AFFA AWARDS 2024
SOUTHBANK 28.2
Really excited that Sarah Latto and Echo Vocal Ensemble will be premiering a sneak preview of Fred Macgregor’s film of F*ck Dystopian Loneliness at the Arts Foundation Awards tomorrow night. It’s taken from one of my new choral EPs due for release later this year. More news on that soon…
The Song Of The Ladder -
Premiere!
27/28 May 2023
My new opera, The Song Of The Ladder is being premiered this weekend in Prato, Italy. A re-imagining of the story of Jacob’s Ladder from the Old Testament, it features a new story and libretto by the amazing Hazel Gould and performers from across the city - from professional singers and players to amateur choirs and young voices. I hope it will find a UK performance before too long.
The Selfish Giant - Ivor Novello Nomination
Lovely to see that The Selfish Giant has received a nomination for an Ivor Novello Composer award. So many people worked so hard to bring this piece to life in such difficult circumstances - great to see their work recognised in this way.
The Selfish Giant - Garsington premiere
My opera, The Selfish Giant, adapted from the story by Oscar Wilde and with libretto by Jessica Duchen, recieved its first performance on 29 July at Garsington. The creative team, professional singers and huge cast of young performers did an amazing job. It was a real privilege to watch them working in their socially distanced rehearsals - it’s not easy to put on a new opera at the best of times but the pandemic has made things even harder! To see young people singing with such joy and conviction in the final performance really lifted me - I’m really excited to see the piece again at Opera North next year. Some nice reviews in The Times (★★★★), The Stage (★★★★) and a lovely write up by Michael Church (classical/opera writer for The Independent) on his blog.
Our Dark Side And The Moon - 30 .04.21
I was really honoured to collaborate with writer, director and performer Elayce Ismael on a new audio piece for the Royal Opera House’s 8bit series of new and experimental digital operas. ‘Our Dark Side and the Moon’ is an anti-lullaby that meditates on our relationship to the moon, reflecting on the human desire to explore, exploit and colonise. Vocals by Nazan Fikret. Click on the image to listen. Available until June 2021.
Front Row Interview 19.02.2021
I was interviewed by John Wilson last night on Radio 4’s Front Row. We chatted about choral music in the time of Covid, my work with various choirs and they played a few snippets of my music too. Click on the image to take a listen (I’m the last segment, from about 31 mins to the end)
Arts Foundation Awards 2021 - Winner!
I’ve been announced as the winner of the Arts Foundation Award for Choral Composition. Click below to find out more and to watch a recording of the event which featured live music from the legendary Orphy Robinson and words by Lily Cole.
