
love that conquered motorways and calendars
love that conquered half of England
is this how it ends?
from The Driver, by Luke Wright
More info and some taster audio on the Riot Ensemble website: http://riotensemble.com/the-driver/
Cohan Collective
I had a fantastic week last week taking part in the Development week of the Cohan Collective. I was collaborating with choreographer Josh Ben-Tovim and composer Hollie Harding, creating a new 15-minute piece ‘Enemy of the Stars’. Looking forward to seeing how the project develops…
Liz Kenny CD
There have been a bunch of good reviews for Liz Kenny’s new Linn release ‘Ars Longa’ which includes my Extending from the inside. She’s also been performing the piece all over the place including at Aldeburgh Festival and in Cleveland. You can read some of the comments about my piece on my press page.
PLAYLIST @ Baffi
I’m excited to have a new piece, Drip Feed, premiered by the amazing harpsichordist Jane Chapman on 11 June at Baffi Portswood as part of PLAYLIST. I will also be playing piano in the PLAYLIST Collective, in which we will perform tracks from Miles Davis’ seminal album ‘Birth of the Cool’.
‘Changing Up +’ Video
Video now online of the premiere of my Changing Up + for solo percussionist and large ensemble from the recent SHIFTS project at Turner Sims. Joley Cragg totally nailed the percussion as did the HARTLEY Loop Orchestra, which features students and staff from the University of Southampton Music Department.
‘Pythagoras’ Toolkit’
I’m really delighted that Pythagoras’ Toolkit, led by Ensemble Paramirabo (Montreal) and involving me as co-creator, composer and conductor, has been awarded funding from the Canadian Council for the Arts.
In Pythagoras’ Toolkit Rachel Warr (co-creator/director, Dotted Line Theatre) and I will bring to life, through puppetry and live music, a modern-day Pythagoras who will explore sound, space (conceptual/sound/realworld), rhythm, harmony and dissonance (order and chaos), instrument making/design, dance, musical textures and ways of constructing music.
The production, currently planning for a tour in 2021, will feature musicians from Ensemble Paramirabo (Canada), Workers Union Ensemble (UK) and two musically literate puppeteers working with a specially created Pythagoras puppet.
Rachel and I are concocting ideas already… more soon!
‘Drip Feed’ for solo harpischord
I’m putting the finishing touches on a new piece for solo harpsichord for Jane Chapman. Premiere date to be confirmed but likely in late 2019 or early 2020. Watch this space!
