I'm thrilled to have been commissioned to write an orchestral piece to open the First Night of the 2017 BBC Proms. Edward Gardner will conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the premiere of St. John's Dance at London's Royal Albert Hall on the 14 July. The concert also features Igor Levit playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 and John Adams'...
I'm honoured to have been commissioned by the Hepner Foundation to write a piece for the Arditti Quartet, to be performed at a special concert in memory of Leo Hepner. Leo was a German chemical engineer/biotechnologist and amateur violist. He formed the Hepner Foundation to support contemporary music in the UK and Europe, and together with his wife Regina Hepner-Neupert set...
Psappha will give the world premiere of Two Games and a Nocturne at Manchester's St Michael's on Thursday 16 February. They commissioned the piece – scored for flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin & cello – for their 25th Anniversary season. Also in the concert are premieres by Gordon McPherson and Emily Hall, Joe Duddell's Nightswimming, Kaija Saariaho's Light & Matter...
Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea will perform Limp at a lunchtime concert at Manchester's Cosmo Rodewald Hall on Thursday 20th October, alongside Camden Reeves' Gorgon's Head and Schumann's Violin Sonata Op. 105. Also scheduled for a Manchester performance – I've also just finished Two Games and a Nocturne for Psappha, who will give the world premiere at St Michael's in February. [vc_row css_animation=""...
The London Sinfonietta are giving the world premiere of 'Spirit of the Staircase' for 15 players on the 1 June in London, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins. The concert, at London's St John's Smith Square, is programmed around the world premiere of Harrison Birtwistle's Five Lessons in a Frame, and also features Francisco Coll's Liquid Symmetries and Tansy Davies'...
I have been awarded a Jerwood Opera Writing Fellowship from Aldeburgh Music to develop an opera with the wonderful playwright Alice Birch. Aldeburgh will provide support over the next two years as we develop our piece, including through bursaries, workshops, mentoring and showcases. I'm incredibly excited to start work on this project with such an exciting writer – more details of...
Sonnet Machine is receiving its public premiere at the weekend courtesy of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside a couple of radio broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. In chronological order, then: on Friday 22nd at 9.30pm and as a part of their Shakespeare 400 celebrations, Radio 3 will broadcast 'Baba Ganoush', a newly commissioned radio play from Tom Wells, which features extracts...
A few bits of news: I've been commissioned by the wonderful Psappha to write a 6-piece ensemble work for their 25th anniversary season, to be performed at Manchester's St Michael's in early 2017. Psappha have previously performed my Enmîmés sont les gougebosqueux on two occasions. I'm grateful to the Britten-Pears Foundation and the Ernst von Siemens Muzikstiftung for supporting the commission. I'll be...
The London Sinfonietta are putting on a night of live music and film on the 9 February at the Southwark Playhouse as part of their week-long residency there. On the 9th, their principal violinist Jonathan Morton will give his third performance of my Études Nos. 3 & 4 for solo violin, to be accompanied by a new film made by...