This summer I was delighted to hear the premiere of my piece ‘When Voices Rise’ which I wrote for the Manchester Chorale’s 40th anniversary competition back in 2019. The premiere was delayed unfortunately on a number of occasions due to Covid restrictions, so the performance seemed like a comforting ‘reset’ on the events of the past few years. My thanks to Jill Henderson-Wild and other choir members who made me feel very welcome on the occasion! Click on the video above to hear the final result.
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Cinderella showing this Sunday!
I am delighted to be able to share the ballet I wrote a few years ago for ‘Ballet Cymru’. It will be available for two days from 2pm on Sunday 24th May. It was a great experience working with Ballet Cymru and for those of you who were unable to see the live performances, this will be a great opportunity to discover the work of this great company! Here’s the link to their Youtube page (or click on the image above): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCusHNEiSVMvyNaYLIWtmWOg
Komos Choral Composition Winner!
I am very happy to be able to share that I have won first prize in the Komos Choral Competition! I entered my work ‘Nothing and Everything’ for TTBB choir in the 6th Komos International Choral Competition because it related to LGBTQI themes (and was written originally for the LGMC in a project called shame chorus curated by Jordan McKenzie). The score for this work will be published by the Publishing House AltrEdizioni and will be performed by Komos – Bologna’s Gay Men’s Choir in the future.
LGMC arrangements tonight! SOLD OUT!
This evening the London Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing at the Cadogan Hall and I am very much looking forward to sharing the arrangements I have written for the choir. Sadly I am not able to be in attendance this evening but I wish the choir every success with the concert!
Vanguard Success!
Yesterday I was delighted to be informed that I will be one of the composers chosen to work with Vanguard Manchester for their concert next year. The exact details will be fleshed out in a meeting in November. I would like to congratulate Ben Nobuto, James Banner, Jenny Jackson, Jasmine Simonds and Benjamin Marrington-Reeve who will also be participating. I look forward to meeting them and the Vanguard team in November.
‘Beacons’ awarded further support
I feel very happy that this week Tŷ Cerdd have chosen my piece ‘Beacons’ to be awarded further support from the CoDI Buddies scheme. Congratulations to Iestyn Harding too who also receives further support. I will look forward to working with Côr Aduniad further on the piece next year.
Unanimous Winner of Manchester Chorale Competition!
I am delighted to announce that I have won 1st place in the Manchester Chorale 40th Anniversary Competition – £1000! The competition was judged anonymously and my piece ‘When Voices Rise’ was chosen to help the choir celebrate their 40th anniversary year. The piece will be performed throughout their season next year so I will be looking forward to hearing it then! Congratulations to Martin Neill and Lydia Jane Pugh who also had pieces selected, looking forward to hearing their pieces too. I will update you when I have more information regarding performance dates.
Video of Beacons
Here’s a link to the recording of my new experimental piece ‘ Beacons’.
I am very grateful to Côr Aduniad and to Tŷ Cerdd for their support with the creation of this piece. It was a lot of fun to work on and record! It has given me lots more ideas for working with speakers in this way, so watch this space.
‘Beacons’ is recorded!
Last weekend I recorded my new experimental vocal piece ‘Beacons’ with Côr Aduniad. I am in the process of getting the video ready to share with you all. The idea for the piece came from the Brecon Beacons, which reportedly gained their name as they became used to signal against invading troops which were spotted from afar. I would like to thank Tŷ Cerdd for commissioning me to undertake work on this project, and also to Côr Aduniad for being patient with my sometimes strange requests! The function of the piece was also to experiment with using four portable speakers to perform with. I wanted to experiment with sound and space in this piece, and relate it to the overall thematic composition. I have learned a lot from my work with the choir and this piece, and it has allowed me to start building a new vocabulary which I intend to use to devise more pieces of this nature. Keep posted for links to the video!
Christmas commissions in May!
When the weather is not so summery it feels slightly less weird to have been working on a few Christmas commissions for the London Gay Men’s Chorus. I don’t think I am supposed to spoil the surprise of the arrangements I have been asked to create, you’ll have to book tickets to the concert later in the year. I’ll update this sight when I have more information.
Jack White 