British Composer Award nomination for SCO/Drake Music Scotland commission

By -

Composer Howard Moody has been shortlisted for a British Composer Award for his groundbreaking work, Moving Music, which was commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Drake Music Scotland.

Moody has been nominated in the Community or Educational Project category for Moving Music, which gave eight secondary school pupils with physical or visual impairment from Ashcraig School in Glasgow the chance to perform alongside orchestral musicians, by using the latest music technology.

The piece was written for Soundbeam technology – a movement sensor system connected to a computer, programmed with thousands of live instrument samples. It was adapted to react to the slightest movements and allowed those unable to use conventional instruments to take part in a live performance.

Howard Moody said he took inspiration both from the pupils themselves, and some of the feelings they experienced, as well as birdsong and the words of 13th century poet Rumi. It was divided into six distinct sections; Longing, Shy and Elusive, Vulnerable, Expressive, Unusual, Nocturnal.

Moving Music was performed at Platform in Easterhouse on 2 June 2008, and the children were joined by a choir from the school, as well as SCO musicians.

“We are delighted that Howard Moody’s expertise has been recognised in this nomination. It is the combination of his extraordinary skills that made this project such a success.” - SCO Education Director, Lucy Perry

Howard Moody said there was a real “joyfulness” in the sessions at Ashcraig. “My personal interest was to make the process of playing soundbeams feel the same as playing an acoustic instrument. There was a real sense of collaboration between all those who participated.”

The British Composer Awards will be held at the Law Society in London on Tuesday 1 December, and the ceremony will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Wednesday 2 December at 7pm.

Yours Truly, Chip Michael, was entered for the International Award. The International Award received its largest entry for the three years it has been contested. There were 19 nominations for works receiving their UK premiere in the qualifying period. The nominations in this category go to John Adams, Peter Helmut Lang and Magnus Lindberg. While I wasn't short listed, it's nice to be included in such illustrious company.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Acclaimed Fauré Quartett returns to Deutsche Grammophon with their first recording of Brahms

By -
Image
The Fauré Quartett continues to add authoritative recordings to the chamber music catalog with their new recording of two Brahms quartets, available from Deutsche Grammophon on January 12, 2010. These large, some say symphonic, works test the limits of technical and musical capabilities, and the Fauré Quartett once again proves why they are one of the most acclaimed ensembles performing today. Within a short period of time the Fauré Quartett has conquered the great concert halls of London , Paris , Berlin , Amsterdam , Brussels , Geneva , Hamburg , Frankfurt, Milan , Buenos Aires , Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere. “They attract superlatives wherever they go,” wrote The Strad following a concert at London ’s Wigmore Hall, while the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised them for a performance that “brought tremendous pleasure by highlighting interpretative details that had scarcely ever been heard before”. The Fauré Quartett strives to achieve a unique sound for Brahms (as indeed for every work)
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more