Thursday 27 March 2014

SoundJunction 2014 flyer

Sound Junction 2014 looks to be one of the very best yet. This year the focus is upon 'community'. As you will see from the picture and the link to the programme the community of students at the University of Sheffield Sound Studios from undergraduates to PhD will be sharing their music alongside my own work The Battle and works by my colleague Adam Stansbie. On Thursday 3rd the evening concert is given over to instruments, improvisers and computers with Mustek featuring Max Hummus. On Friday 4th we celebrate the community that is the Composers Desktop Project with works by Rajmil Fischman and Archer Endrich.

If you are interested in joining the community that is sonic art at Sheffield University, do come to any/all of these events. It's completely free.
festival piednu 2014


















I am really excited to be presenting my pieces Nebula Sequence and The Battle at Piednu in Le Havre on Tuesday 1st April. Click here for the incredible programme on offer. It's a real honour to be playing alongside Eric Cordier and meeting Brunhild Ferrari again (she was also on the line-up at Akousma X in Montreal last October). This festival looks like it has something for everybody. If only the ferry crossings were easier! 


Tuesday 18 March 2014

Let's make the Church of the Nazarene Sheffield's new concert venue

The University of Sheffield and the City really need a new concert space for circa 200 people. Step forward the Church of the Nazarene on Victoria Street. It's beautiful, has an amazing acoustic which would work extremely well with classical music and would make an excellent recording venue. It's right next door to the Soundhouse so the studio facilities are already in place. It would require some variable acoustics as the space would need to adapt to a variety of musics (classical, world, folk, experimental, electroacoustic). A feasibility study has already been drawn up making this place look like a cultural gem (and a potential earner too). We need creative partners and financial support. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get in touch.


Tuesday 11 March 2014

Easter music

Interesting forthcoming gigs:

  • PIEDNU in Le Havre (Now how long should it take to get there in April? Nice drive to Portsmouth then direct on a wonderful ferry - almost, but some serious overnight journeys so...it's train to London, London to Paris and Paris to Le Havre which takes literally all day). But I have half a concert at this wonderful festival. 
  • Sound Junction 2014. April 2 - 4. I am really excited about this year's festival as we have a host of home-grown works to present. Whilst this may not guarantee a national audience (no reason though why it shouldn't), I hope as many students will come and support their friends, many of which will be presenting their work publicly for the first time. My own work 'The Battle' gets an airing on the 4th. 
  • With a warm up on the 14th March in Leeds at IFimPaC. 
  • I am really looking forward to the 11th May when the University of Sheffield Symphony Orchestra will play Elgar, Finzi and Vaughan Williams 'Sinfonia Antartica' under my creaky baton. Elgar's 'Cockaigne' is conducted by Tim Walker (third year undergraduate) and the Finzi 'Dies Natalis' is sung by the wonderful Ella Taylor (first year undergraduate). If there are any prospective students reading this blog, not many other universities in the country offer these kind of opportunities so early on in your student lifetime. Come to Sheffield!