News
May 2008: London performance of Turnabout
Southwark Winds will perform Turnabout for wind nonet on Saturday 12th July. They commissioned the piece in 2004 and first performed it the following year; it received a second performance by the Cardiff University Contemporary Music Group in 2006 in a revised version. Southwark Winds will play this new version at their concert in the beautiful gothic grade 1 listed All Saints Church, West Dulwich, restored and re-opened in 2006 following a severe fire in 2000.
April 2008: More music at Hexham
Hexham Abbey Choir will give a further performance of O Praise the Lord, an anthem for girls voices with organ (which they first performed in May 2006 and again in July 2008 with Selwyn College Choir, Cambridge) at evensong as part of the Hexham Abbey Festival on Thursday 2nd October, in addition to the premiere of Though We Are Many the day before.
March 2008: First performance of Though We Are Many
Though We Are Many, an anthem commissioned last year, will receive its first performance later this year by the Hexham Abbey Choir, conductor Michael Haynes, at the Hexham Abbey Music Festival during the Festival Evensong on Wednesday 1st October. The anthem, part of an ongoing project of a collection of unaccompanied anthems for special occasions, was commissioned by a member of the audience following a performance in Wells last year of my anthem My Star and the wind dectet Why Cats Sit on Doorsteps in the Sun. The words for Though We Are Many are written by the commissioner's mother, a published author, and are a reflection on the sustenance of faith and its historical concept.
The Hexham Abbey Girls Choir performed some of my music a couple of years ago but I was unable to attend then so I am really looking forward to flying up to Newcastle for the performance and to meet the Choir, their music director Michael Haynes and organist Hugh Morris - and to see the beautiful abbey which was featured on Songs of Praise earlier this year.
January 2008: Phoenix Sound at Pinewood Studios
The second editing session on Pacific Song took place at Phoenix Sound at Pinewood Studios. Walking through Pinewood Studios to get to Phoenix Sound felt a bit like being in a very real Disney set(!) - and it was great to see the huge warehouse with 007 on the side where Quantum of Solace was currently being filmed.
It was a busy and rewarding day assisting the producer - and also helping out in the studio recording some foot stamping with David Fanshawe on a specially prepared rostrum! The third session is taking place in mid-February and it is hoped the finished recording will be available for sale by the Summer.
December 2007: first performance of orchestral The Lord's Prayer
The first performance of the orchestral version of The Lord's Prayer took place in Sherborne, Dorset with the soloist Belinda Evans (one of the finalists in the BBC's How do you Solve a Problem like Maria?) and conducted by William Slogrove. After further refinements and finishing touches, the score will be sent off for publication in 2008.
November 2007: Bournemouth Symphony Chorus sing Pacific Song
The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, conducted by Greg Beardsell and accompanied by various players including the percussion group Backbeat, performed my latest collaboration with David Fanshawe, Pacific Song. The work, lasting around 9 minutes, is based around some of David's original recordings from Tonga. There are 3 movements which run without a break; as the music progresses, so the mood becomes more lively, culminating in a lively Tongan dance, the Otuhaka, complete with choreographed movements from the choir. The performance at The Lighthouse, Poole, in front of an audience of around 1000 received great applause - twice - as it was recorded by Abbey Road mobile studio for release early next year.
September 2007: Ciaconna Quartet
A new collaboration with London based Ciaccona Quartet as their in-house composer and arranger for special events (see Links). The quartet provide music for corporate and private functions as well as weddings and civil partnerships and perform at a wide range of prestigious venues both in and outside of London such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery, Dorcester Hotel and Highclere Castle.
September 2007: The Lord's Prayer from David Fanshawe's African Sanctus - arrangement for orchestra
The first ever arrangement for orchestra of David Fanshawe's The Lord's Prayer from African Sanctus for orchestra, following requests by choral societies in the UK and abroad; two performances in the UK and New Zealand are scheduled for the end of 2007/early 2008. This new arrangement will link directly with the original Lord's Prayer from African Sanctus so that it can be sung with existing SATB vocal scores and in this way is different to the recent brass band/brass band with voices version (published by Studio Music) which is an elaborated and extended version of the original. The new orchestral arrangement will be published by Warner Chappell.
August 2007: Salmon Inn Auction
A great night out at the local pub in Wanswell which held a Charity Auction to raise money for several local charities. I offered to write "a 2 minute piece for a special occasion" which was bid for by Ang and Grant, the landlady and landlord, for their wedding next year.