Welcome to PLUG 2011
PLUG I: Clarinet Duos
Tuesday 3 May / 1.00pm
PLUG II: Glasgow Liederbuch I
Tuesday 3 May / 4.00pm
PLUG III: Dance Plug
Tuesday 3 May / 7.30pm
PLUG IV: Glasgow Liederbuch II
Wednesday 4 May / 1.00pm
PLUG V: MusicLab
Wednesday 4 May / 7.30pm
PLUG VI: Style in Performance
Thursday 5 May / 1.00pm
PLUG VII: Electroacoustic Event
Thursday 5 May / 7.30pm
PLUG VIII: Friday at One
Friday 6 May / 1.00pm
PLUG IX: MusicLab with Red Note
Friday 6 May / 7.30pm
A Plug Plug at the BBC
Saturday 7 May / 6.30pm and 7.30pm
PLUG 2010 Biographies
TUESDAY 03 MAY 1.00PM / GUINNESS ROOM
PLUG I: Clarinet Duos RORY BOYLE Reed Talk Fraser Langton, Calum Robertson Clarinet Written in December 2010 especially for today’s players, this piece is a study for two equal instruments. I have no idea what they are talking about but the music is at times playful, rude, cheeky, harsh, wistful and lamenting, often with a strong rhythmic drive and sometimes with a little humour.
STEVE FORMAN Gill’s Delirium Fraser Langton, Calum Robertson Clarinet James Gorman, Glynn Forrest Percussion This is a quiet little song of someone's illusions and delusions. of a lifetime of practice, of fanatical dedication, of nervous disorders, confusions and intrusions, of insensate concessions after psycho-medications and what happens to someone who stops all that abruptly. When all bets are off, when only dreams illuminate the way and no one else gets in or out and words and tears are worthless, when someone's bipolar and everyone else is just somebody else all the dialog's on the inside, when outside all directions run equally, reliably wrong. Safer to just to stay hunkered down in a hotel in Laguna one more day. But someone can't sit still that long so runs away.
LEWIS MURPHY Looking up through falling Snow Eoin Tonner Conductor Arlene Cochrane, Rebecca Garland Oboe Fraser Langton, Calum Robertson Clarinet Graeme Brown, Anna Mary Lynch Bassoon Jamie Shield, Chris Gough French Horn The initial inspiration for this piece was the experience of looking up through falling snow, which results in a feeling of total stillness, both audibly and visibly (almost inaudible sounds muffled by the snow combine with the hovering flakes of ice). However, this piece is not about silence and stillness. Rather, it is about the illusion of stillness and the impossibility of absolute stasis (for example, while experiencing this apparent deadening of sound and complete stillness I was also spinning in space and hurtling around the sun at incredible speed) Similarly, even with long chords and slow paced sections, the close semi and quarter-tone harmonies result in ‘beats’ in the air, creating an unsettling restlessness within the sound. This technique was greatly influenced by Alvin Lucier’s Piece for Piano and Oscillators, about which he writes: “In this work, beats are not used as ornaments or coloration but are the essential material from which the pieces are made.”
ANDREW WANG New Work Fraser Langton Clarinet Duncan Strachan Cello
SHONA MACKAY Me + You = Them Fraser Langton Clarinet I Calum Robertson Clarinet II Cristina Montesdeoca Suarez Clarinet III Kevin Brolly Bass Clarinet There were four of them. Me, you and the other two. You didn't know each other. I knew her but she didn't know him. She never did. Then eventually she knew her too, sort of. Sometimes I wonder if it could have been different for them then. There. Strange how these things work out.
TIM MILES Twitching Calum Robertson Clarinet "Twitching" is a word I recently learned while working on writing this piece for solo clarinet. It's a great word to describe bird watching, but I wonder after watching a BBC program about twitching, whether the word more accurately describes the birds or the birders. "Twitch" was written for Calum Robertson, and is dedicated to my parents Jim and Kathy Miles, for listening to me as a budding clarinettist from fifth to ninth grades.
TUESDAY 03 MAY 4.00PM / GUINNESS ROOM
PLUG II: Glasgow Liederbuch I Coming soon…
TUESDAY 03 MAY 7.30PM / GUINNESS ROOM
PLUG III: Dance Plug MusicLab Jessica Cottis, Kerem Hasan Conductor ANNA SHUCKSMITH Entrapment The basic idea behind this piece is that of a girl who is trapped by her own shyness and can’t reach out to others. Through falling in love, she manages to overcome her shyness, and is free to dance with everyone else.
BLAIR RUSSELL Eudaimonia Aristotle states that ‘Eudaimonia’ is to live and do well. It is commonly translated from Greek as simply “happiness”; however, as Aristotle describes it, “happiness” describes not a subjective or shallow feeling of pleasantness with the way one’s life might be at any one time, but more a deeper sense of wellbeing and contentment.
CLAIRE MCCUE Two Pieces for Dance Having personally enjoyed years of dance classes (including ballet) as a hobby, I have always treasured the world of dance and love watching contemporary and classical ballet. I have long been attracted to the idea of composing for dance and particularly exploring the development of a piece integrating input from both choreographer and composer from the beginning. It has been a wonderful experience this term to have the opportunity to collaborate with the dancers / choreographers from the Modern Ballet course, resulting in these two (non-related) pieces for dance. Zing Zing is a bright, rhythmic, high-energy dance piece (after a calmer awakening) far-removed from traditional ballet in terms of the movement and music. Zing is scored for large ensemble and will be performed with eight dancers. The music is somewhat jazz influenced, not directly, but re-surfacing from my experiences of playing in a big band I think. While the dancers are challenged by speed and stamina, many of the players also have to choreograph an instrument change into their role as they double up on some percussion for a section of the piece.
fRagmEnteD fRagmEnteD, for large ensemble and five dancers. From the outset, we worked closely together to derive the overall nature, structure and progression of the piece. As such, the score is tightly integrated with the choreography. Although most of this was hypothetical at the time of composition, the first two dancer’s themes were composed to actual dance sequences. fRagmEnteD is based on the idea of different identities. Each dancer is represented by one of the five string instruments used (Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass). The piece then explores how different identities co-exist as a group or can be affected by tension. Following unison and breakout dance sections, the growing friction leads to a tense climax. The dancers are left searching for themselves. They slowly rediscover fragments of their individual identity and attempt to re-unite as a group, though for some this may be difficult to re-establish. JASON STADDON Barotrauma After writing the first two minutes of this piece I had an ear infection which subsequently led to the loss of hearing in my left ear, hence the name Barotrauma. I was amazed how different everything now sounded, somehow internal with more detail. However, with this came pain, quite a strong pain in my left ear and my tinnitus was now even louder than usual. When I went back to the piece I saw it in a different light, it became physically painful to listen to, with an oppression attached to it, in another way I also felt this as a longing pain.
DEMETRIOS SKYLLAS New Work Jonathan Wettermark, Andres Pacheco Fernandez Trombone Theodoros Iosifidis Piano And there is a moment when one realizes that humans are destined to suffer, never feeling complete, always asking for more, and more‌
MusicLab Anna Shucksmith Entrapment Natasha Robertson Choreography Blair Russell Eudaimonia Claire McCue Zing and fRagmEnteD* Matthew Topliss, Anna Clifford* Choreography Jason Staddon Barotrauma Violin Jennifer Piggott Elanor Gunn Viola Maria Egyhazi Cello Feargus Egan Double bass Krzysztof Mickiewicz Harp Amy Westwell
Flute / Piccolo Elizabeth Lawton Hannah Tornell Flute Izzy Pyper Clarinet Cristina M Suarez Bass Clarinet Kevin Brolly Bassoon Anna Mary Lynch Cor Anglais Andrew Nunn Saxophone Jay Capperauld
Piano Matthew Shiel Rosanna Young Maciej Granat Percussion Patrick Nolan
French Horn Samantha Wright Trumpet Ben Hirons Trombone Alex Trotter Helen Douthwaite
WEDNESDAY 04 MAY 1.00PM / GUINNESS ROOM
PLUG IV: Glasgow Liederbuch II Coming soon…
WEDNESDAY 04 MAY 7.30PM / ALEXANDER GIBSON OPERA STUDIO
PLUG V: MusicLab Bryan Allen, Gordon Bragg Conductor CHRIS DUNCAN The Stars and their Satellites The stars and their satellites Swing silently on string.
EUAN FERGUSON Strain This piece grew from my interest in the concept of music which appears to stay the same, through lack of development in a traditional sense, yet does not repeat material. This was my starting point but the whole piece does not conform to this concept.
JAY CAPPERAULD Heroin Chic Is Heroin Chic a fashion Statement? Is Heroin Chic attractive? This piece centres on my dislike towards the fashion image called “Heroin Chic.” Fashionable models have always aimed to be thin; sometimes with such determination that they become anorexic or suffer other medical problems. In the mid-nineties, this waif-like image was accentuated even more, with models appearing hung-over and with dark circles under glazed eyes. This look, that some in the fashion industry view as attractive, has become an adopted image by many models which essentially asks them to appear like drug addicts. How can this (in an industry that promotes itself to the younger generation) be a “morally right” way to advertise their models, when they look as though they are so close to death (and in most cases they often are close to death)? This piece is my argument against this horrendous image – not only because I find it is ugly but also because it is an unhealthy lifestyle in a world where fashion and image has become a very important aspect of popular culture. I have tried to capture the pop culture in my use of the Big Band setup, often using Jazz inspired riffs. However, the lines in the band are upset by the awkward time signature which is my representation of the ugliness within the ‘Heroin Chic’ aspect of culture. Heroin Chic is pale skin, dark circles under the eyes and jutting bones. Heroin Chic is a drug addict. Heroin Chic is ugly.
MusicLab Chris Duncan The Stars and their Satellites Gordon Bragg Conductor Violin I Daniel Meszoly
Viola Gabriella Gemesi
Soprano Saxophone George Kastanos
Percussion Joe Bostock
Violin II Katrina Lee
Cello Elias Rooney
Voice Chris Duncan
Piano Nafis Umerkulova
Euan Ferguson Strain Gordon Bragg Conductor Violin I Daniel Meszoly
Viola Gabriella Gemesi
Bass Clarinet Matthew Rogers
Violin II Katrina Lee
Cello Elias Rooney
Piano Hanna Choi
Jay Capperauld Heroin Chic Bryan Allen Conductor Piccolo Sarah Hayes Clarinet Urszula Was Bass Clarinet Matthew Rogers
Alto Saxophone George Kastanos Jonathan Edwards Tenor Saxophone Rachel Watson Scott Murphy Baritone Saxophone Kevin Flynn
Trumpet Gregor Beattie Michael Iles Katherine Adams John Woodham Trombone Andres P Fernandez Alex Trotter Antonio J Marin Gordon Seith Tuba Jennifer Moore
Drumkit James Gorman Percussion Joe Bostock Thomas Lowe Seonaid Macpherson Piano TBC
THURSDAY 05 MAY 1.00PM / GUINNESS ROOM
PLUG VI: Style in Performance EUAN FERGUSON Ploughing Danny Miller Violin James Tradgett Cello
Rachel Coghlan Flute Kevin Brolly Clarinet Chris Mansfield Trombone
Struggling to think while mentally exhausted.
HUGH HOLTON Man Fire Nikola Kyosev Flute Carolyn Kelly Oboe Holly Boddice Trumpet Seonaid MacPherson Percussion Lewis Buchan Piano
Euros Campbell TBC Dominic Barberi Bass Nicholas Cowie Bass Matthew Tenor Gitai Fisher Tenor
This is the first piece of music I have written since coming to the RSAMD, and it’s basically a struggle to find a way out of the heavily pop-influenced rut I had been cultivating for several years previous. The title Man Fire comes from the fact that I was given five male singers that I had no clue how to write for, much like the way I have no clue how to control a fire—it’s difficult, and could end very badly if not done properly. I stole this title from the name of a shower gel brand in the discount supermarket Lidl.
JASON STADDON And from the distance, they heard a sound… Kerem Hassan Conductor Hazel Collins Violin Sean Shibe Guitar Carlisle Anderson-Frank Piano Glynn Forrest Percussion
James Watson French Horn Katherine Adams Trumpet Mark Good Bass Trombone
When starting the piece I wanted to experiment with the use of resonance, which is why I have the brass blowing into the piano and the guitar amplified through a second piano. From this resonance we begin to hear something else appear, other voices trying to have their own say. After much deliberation between voices we return to the idea of resonance where each part works together to create something more whole.
JESSICA JONES Traffic Scott Galbraith Violin Gillian Grant Violin Ula Kinderyte Violin
Hannah Rankin Bassoon Pearl-Lynne Chen Piano
Influenced by the rich counterpoint of Baroque music, Traffic evokes the rumble and excitement of a drive down a busy motorway.
MATTHEW WHITESIDE Silence, Imperfect Silence Kerem Hassan Conductor Kathleen O’Hara Violin Ruth Tarr Violin Sarah Leonard Viola
Glynn Forrest Percussion Ivan Penev Piano Victoria Robinson Piano
Elizabeth Galbraith Flute Kevin Flynn Saxophone
Louise Good Soprano Fiona Wilkie Mezzo-soprano Lynn Bellamy Mezzo-soprano Charlotte Whittle Soprano
Silence is something that is hard to come across but even when it is possible it is rarely perfect. This piece aims to break the silence as gently as possible and become the imperfect silence within the concert hall.
OLIVER NEWMAN A Summer Walk Christine Anderson Viola Gabriella Gemesi Viola Nikola Kyosev Flute
Iain Coleman Guitar Craig Ormsby Guitar Ian Watt Guitar
Summer. A nice day. You go for a walk. Somewhere quite pretty. Something bad happens.
THOM NORMAN Empty Hands Tbc Conductor Luke Harris Viola Zoltan Komives Viola Andrew Huggan Cello
Alix Cashmore Bassoon Michael Iles Trumpet George Duthie Piano
The holding of hands, either by a parent and child or in a romantic relationship, is a public and powerful gesture representing closeness and protection. It signifies one of the most profound bonds between two people and lets us know we are not alone in one simple gesture. The empty hand is a symbol of the loss of these bonds, the state of loneliness with all the many sometimes contrasting emotions which go along with this state of being.
THURSDAY 05 MAY 7.30PM / ALEXANDER GIBSON OPERA STUDIO
PLUG VII: Electroacoustic Event JONATHAN WETTERMARK Hembyn The piece Hembyn is based on my feelings and thoughts raised by the poem with the same name written by Harry Martinsson. Harry Martinsson (1904-1978) was one of the most important Swedish poets of the twentieth century. His life started out hard; his father died when he was six years old and his mother abandoned her children and immigrated to America. He spent his youth in foster care and in an orphanage. When he was sixteen he became a sailor and travelled around the world for seven years. After that he came back to Sweden and achieved huge success as a writer, rekindling the Swedish language (although misspellings became a recognizable part of his style). In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Hembyn is taken from a collection of poetry called Nomad that was published in 1931. Hembyn
Home Village
I hembyns daggmaskluckrade trädgård växer ännu aklejan och långsträckta klockor picka gammaldags i alla hus. Rökarna stiga som offerpelare rakt upp från kojorna, och för dem som komma därutifrån, från världshavens hårda arbeten och Barcelonas horgator, liknar denna fridfulla by en tyst lögn. En lögn som man gärna skulle vilja dröja vid, en lögn för vilken man skulle vilja förtrampa alla onda sanningar.
In the gardens of my home village, where earth-worms loosen the soil, the columbine still grows and grandfather clocks cluck old-fashionedly in each house. Smoke rises from cottages like sacrificial pillars and to those who come from afar, from the hard toils of the world's oceans and the whore-houses of Barcelona, this peaceful village is like a silent lie. A lie we would willingly hang on to, a lie for which we would trample down all evil truths.
Harry Martinsson (1904-1978)
Translated by Robin Fulton
DANIEL DE GRUCHY LAMBERT New Work This piece is an exploration of how beat boxing and trumpet playing can interact with each other. By combining and processing different percussive sound produced by the mouth (Beat Boxing) a rhythmic tape accompaniment was created alongside a trumpet part. The intention is to explore different beat styles such as Hip-Hop, Drum and Bass, and Dance whilst having the live trumpet either provide the supporting role to the rhythm or act as a function of the rhythm is self by having the tape and the live trumpet closely interact The intention behind this composition is to create a satisfying and fun interaction between processed beat boxing and live trumpet. Different rhythmic styles are covered by the pre-recorded electronic beat box, demonstrating that through processing, any number of different beats and styles can be created from the same set of sounds. The idea behind the live trumpet part, is to not only
demonstrate its already established ability to be a soloistic melodic instrument, but also show that it can become a percussive instrument seamlessly becoming an integral part of the rhythmic electronics. The overall effect should be one of the trumpet going back and forth between being a solo to the rhythmic tapes accompaniment, to becoming one with percussive tape part.
JAMES HODGES New Work
NIKOLA KYOSEV Mind Cell Mind cell is the first piece that I have ever composed for flute and electro acoustics. In it I try to explore the “crazy” processes that happen in our brain in every second of our life. No matter whether we sleep, or we run, or we just breathe – our mind never stops. It is constantly working, dreaming, evolving. In my piece, I have used mainly flute sounds, mixed together with some voice recordings. I did choose these sounds carefully, because I wanted to create Mind Cell around some more “natural” sounds, which are close to our human perception. I do hope that you will enjoy listening to my piece as much as I enjoyed working on it. And just before I leave you to enjoy the performance, I want to say one more thing – do you not think life could be funny sometimes? Exactly twenty-two years ago I was born on this day, but now I am joined by my creation...
TIM COOPER Slipstream for sackbut and electronics The relationship between the instrumental and electronic part is fluid. They each ride in the slipstream of the other at various times during the piece as it propels itself forwards. Slipstream was written for and is dedicated to Helen Douthwaite.
TIM COOPER The Sound of Letters, the Voice of the Page “...thus it is that the writer of today is no longer scribe but wordsmith, an author whose verbal assemblies are committed to paper by way of mechanical processes that bypass the work of the hand. In typing and printing, the intimate link between manual gesture and the inscriptive trace is broken. The author conveys feeling by his choice of words, not by the expressiveness of his lines.” Timothy Ingold, Lines Reading this passage it struck me immediately that I wanted to reinvigorate the link between gesture and writing. From the outset there is a physicality in the sounds of writing in the piece. The writer is exploring his past. He is listening to the sound his quills and pencils make: the immediate, physical noise of the quill scratching, the pencil sliding across the surface. He begins to write about other things, including sounds and memories from his past. These are sounds he knows well; but he attends to them in new and different ways. Some he visits so briefly that what
he hears is almost an illusion. Other sounds he settles on, and takes time to explore: isolating and amplifying. Through these and other repercussions there is a shift in what we hear or sense as real: the separation between action and meaning tends to dissolve, letters gather to form words, and gradually the sound of the letters becomes the voice of the page.
MATTHEW WHITESIDE Dichroic Light for solo cello and live electronics Dichroic Light is the result of a three-month collaboration with the cellist performing tonight, Lydia Whittingham. I would like to thank her for spending so many hours practicing and rehearsing in the studio to carve the piece into its final form. In my music I have recently become interested in resonance and overtones. The electronics in Dichroic Light aim to magnify these often overlooked sounds within the cello.
FRIDAY 06 MAY 1.00PM / ACADEMY CONCERT HALL
PLUG VIII: Friday at One MusicLab with Glasgow Liederbuch III CLAIRE MCCUE A Scrap of Life Last summer, whilst stopping at a set of traffic lights, a young woman approached all of the car windows handing through a tea-light candle and a small, roughly cut scrap of paper with some writing in slightly blurred type, from being photocopied many times. On it she explained that she was from Kosovo, had two young children, no money and no way to buy food. While I read the note, she finished her circuit and then came back round all the cars to collect money. But she never spoke the whole time. If it was because she didn't speak English, I wondered how she had managed to write the note. There was no time to think about whether or not her case was genuine, just to give some money, or not, before the lights changed. It was a strange place for it to happen, the traffic lights at Anniesland, and I thought about it a lot afterwards, asking a few people what they thought. I was slightly surprised that most people thought it was probably suspicious and said they wouldn't have given any money without knowing if it was true or not. I am not sure what made me keep the little scrap all this time, or keep thinking back to the incident. Perhaps the words, but I was left thinking in circles, and wondering not only if her case was genuine, but questioning how it had come to the stage where we might rather not help in case it was a scam than help in case it was true. The last paragraph of text is exactly as it appeared on the scrap of paper. The rest of the words are my own reflections.
Red light, Candle, Scrap of life, Earnest plea. I remember her face betrayed a harsh resignation. Not pity, not hope, but a fear of lost dignity. Not begging as such, An exchange of goodwill, an eye for an eye, a blessing for a blessing... If her story was true... She didn't speak, just passed her offerings through my window, A tealight and a tiny scrap of paper, I too was silent. And wondering... Red and amber, Sunny afternoon, Dusty road, Sallow face with a gold tooth, Strange, the things you remember... I watched her move, Hand out-stretched, past each window. I wondered could she speak any English? And where were her children?
She re-appeared, Silent face at my window. To Give? Or not to give? That was the question, But what was the answer? What would you do? What did I do? I gave her a pound. A single coin. She said nothing. Green light, Moving on, Wondering... True or false? She gave me a candle, I returned some light, My conscience was bright, but my heart didn't glow. I drove away... wondering, had I been kind or conned? And then wondering when did I stop trusting in life... I felt sad to doubt, but foolish not to. What do you think? What do I think? I'll never know. But I kept the scrap... reading it from time to time...
Be careful, someone said to me later, A lot of them aren't genuine. They blackmail you emotionally, Give you something so you feel you have to give them something back. Engines revving. Some collections, some rejections. The man in the BMW couldn't spare a penny. But he kept her candle.
"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I am from Kosovo, I have two small children. I don't have any money to buy food. Please try to understand my situation. I don't have any income from employment. If you could spare a little money, God will bless your family. God be with your family. “THANK YOU�
LEWIS MURPHY Am Turme Am Turme
In the Tower
Ich steh auf hohem Balkone am Turm, Umstrichen vom schreidenden Stare, Und laß gleich einer Mänade den Sturm Mir wuhlen im flatternden Haare; O wilder Geselle, o toller Fant, Ich möchte dich kräftig umschlingen, Und, Sehne und Sehne, zwei Schritte vom Rand Auf Tod und Leben dann ringen!
I stand on a high balcony in the tower, Grazed by the screeching starlings, And, like a Maenad, I let the storm wind Sweep through my streaming hair; O wild fellow, crazy raw youth, I’d like to wrap my arms around you tightly And, sinew to sinew, two steps from the edge, To wrestle there in a life-or-death match!
Und drunten seh ich am Strand, so Frisch Wie spielende Doggen, die Wellen Sich tummeln rings mit Geklaff und Gezisch Und glänzende Flocken schnellen. O, springen möcht ich hinein alsbald, Recht in die tobende Meute, Und jagen durch den korallenen Wald Das Walroß, die lustige Beute!
And down below I see on the shore, as lively As playing mastiffs, the waves Frisking all around with yelping and hissing, And gleaming flakes of foam darting. Oh, I’d like to leap in at once, Right into the raging pack, And through the coral forest to hunt The walrus, the jolly quarry!
Und drüben she ich ein Wimpel wehn So keck wie eine Standarte, Seh auf und nieder den Kiel sich drehn Von meiner luftigen Warte; O, sitzen möcht ich im kämpfenden Schiff, Das Steuerruder ergreifen, Und zischend über das brandende Riff Wie eine Seemöve streifen.
And over yonder I see a pennant waving As bold as a battle standard, I see the keel bounding up and down From my airy watchtower; Oh, how I’d like to be on that struggling ship, To seize the steering wheel, And, hissing over the breaker-washed shoals, To glide like a seagull.
Wär ich ein Jäger auf freier Flur, Ein Stück nur von einem Soldaten, Wär ich ein Mann doch mindestens nur, So würde der Himmel mir raten; Nun muß ich sitzen so fein und klar, Gleich einem artigen Kinde, Und darf nur Heimlich lösen mein Haar Und lassen es flattern im Winde!
If I were a huntsman on an open stretch of country, Or only the least bit a soldier, If only I were at least a man, Heaven would advise me what to do; As it is, I must sit so refinedly and purely, Like a well-behaved child, And only in secret may I undo my hair And let it stream in the wind!
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848)
Translation by Stanley Appelbaum
MAXWELL GEDDES Solos for oboe Arlene Cochrane Oboe
MAXWELL GEDDES Wolf of Badenoch Academy Brass The Wolf of Badenoch was Alexander Stewart, the notorious son of King Robert II. He dabbled in black magic, held court in stone circles, and in 1390 burnt Elgin Cathedral (incidentally destroying the records of the ancient family of Geddes). He was excommunicated; later he repented and is buried in Dunkeld Cathedral.
There is a legend that, as the Wolf lay dying, he suddenly sat up and said, `A Geddes shall walk on my grave, and my name shall be heard in sounding brass...' The music is a little tone poem based on events in his life: the prelude is a representation of evil. There are hunting calls, alarums and sallies and finally repentance and transfiguration. The composer conducted the premiere in Dunkeld Cathedral in June 1979. The performers, the Albany Brass Consort, were grouped around the Wolf's tomb. The work is scored for four trumpets, horn and three trombones.
MusicLab Claire McCue A Scrap of Life Flute Sarah Hayes
Bassoon Graeme Brown
French Horn Sam McShane
Clarinet Fraser Langton
Oboe Arlene Cochrane
Piano Carlisle Anderson-Frank
Mezzo-soprano Catriona Morrison
Lewis Murphy Am Turme Flute Kamilla Ravnsfjall
Bassoon Chris McShane
French Horn Jenna Sloane
Clarinet Ewan Zuckert
Oboe Siobhan Parker
Piano Tham Horng Kent
Academy Brass Maxwell Geddes Wolf of Badenoch Trumpet Eoin Tonner Gregor Beattie Holly Boddice Ben Hirons
French Horn Jamie Shield Tuba Lauren McCormick
Trombone John Connolly Alex Trotter Gordon Seith
FRIDAY 06 MAY 7.30PM / ALEXANDER GIBSON OPERA STUDIO
PLUG IX: MusicLab with Red Note Jessica Cottis Conductor TOM BUTLER Struction (how I attempted to get the thoughts in my head into your head using only five instruments, five instrumentalists, metronome sound and MIDI) Red Note Ensemble TBC Violin TBC Viola Robert Irvine Cello TBC E-flat Clarinet Live sound by Timothy Cooper
COLIN BROOM The Austerity Measures The Austerity Measures, for large ensemble, came out of a desire to write music which seems to have a "severity of purpose", by which I mean stripped of anything which might feel “extravagant” or unnecessary. In essence, a work in which the core aesthetic is, by its very nature, ascetic. The work is not intended as a political comment. Nonetheless, recent discussions of cutbacks and the curtailing of resources have resulted in the expression “austerity measures” becoming fairly ubiquitous, and so the title seemed timely. It was my intention for the work to feel free of explicit romanticism and of overtly dramatic gesture; to be devoid of decoration, but not necessarily of intricacy. To be, in its own way, quietly austere.
CLAIRE MCCUE The Way of Things Sometimes things just happen. You can’t control them, you can’t change them, but they affect you, and you just have to go with them and hope things will turn out okay in the end. See the light at the end of the tunnel as they say… although it’s not always that simple. In my family there’s a saying, “It’s just the Way of Things”. The way this piece developed, and that time, were just “The Way Of Things.”
MusicLab Jessica Cottis Conductor Colin Broom The Austerity Measures Violin I Greg Lawson* Violin II Ula Kinderyte Viola Andrew Berridge* Cello* Robert Irvine Double Bass Chris Sergeant Harp Charlotte Sager
Flute / Alto / Piccolo Lee Holland
Trumpet Daniel de Gruchy Lambert
Clarinet Urszula Was Bass Clarinet Red Note Player Cor Anglais Andrew Nunn Bassoon / Contra Bassoon Hannah Rankin French Horn Martin Murphy
Trombone John Connolly Tuba Danielle Price Piano TBC Celeste TBC Percussion Zsolt Kugyelka Glynn Forrest
Claire McCue The Way of Things Flute / Piccolo Lee Holland Oboe Si Yu Clarinet Urszula Was Bass Clarinet Red Note Player
Bassoon Hannah Rankin
Violin I Greg Lawson
French horn Martin Murphy
Violin II Ula Kinderyte
Trumpet Daniel de Gruchy Lambert
Viola Andrew Berridge
Bass Trombone Mark Good
Cello Robert Irvine
Piano Nafis Umerkulova
Double Bass Chris Sergeant
Percussion Zsolt Kugyelka Glynn Forrest
Biographies PLUG COMPOSERS
JAMES BLACK James Black was born in 1983 and comes from Tarland in rural Aberdeenshire. After graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he studied composition with Dr Gordon McPherson, James has worked with Neon Productions as a researcher and occasional producer on programmes for BBC radio and television. He currently combines freelance media work with an administrative post on the FOCUS West Entry to the Creative Industries programme at the Academy. As a composer, James has been commissioned by the Strathdee Music Club and his music has been performed by The Kandinksy Trio, Symposia and the Touchwood Piano Quartet.
RORY BOYLE Rory Boyle has recently celebrated his 60th birthday so is unable, alas, to refer to himself as middleaged anymore. He studied with Frank Spedding at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and with Lennox Berkeley in London and now lives in Ayrshire dividing his time between composing and teaching at the RSAMD.
COLIN BROOM Colin Broom was born in 1973 in Glasgow. He studied at the University of Strathclyde, before going on to obtain his Masters in Composition from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He has composed music for a number of ensembles, including the Hebrides Ensemble, Symposia, the Tyrolean Ensemble for Contemporary Music, Icebreaker, the South Bank Gamelan and the Viridian Quartet. His music has been broadcast on Radio Magnetic, Radio Icebreaker, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 3, and was also used in the BBC show ‘Why Beauty Matters’, shown as part of the ‘Modern Beauty’ season. In addition, he composed several pieces of music for controversial comedy show The Franz Kafka Big Band, broadcast on Radio Scotland. He teaches composition at the RSAMD and at Edinburgh Napier University.
THOMAS BUTLER Thomas Butler is a composer based in Glasgow. His work encompasses music for concert, film, theatre and installation. Examples of his work and performance dates, alongside occasional, rambling, musings, can be found at www.thomas-butler.co.uk
JAY CAPPERAULD Jay Capperauld is in his fourth year at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, first study saxophonist and second study composer. Originally from New Cumnock, Jay has been living in Glasgow for the past four years since the beginning of his studies at the RSAMD in 2007. He first began his studies in composition with Dr Gareth Williams and currently under the tuition of Dr Oliver Searle. He is planning on returning to the RSAMD next year to pursue composition further in the Masters course.
TIMOTHY COOPER Timothy Cooper (b.1987) is a composer studying on the Masters course in Composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He is tutored by Dr Alistair MacDonald having previously studied with Peter Meechan and Rory Boyle. Recently Tim performed his piece Kaktos at the NoiseFloor Festival 2011 and Soundings. In 2009 Tim was commissioned by Carnyx Brass who plan to release the resulting piece on their debut album this year. He is a founding member of Edit-Point, a new group dedicated to the performance of electroacoustic music. They made their debut in March at Glasgow’s City Halls and continue their connection with Sound Lab with their second concert on May 18. Tim enjoys working across art forms and has completed sound design for pieces at the Glasgay Festival 2008 as well as the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. At the start of 2010 he also completed a piece for electroacoustic sound and photographs with Robert Cooper and most recently Tim made the sound design for Joshua Armstrong's Cryptic Nights commission The Sounding. Tim has been generously supported in the pursuit of his Masters by Ms Christian Duff, the RSAMD trust and the Ropner Trust. www.timothy-cooper.co.uk
CHRISTOPHER DUNCAN Christopher Duncan was born in Glasgow in 1989. He developed an interest in composition from an early age, which was further developed at Glenalmond College on a music scholarship. He gained a further scholarship to study composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he is now completing his final year. He has studied composition with David Fennessy, and Drs Gordon McPherson, Gareth Williams and Oliver Searle. His pieces have been performed by the Icebreaker Ensemble, The Fidelio Trio, Red Note Ensemble, The Relative Quartet, The Sirens of Titan choir and Ensemble Thing amongst various others, at venues including Òran Mór, CCA, Leeds Lieder Festival, RSAMD and the Edinburgh Festival. He was the joint winner of the RSAMD Craig Armstrong Prize for composition in 2010.
EUAN FERGUSON Euan Ferguson is nineteen years old and is from Glasgow. He studied composition for two years at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Junior Academy with Dr Gareth Williams and is now in first year studying with Dr Gordon Mcpherson. He also studied for a term with David Fennessy.
STEVE FORMAN Steve Forman’s professional history began in 1968 with the Phoenix Symphony whilst a student at Arizona State University, but broader musical interests soon lured him to Los Angeles. Over more than three decades Forman made a significant imprint in American recording and film music, working directly with many established artists, directors and film composers; his discography includes hundreds of pop record projects, underscoring sessions for motion pictures, television shows, commercials, interactive titles, and theatrical events. In 2003 Forman began a career transition from the recording studios in Los Angeles to focus on composition at the California Institute of the Arts, earning a BFA and an MFA in composition in four years. In September 2008 he joined the research department at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to pursue a PhD in composition. His research has lead to an expanded understanding of multi-dimensional polyrhythmic systems and synchronicity, malleable forms, and non-standard instrumentation.
JOHN MAXWELL GEDDES John Maxwell Geddes studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Royal Danish Conservatoire. His works include three symphonies, many orchestral and chamber pieces, choral works, folk song settings and film scores. These have been performed at prestigious venues such as London Proms, Warsaw Autumn, St. Petersburg, Sholokov, Don Spring, Xenakis, Prokofiev and Edinburgh festivals, Berlin Sommerfest and many more throughout the world. He has lectured in many American Universities including Newport news, Oregon State, University of Oregon, Washington State, Warner Pacific, Santa Barbara, Berkley and Stanford, and in numerous European academies, including the Meistersingerkonservatorium, Nuremberg; Hochschule in Freiburg and Stuttgart, the Rachmaninoff Conservatoire in Rostov on Don and the Conservatoire National supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris. He has been awarded the Goethe Institut Award 1986; PRS Composer in Education Award, 1991; Lord Provost of Glasgow's Commendation 2002; Fellow of the RSAMD 2003 and the Creative Scotland Award, 2007.
CHRISTOPHER GOUGH Christopher Gough is a second study composer at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with principal study, French Horn. Christopher has always been interested in composition and has written for a variety of different genres and won several competitions including the Music for Youth composer's prize, Royal Northern College of Music Young composer for Brass and most recently came runner up in the international ABRSM composers’ prize. Published works include a Flute sonata and soon several horn ensemble pieces. Chris is currently the composer in residence for Kingston Grammar School in London.
DANIEL DE GRUCHY LAMBERT Daniel began studying the trumpet at Wells Cathedral School but then returned to his home country of Wales to study for his GCSE examinations whilst receiving private tuition from Philippe Schartz (Principal Trumpet BBC NOW). Whilst studying for his exams, he won the Texaco Young Musician of Wales, the Rotary International Young Musician of the Year D.1150 and became Brass Winner and Concerto Finalist of the BBC Young Musician. He attended the Purcell School of Music for his A levels as a DFES scholar where he received teaching from James Watson. On completion of his A levels, Daniel studied for two years at the Royal College of Music in London receiving teaching from Paul Archibald before completing his studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. So far he has enjoyed a varied and exciting performance career, performing in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Usher Hall, St. George’s Bristol, St. David’s Hall and the Brangwyn Hall. Performances include the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Welsh Sinfonia Orchestra as part of the Lower Machen Festival; the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto with the Cambrensis Orchestra for Song of Praise; the Horowitz Trumpet Concerto with the BBC NOW for a BBC Radio 3 broadcast. Daniel has taken part in a solo tour of the Middle East, and performs regularly in concert tours of the Channel Islands. Daniel has been a member of the National Children’s Orchestra, the NYO GB, and held Principal Trumpet position in the NYO Wales for 4 years.
RICHARD GREER Hi, I’m Richard. Find me here: www.viewfromabove.co.uk www.myspace.com/rgreer
DREW HAMMOND Drew Hammond was born and raised in Kentucky. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music and a minor in geology at Guilford College, a small Quaker liberal arts institution in North Carolina. He spent his post-undergraduate years touring as a professional musician across the United States. In 2003 he moved to Glasgow to study composition at Glasgow University with Bill Sweeney, where he received his PhD in 2009. Drew has been teaching at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Creative and Contextual Studies since 2008.
HUGH HOLTON Hugh Holton was born in Cumbria in 1992. He has lived there all his life before studying composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow under Rory Boyle.
ALEX HOROWITZ Dear future Alex, If you ever read this again, remember that you never had any interest in 'proper' biographies. Regards, Your twenty-year-old self.
JESSICA JONES Jessica Jones was born in London in 1991 and is currently studying first year composition with Rory Boyle at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
NIKOLA KYOSEV Nikola Kyosev is currently in his third year of the BMus course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Katherine Bryan (Principal Flute of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra). Born in 1989, he graduated with distinction from the National School of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Nikola has won many prizes including first Prize in the Internationales Festival f端r Jugendblasorchester im Landkreis Chemnitzer Land (Germany), as a part of the NSMDA wind orchestra. In 2007, he successfully competed to perform as a soloist with the Plovdiv Philharmonic. He joined the RSAMD in 2008 and in 2009 was awarded a Hope Scott scholarship and Arista Scholarship granted by William Bennett. In 2010, with pianist Silviya Mihaylova, he won first prize in the North London Festival for Music and Dance; later that year they were accepted on the prestigious Live Music Now! Scotland scheme, where they will have the pleasure of bringing music to lots of people throughout Scotland! In 2011, after going through a tough auditioning process, Nikola will have the opportunity to take part in the RSNO Apprenticeship scheme.
SHONA MACKAY Shona Mackay (b.1983) is a research student under the supervision of Dr Gordon McPherson. Her most recent work has involved the use of film, photography and sound to explore the concepts of self, image, perspective and human interaction.
CLAIRE MCCUE Claire McCue, from Glasgow, is currently completing the second year of Masters in Composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She originally graduated with a BSc Hons: Maths, Statistics and Management Science (I), but was drawn back to music and completed the BA Applied Music course at the University of Strathclyde graduating with first class honours and receiving an Alexander Stone Award. She began the M(Mus) Composition at the RSAMD in 2009, studying with Rory Boyle and has had works performed by RSAMD Musiclab, Red Note, Flutes en Route and The Fidelio Trio. Claire is the 2010-2011 winner of the Dinah Wolfe Memorial Prize for Composition and is delighted that her piece will be performed in the BBC Hear and Now Concert in May this year. Claire is extremely grateful for the assistance she received from the RSAMD Scholarship Trust, and to the RSAMD for making the last two years of opportunities a dream come true – which has now become a reality. She is also eternally grateful to her tutor, Rory Boyle, for his never-ending encouragement and wisdom!
TIMOTHY MILES Timothy Miles is a composer from Nashua, New Hampshire, which is part of New England, which is in the United States. After completing the 200 mile Coast to Coast Walk across England in the summer of 2009, he decided he needed a break from teaching high school music and moved to Glasgow to study composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Tim earned a Master of Arts in Music History and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire. He has received many commissions from high school and university wind ensembles in the United States. In 2006, he conducted the University of New Hampshire Wind Symphony in the premier of his wind ensemble transcription of Joseph Schwanter’s Beyond Autumn: Poem for Horn and Orchestra. In 2008, the editor of GIA Publications’ Composers on Composing for Band, Mark Camphouse, asked him to contribute a chapter to the fourth and final volume dedicated to “young and emerging composers.” In 2009 his wind band piece Lauda was the second place winner in the Second Frank Ticheli Composition Contest and will be published in 2011 by Manhattan Beach Music.
LEWIS MURPHY Lewis Murphy (b.1992) studied percussion and piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama’s Junior Academy for three years, before joining the senior school to study composition. Now in his second year studying composition with Dr Oliver Searle, he is focusing on trying to develop his own personal style and experiment with different sounds. He hopes to study abroad for a short time in the beginning of next year.
OLIVER NEWMAN Oliver Newman (b.1991) is a young composer currently based in Glasgow. He has studied briefly with Larry Goves and is currently a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he studies composition with Dr Gareth Williams. Prior to studying in Glasgow, he worked with Just About Musicians, a Wigan-based group dedicated to the promotion of music performance and improvisation amongst teenagers. In recent years, he has been involved in a composition project with the Royal Northern College of Music, and also at Winstanley College, where he ran a number of ensembles, including one dedicated to the performance of contemporary music.
THOM NORMAN Born in 1991, Thom Norman is currently in his first year at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He began composing at age sixteen and had his first public performance, a short work for solo piano called Landscapes at the International Shrewsbury school of Music summer school that year under the guidance of composer Kevin Malone. His Leid Schlafen and small ensemble work Empty hands will be performed in the RSAMD PLUG festival.
BLAIR COLIN CAMPBELL RUSSELL Blair Colin Campbell Russell was born twenty years ago (or 7,445 days to be precise). He was schooled at the Glasgow Academy, where his interest in music was nurtured. At the age of seventeen Blair entered and won the Young Film Composer of the Year award, which lead him not only to the Royal Albert Hall to hear his very first premiere, but ultimately to his studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Now in his third year in the BMus course, Blair has been taught by Dr Gareth Williams, Dr Gordon McPherson and this year is a student of Rory Boyle.
OLIVER SEARLE 'Oliver is a composer, based in Glasgow, who teaches at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and writes music for a variety of contexts.'
ANNA SHUCKSMITH Anna is currently in her third year, studying with Dr Gordon McPherson and Dr David Fennessy. Born in Aberdeen, she moved to Newcastle at the age of sixteen, where she was awarded a place at the Sage Gateshead Weekend School, studying composition with Dr Chris Randall. Since arriving at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Anna has written for a variety of players and ensembles. She has had several pieces performed in PLUG in previous years. During her second year, she composed incidental music for the highly successful RSAMD drama department production of The Seagull, and also music for the DFTV graduate film, Paperskins. Anna is due to have a piece premiered by the Glasgow New Music Expedition this spring.
DIMITRIOS SKYLLAS Dimitrios Skyllas was born in 1987 in Volos, Greece. He studied Musicology and piano performance at Kingston University, London (BMUS Honours). He continued his education at the University of Edinburgh (MMUS), where he studied Composition with Nigel Osborne and Aesthetics of Music with Simon Frith. At the moment he is studying composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a scholarship from the Greek Composer's Union and the RSAMD Trust.
JACK SPENCE Jake Spence (b.1975) and started his musical education at an early age – studying both violin and piano. Having completed a BMus (with first class honours) at the University of Edinburgh in 2001, he continued to study there, completing a MMus in Musicology, under Esti Sheinberg, in 2002 and then receiving an AHRC Scholarship to study for a PhD in Composition under Nigel Osborne, which he completed in 2008. His compositions include a set of pieces, Thirteen Remnants (first performed in 2004), a large scale piano duet, Chorale for Joshua (performed in 2006), Following Paths; Finding Gateways for chamber orchestra (performed in 2006, 2007 and most recently in 2010 by the New Bristol Sinfonia under James Lowe), Triptych for large ensemble, and a large scale cantata – L’Eternité. Five Chorales, extracted from Thirteen Remnants, received a performance by ECME in 2009. An arrangement for chamber orchestra of four pieces from Thirteen Remnants was premiered in early 2010, and further
orchestrations of three of these pieces, for symphony orchestra, are due to be performed in May 2011. In late 2010 Jake received a commission from Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust to write a short work for clarinet and piano, and this piece, Strength, was premiered in September of that year by Yann Ghiro and Simon Smith. Fantasizing for two violins received a first performance in February 2011 in Rome, and later, in Edinburgh. A performance of an orchestration of Chorale for Joshua for large symphony orchestra is planned for 2012. Jake currently works as a part-time lecturer in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, in Glasgow. Alongside this he works as a copyist, arranger and private tutor, and is active as a performer in and around Edinburgh – as violinist in a string quartet and various orchestras, as fiddler and caller in a ceilidh band, and as an accompanist.
JASON STADDON Jason studied classical guitar at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, under John Mills, Christopher Stell and Graham Devine. Here he completed his undergraduate degree in 2009 and received the Stuart Cohen Award for guitar performance. It was during his time at the College he discovered his passion for composition and took advantage of every opportunity to write, leading him to work with Everyman Theatre, a Welsh theatre company, composing the music for King Lear in 2009 and Death of a Salesman in 2010. In January 2011 Jason received the premiere of his work As If I Should Have Something to Say' by the ensemble Psappha. He is currently in his first year of his Masters degree in Composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Jason has been generously awarded a scholarship by the RSAMD trust to continue his Masters education.
J. SIMON VAN DER WALT J. Simon van der Walt is a composer from Glasgow, whose distinctive work situates 'music' as a performative activity rather than as sound or frozen text. He lectures at Stevenson College Edinburgh and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glagsow, where he is currently in the final throes of a PhD in composition under Dr Gordon McPherson.
JONATHAN WETTERMARK Jonathan Wettermark was born in 1986. He grew up in Iggesund in northern Sweden. Iggesund is a small village known in Sweden for two things: the big paper mill that is the heart of the village, but also gives the place an awful smell; and the folk music-group Iggesunds-gänget that in the seventies and eighties became famous for their dirty songs. Jonathan left Iggesund at the age of fifteen to study trombone. He studied classical music at precollege level in Falun and Dalarö and jazz in Piteå meanwhile touring in Sweden and England with the Ska-Disco band Scaramanga. He completed a Bachelor of classical performance at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg in 2010 and started the Masters programme at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Jonathan’s previous compositions have been for the trombone and percussion duo VHE! of which he is a member and for a pop oriented lo-fi electronica project of which he is the only member.
MATTHEW WHITESIDE Matthew Whiteside (b.1988) is currently studying Masters in Composition with Dr Gareth Williams at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. In 2010 he graduated from Queen’s University Belfast where he studied composition under Prof Piers Hellawell. He has also founded the Quangle New Music Ensemble in Belfast and Edit-Point in Glasgow.
Matthew has recently stepped down from the post of secretary of the Irish Composers’ Collective with whom he has had multiple performances in Dublin’s National Concert Hall with the most recent being 4-3-11 for solo soprano saxophone in March and 4-11-11 for solo cello in February. In 2009 he was commissioned by Spark Opera Company to write a short piece for chamber orchestra and voice; Puddle Wonderful resulted and was performed in November of the same year in Belfast. Further afield his piece Wondering, Wavering, Willing was performed in Italy in 2010 by the American duo, Duo 46. This piece also received an Honourable Mention in the International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition of the same year. Matthew would like to thank the Bliss/PRSF Composer Bursary Fund, the Sir Hamilton Harty Scholarship, RSAMD Scholarship (2010-2012) and May Turtle Scholarship for their support in his studies. www.matthewwhiteside.co.uk
GARETH WILLIAMS Gareth Williams is a composer based in Glasgow, where he lectures in composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. His work has been commissioned and performed internationally. Currently he is creating new operas for NOIse Opera, Scottish Opera and Tapestry Opera in Canada.
TOM WILSON Tom David Wilson was born in Manchester in 1957. In the 1970s he was a student at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he studied composition with Andrew Downs. In the 1980s he was a student at Goldsmiths College, London University where he spent five years studying composition with Melanie Dakin and Edward Gregson. For ten years he was Head of Woodwind and Tutor for Academic Music at Uppingham School in Rutland but since 1989 he has lived in Glasgow where he teaches composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and at St. Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh. Working quietly and unobtrusively he has amassed over seventy compositions in many genres from chamber music to several works for full symphony orchestra, including three symphonies and four concerti. His fourth Chamber Symphony was performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 1994 and his second Brass Quintet, played by the BBC Brass Quintet, was broadcast by the BBC in 1996. His Symphonic Thirds for Brass Band was commissioned by the Lothian Region Brass Band and was premiered by them in Aberdeen in 1993. More recently his Symphonic Thirds Three was premiered by the group Wind and Fire in Edinburgh (2010) as well as his Jig for solo Saxophone written for Richard Ingham. His Nonet for Clarinets received its Scottish premiere at the RSAMD (2011). His miniatures for piano, Notice Board Gestures (2004), have been performed by Kate Dixon at the Royal Northern College of Music and are posted on the internet. His extraordinary work for fifteen pianos, thirty-two hands, the Quindecatet (2001) has been multi-track recorded by the pianist Simon Smith and is due for further live performances in Verona (2011), Gothenburg (2012) and Glasgow (2012). This year (2011), as well as a performance of the Quindecatet in Verona, will see premieres of his song cycle Blutenblatter (Mandy Cormack and Julia Lynch), Symphonic Thirds Four for Saxophones (Richard Ingham Saxophone Choir) as well as a Piano Trio and a Piano Quartet.
PLUG CONDUCTORS / DIRECTORS
BRYAN ALLEN Bryan Allen is Head of Brass and Instrumental Performance at the RSAMD, where his responsibilities include directorship of Royal Scottish Academy Brass, RSAMD Wind Orchestra, Brass Band and Big Band. Prior to this he enjoyed a varied career, primarily as a trumpet player for seventeen years with the world renowned Fine Arts Brass Ensemble. In addition, he has worked with the majority of the UK’s leading orchestras, and was Co-Principal Trumpet with the English Symphony Orchestra from 1980 to 1995, appearing as soloist on numerous occasions. Bryan is now much in demand in a variety of fields - as a performer he works regularly with all Scotland’s national companies, as a conductor with organisations such as RSNO Brass, West of Scotland Schools Wind Band and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, as an adjudicator for numerous national and international competitions, and as an examiner for many of Britain’s leading educational institutions. He directed four Brass Explosions in Symphony Hall, Birmingham during the 1990s, for which he received the British Bandsman Award for services to brass, and he is currently Director of Brass Spectacular, held bi-annually in Scotland.
JESSICA COTTIS Australian-British conductor Jessica Cottis is assistant conductor to Donald Runnicles at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO), Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and Artistic Director of Bloomsbury Opera. Jessica Cottis made her BBC Proms debut in 2010, conducting works by James Dillon with the RSAMD MusicLab Ensemble. She was subsequently invited to conduct the premiere of Dillon’s epic cycle Nine Rivers with the BBC SSO and Les Percussions de Strasbourg, described by the Guardian as “unquestionably the most significant new-music event in Britain this year”. Particularly active within the field of new music, Jessica Cottis has conducted over forty premieres and works regularly as associate conductor of the Azalea Ensemble and as guest conductor of Red Note Ensemble. She recently conducted the London Sinfonietta for the Varése Festival and has conducted a number of opera premieres including Rory Boyle’s Kaspar Hauser (RSAMD), Martin Georgiev’s The Mirror (Royal Academy of Music) and Anna Meredith’s Tarantula in Petrol Blue (Aldeburgh Festival). For the 20102011 season Cottis will also conduct the Our Planet and Sistema Scotland concerts with the BBC SSO, and Albert Herring for the RSAMD. Jessica Cottis obtained a first class honours degree from the Australian National University. She continued her studies as an organist with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris, and made her European debut at Westminster Cathedral in 2003. She read law at the University of London after a hand injury subsequently halted her playing career and in June 2009 graduated with distinction from the postgraduate conducting course at Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was awarded the top conducting prizes. KEREM HASAN Kerem has won numerous awards and competitions since he began playing the piano at age five. In 2005 he won first prize at the London International Music Competition leading to his debut recital at St Martin-in-the Fields in London. This was followed by further recitals at St John Smith's Square, London and Brecon Theatre, Wales. Chamber music experiences include winning the Junior Royal Academy’s Ruth Railton Chamber Music prize and performing Schumann's Piano Quintet with the Sacconi Quartet at St John Smith's Square in London. Kerem has had masterclasses from such eminent musicians as Stephen Hough, The Maggini Quartet and Pamela Bullock. In May 2010 he took part in a masterclass with Kenneth
Keisler where he conducted the Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin. He has been invited to attend the 2011 Solti Ti Kanawa Accademia di bel canto as a repetiteur for the singers where he will collaborate with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen and John Copley. Kerem is former student at The Purcell School where he was a Chris Ross scholar working as a coach and rehearsal pianist for various productions and choral activities. He also held a scholarship at the Junior Royal Academy where he studied conducting with Peter Stark. He is now in his first year at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he has been awarded a scholarship to continue his piano and conducting studies and is also the recipient of a scholarship from the ABRSM.
PLUG ENSEMBLES AND SOLOISTS
MUSICLAB MusicLab is the RSAMD’s student ensemble dedicated to performing music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It performs repertoire of a wide range of composers, as well as working closely with the RSAMD’s own composition students. Recent concerts include performances of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Aus dem sieben Tagen in Glasgow and Edinburgh for ECAT, as well as side-by-side concerts with Red Note, the Academy’s Associate Contemporary Ensemble. Future highlights include being conducted by Ilan Volkov at the Old Fruitmarket in the final concert of this year’s PLUG Festival. RED NOTE Red Note is a new Scottish-based professional music ensemble, dedicated to developing and performing contemporary music to the highest standards, and taking the music out to audiences around and beyond Scotland. We were founded in 2008 by Scottish cellist Robert Irvine, and we are directed by John Harris (Chief Executive and Artistic Co-Director) and Robert Irvine (Artistic Co-Director). We perform the established classics of contemporary music; we commission new music; we develop the work of new and emerging composers from around the world; and we work hard in new spaces to find new audiences. Our performing ensemble is drawn from the deep talent pool of Scottish new music expertise, and we count amongst our players some of the very finest performers working in the UK today. Red Note made its debut in May 2008 with a recording of Eddie McGuire’s Carrochan suite for Delphian records, and since then ensemble has rapidly gained profile and support. We tour Scotland twice each year, in the Spring and Autumn, and we run a regular new music series showcasing the work of new composers (Noisy Nights and What Happened) bi-monthly in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We also work to develop the work of new composers, particularly at Glasgow University and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. We are delighted to have been appointed Contemporary Ensemble-in-Residence at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music Drama in Glasgow in 2009 for a three-year period, and Associate Company of the Traverse Theatre from January 2010. FRASER ANTONY MAX LANGTON Born in 1989, Fraser Antony Max Langton is currently studying clarinet under John Cushing (Principal Clarinet, RSNO) at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He began playing at the age of twelve and has since performed in many major concert halls across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall where he was invited to open the first night of the Festival of Music for Youth with his county youth orchestra. At the RSAMD Fraser has won all three orchestral apprenticeship schemes operated in conjunction with Scotland’s professional orchestras. These included playing second and E flat clarinet in the full run of Prokofiev’s Love for Three Oranges with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and schemes with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra, with whom he now freelances regularly. Fraser has won most major prizes at the RSAMD including the Governors’ Recital Prize for Woodwind, subsequently giving a solo recital with accompanist Scott Mitchell on BBC Radio Scotland. More recently he was named winner of the Classical Concerto Competition culminating in a performance of Weber’s first clarinet concerto at Glasgow Cathedral with conductor, David Danzmyr.
Fraser regularly appears with RSAMD ensembles such as the Wind Orchestra and MusicLab and has appeared on various occasions as Principal Clarinet with the RSAMD Symphony Orchestra. Recently he has worked with international conductors such as Martyn Brabbins, Baldur Brönnimann and Donald Runnicles. In summer 2010 Fraser was invited to play at the BBC Proms with MusicLab in a concert of James Dillon’s contemporary chamber works which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. He is also a founder member of Stevenson Winds, the Academy’s prestigious wind ensemble. Outside of the academy Fraser has recently played Principal Clarinet with the newly formed Amicus chamber orchestra under Garry Walker and James Lowe and is currently busy with his chamber group the Northern Lights Wind Quintet. He is also very active on the prestigious Live Music Now! scheme on which he works regularly with his duo partner, Juliette Philogene.
CALUM ROBERTSON Calum Robertson is in the fourth years of his BMus at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama studying clarinet with John Cushing (Principal Clarinet, RSNO). Previous teachers have included Lewis Morrison (former Principal SCO) and Maximiliano Martín (Principal SCO). He has played principal with The Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and The Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra based in London. As well as playing in RSAMD orchestras and ensembles he freelances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He was recently awarded a place on the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra Academy taking place this summer in London. In 2009 he won the Classical Concerto Prize at the RSAMD performing Weber’s second clarinet concerto. In February 2011 he won the Governors’ Recital Prize for Woodwind adjudicated by Janet Hilton. In 2008 he won the Concerto Prize at the Edinburgh Competition Festival with his performance of Weber’s first clarinet concerto. In January 2010 he performed Nielsen’s clarinet concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as part of a joint scheme with the RSAMD. He plays with the Academy ensemble Stevenson Winds and has played with many leading soloists including violinist Ilya Gringolts, clarinettist Maximiliano Martín, trumpeter Mark O’Keefe and oboist Emmanuel Laville. In March 2010 he was interviewed for BBC Radio 3 and performed James MacMillan’s From Galloway for solo clarinet. Calum is also a keen organist and holds the post of Organ Scholar at Old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh, and is also part of the organ and trumpet duo Pistons and Pipes.
SATURDAY 07 MAY 6.30PM / OLD FRUITMARKET, CITY HALLS
PLUG: BBC Hear and Now 3 The final new works of Plug 2011 are given first performances with BBC SSO Principal Guest Conductor Ilan Volkov leading MusicLab in compositions by Claire McCue and Chris Duncan as part of this BBC Hear and Now concert. At the other end of the contemporary spectrum, leading German composer Helmut Oerhirng brings a unique work to the BBC SSO - POEndulum, a work for narrator, solo cello, orchestra and electronics, based on the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe. RSAMD MusicLab Ilan Volkov Conductor Programme: Chris Duncan Claire McCue
Twine Surge
Also on the programme: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra David Moss Singer / Percussion Martin Storey Solo Cello Ilan Volkov Conductor Programme: Andrew Toovey Helmut Oehring
Ubu’s Journey POEndulum (World premiere)
Nibbles from PLUG: A BBC SSO Pre-concert Concert Saturday 7 May / 6.30pm / Recital Rooms, City Halls / Free Whet your appetite for this evening’s BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra concert with some of the tastiest highlights from this year’s Plug.
Tickets for both City Halls concerts: Free (unreserved seating) limited to 4 tickets per application Available from City Halls Box Office, Candleriggs,Glasgow G1 1NQ Tel: 0141 353 8000 www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/bbcsso