News

Posted on 23 Mar 2011

This Tuesday sees the premiere of a new piece of mine, Ludovico's Harp. The piece is written for performance at Manchester's International Anthony Burgess Foundation, in response to the author's novel A Clockwork Orange, in the 50th anniversary of its completion. The piece is rather unusually scored for 6 male voices with 12 tremolo harmonicas (they're equipped with two each)....

Posted on 15 Feb 2011

The brilliant Quatuor Danel are workshopping three pieces by University of Manchester Masters composers on Thursday. My piece is called 'Atavice', and is a short piece for string quartet conceived as a study for a larger work. Its six sections are related by a four-note chord and an isorhythm that is explored in various ways, before ending in a continuous...

Posted on 03 Feb 2011

The University of Manchester Chamber Orchestra are premiering a new piece of mine on Saturday night at 7.30 at the Cosmo Rodewald Hall, Manchester. The piece is entitled Ex Machinis, and features pianists Keith McAlister and Hanne Ely, and will be conducted by Tom Jarvis (a picture from the rehearsals is below). Here's the programme note: Ex Machinis is a concerto...

Posted on 01 Feb 2011

Firstly, the Manchester Camerata workshopped my arrangement of the folk song The Snows they Melt the Soonest yesterday with folksinger Bella Hardy at the RNCM. The workshop was conducted by Eduardo Portal, and judged by composer Howard Skempton (that's him in the picture perusing my score). Bella and the Camerata will now play my piece in public on the 17th...

Posted on 10 Jan 2011

This week sees the premiere of 'Seven Face Pictures' in Manchester by Trio Atem (that's them on the right). Scored for mezzo-soprano, flute and cello, it's a breakneck song cycle of seven songs in ten minutes, setting the poetry of Caroline Bird. One hitch though – due to time restrictions, at Friday's performance we might have to only do six...

Posted on 05 Jan 2011

Manchester Camerata are teaming up with folk singer Bella Hardy on the 31st of January to workshop arrangements of folk songs by composers at Manchester University, the RNCM and Chetham's School of Music. My blues-meets-Broadway arrangement of 'The Snows they Melt the Soonest', a Northumbrian folk song, will be one of the pieces workshopped, in front of a panel including...

Posted on 21 Dec 2010

A Christmas present for you: here's the audio of Michael Jones and Vaganza performing Acheronta Movebo on 26th November… [audio:http://www.tomcoult.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/LunchRegion-11.mp3|titles=Tom Coult - Acheronta Movebo] I've got a rather busy start of 2011 brewing…Trio Atem premiere 'Seven Face Pictures' on 14th January, two able pianists and the University of Manchester Chamber Orchestra premiere 'Ex Machinis' on 5th February, the Quatuor Danel workshop a...

Posted on 15 Dec 2010

I have been asked to write a new piece for a collaboration between Vaganza (Manchester University's new music ensemble) and Chimera Ensemble (York University's new music ensemble). The piece will be for 2 instrumental groups – an oboe and 3 percussionists, plus an ancillary string sextet (one ensemble for each University). It will be performed when Chimera come to Manchester's Cosmo...