Music
MUSICAL STYLE
I trained as a classical musician and wrote music in a contemporary classical style until part-way through my PhD when I started to lose my hearing. Since 2014 I have been writing electro-acoustic music which often combines words and music in various guises. I love the combination of live instruments and electronic tracks and have found my niche here where there are still traces of contemporary classical style but mixed with electronica and folk undertones. The music has melody tinged with unexpected tonality, is sparse and often bittersweet. I also write peculiar and occasionally humorous songs which are always melodic but sometimes accompanied by unusual sounds and textures (flapping dachshund ears looped springs to mind!?).
Recent Commissions
Room to breathe (2022)
A work commissioned by Drake Music Scotland which explores breath and breathing post-Covid 19 through a series of 5 differently-scored rooms or movements. The work opened Sound Festival 2022 in Aberdeen in October 2022.
Spider (2022)
As part of Echoes concert in June 2022 with Drake Music Scotland at Queen’s Hall – for MiMU gloves & narrator.
Bothy Ballad (2021)
An updated version of the traditional bothy ballad genre written as an electroacoustic song for Shades of Tay event and exhibition at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in August 2022. Co-composed with Barbara Hockaday
F-Email – Rarescale at Angel Field Festival (2021) – for alto flute, bass clarinet and voice track which imagines the journey of the first email sent in 1971 to the present 50 years later.
Songs in Isolation – Disability Arts Online (2021) – electroacoustic song trilogy written during the pandemic.
Click below to hear and read more about the ‘Songs in Isolation’ commissions.
CURRENT COMMISSIONS
Drake Music Scotland/ PRS Foundation
I’m one of 6 composers involved in Ben Lunn and Drake Music Scotland’s new Crossing Borders (PRS Foundation) project Sparking Renaissance – Six Composers will collaborate closely with Welsh pianist Siwan Rhys to develop cutting edge new works for piano for an album to be released by NMC Recordings.
FORTHCOMING COMMISSIONS
Adventures in Captioning
This commission from Disability Arts Online which was postponed in 2022 has found momentum again in new creative partners and a new setting. More info soon!
PREVIOUS COMMISSIONS
“(Dis) Connect (2020)
For voice track and piano fragment. Written during Drake Music Artist in Residence programme.
Never lose heart (2020)
For voice track and field recording. Written during Drake Music Artist in Residence programme.
Curiouser (2020)
Electroacoustic work for EWI. Written during Drake Music Artist in Residence programme. Shortlisted for a Scottish New Music Award in 2021.
Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing (2019)
Song – For Frida Kahlo research & development project, Pitlochry Theatre.
Last Tango in Liverpool (2018)
For “Destination Sound” DadaFest, Bluecoats, Liverpool – For string quartet, trombone and vocal track.
Memorial to an important lace shirt (2018)
For “Exploding Collage” Exhibition at Hatton Gallery, Newcastle – Voice and looped instrumental track – Text by Hannah Hoch (Dada’s Women).
Never keep both feet on the ground (2018)
For “Exploding Collage” Exhibition at Hatton Gallery, Newcastle to accompany a short film by Vaia Paziana – Vocal soundscape.
Thread of time (2018)
For “Dada Soup” with visual artist Audrey O’Brien at Wasp Studios, Glasgow – Voice, piano, alto sax & looped speech – Text by Sonia Allori & Celine Arnauld (Dada’s Women).
Fall from Grace (2017)
Commission from Sound Festival Aberdeen for multi-bassoon work with vocal track. Performed in Aberdeen in 2017.
The Lost & Found Songbook (2017)
Songs from the “Lost & Found” project. Performance is at Eden Court Theatre in September 2017.
The Lost & Found Suite (2017)
Music for a short film documentary.
You Can’t Get There from Here (2015)
Commission for Sound Festival Aberdeen. 6-composer collaborative commission for Ensemble Thing (chamber ensemble). Listen on SoundCloud
Music for Angharad – electro-acoustic work (2013)
Performed: Edinburgh, Summer 2013. “To inhabit spaces” – Composer for dance project in Edinburgh, June 2014 (writing music for dancer, Angharad Jones).
Seasons 4.0 – electro-acoustic work (2013 – 2015)
Performed: London, Spring 2013 & Autumn 2015.
Drake Music London (2013)
Attended a creative lab to develop ideas for a new work with dancer/choreographer, Sheron Wray. This work was developed further as a commission to score music for a new dance work based upon a re-imagining of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” (London).
Performed: London, Spring 2013 & Autumn 2015.
Fear Itself – Clarinet quintet (2011)
Performance: Student soloist and The Edinburgh Quartet, Edinburgh (Edinburgh Napier University). Forms part of PhD folio of compositions. Listen on SoundCloud
Guinevere – SATB soloists, SATB choir, Chamber orchestra (2011)
Words – A. L. Tennyson. Forms part of PhD folio of compositions.
Hilary & Maggie – Sax Quartet, vibraphone & prepared synthesised speech (2011)
Words – M. Thatcher & H. Clinton. Forms part of PhD folio of compositions.
Residencies
Recent
In 2020, I was one of three Artists in Residence with Drake Music. Due to the pandemic the residency was online, and we adapted to the changing circumstances.
During a 10 month period the AiRs are embedded in Drake Music, working as part of the team, sharing and developing their practice and creating a new piece of work for their final project.
Previous Residencies
Exploding Collage (2018)
Collaboration with writer Ruth Hemus and visual artist Vaia Paziana to produce an installation and performance at Hatton Gallery, Newcastle. Working with materials from Dada movement we created a short film with soundtrack, performed a new art song and held an interactive workshop with young people and other visitors to the gallery.
Spring Soup Dada (2018)
Worked with visual artist Audrey O’Brien to create a Dada-themed event comprising visual art installation, contemporary classical music/electro-acoustic music, performance art, chance performance, poetry …. and soup!
Lost & found (2017)
Commissioned and produced by Drake Music Scotland with funding from PRS Open Fund. Workshop sessions and performance at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness.
Performing Dada’s Women (2017)
Funded by Royal Holloway – University of London to create an interactive workshop and performance at Tate Modern in London. Creative team – Ruth Hemus (librettist), Vaia Paziana (visual artist) & myself (composer/musician/performer).
Sound Festival Aberdeen (2015)
“You Can’t Get There from Here”, 6-composer collaboration arising from Timeout residency in 2014. Performance – ACT Aberdeen, October 2015. An experiment in multi-composer creation of new work where each composer’s process is shared, and working is open and collaborative.
Read more at Creative Scotland
Rough Mix residency (2015)
Selected for 2-week residency at Summerhall with other artists & performers to work on an idea for a new work. I was able to take the idea for “Dada’s Women” and to work particularly on improvisation, exploring non-linear narrative and experimenting in performance with text, visual art, music and movement.
Flip Artists (2014/15)
Selected for 9-month mentoring programme for disabled Scottish artists. A tailored development programme with support through devising a new work, an opera – “Dada’s Women”.
Brighter Sounds (2015)
Chosen for a 5-day residency with Beth Orton (Manchester).
Unlimited Fund (2014/15)
Received funding to further develop Seasons 4.0 (formerly Seasonal Fluctuations) from this fund (Arts Council England/Creative Scotland). This is a mixed media dance-music fusion work. This funding allowed a second stage research & development process for this work (Edinburgh & London). I was mentored through the devising process of this work and collaborated with a dramaturg, choreographer and filmmaker.
Timeout composer residency (2014)
Composer residency at Covepark, Helensburgh through New Music Scotland.
EIFF Composer Lab (2013) – attended a week-long composer residency with 7 other emerging composers at Edinburgh Film Festival (Edinburgh).
Ghent Film Festival (2013)
Attended the festival for a week to study film music process for the composer (funded through EIFF) (Ghent, Belgium).
Performance
CURRENT
I’m a multi-instrumentalist and sing. I play clarinets, bassoon, saxophone and EWI (electronic wind instrument).
I currently perform and compose in Sonic Bothy; an inclusive experimental music ensemble based in Glasgow which I joined in 2019
In 2021 we created a new work Verbaaaaatim for the BBC Tectonic Festival. We also made a new film for Sound Festival in Aberdeen as part of a project for Glasgow University.
In 2019 we performed a set at Tusk Festival at Sage Gateshead: