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Postgraduate, Page 2

Made in Italy – From Rome to Venice

Many performance projects at Southampton are completely student-led, from the initial idea to final realisation. Natalie Davies (year 3) tells us about the final extravaganza of our Italian weekend, featuring rare Roman cantatas matched up with Vivaldi favourites: Having had just over two weeks to rehearse the Vivaldi Gloria with the choir, it was not without trepidation that we came together with the orchestra on Sunday for our last rehearsal before the evening’s concert. Continue reading →

Interview with Bernhard Lang

In the first of a series of interviews by postgraduate students with eminent composers who are coming to visit us at Southampton MĂĄtĂ© Szigeti asks Austrian composer Bernhard Lang some questions: MĂĄtĂ© Szigeti (MS): The first word that comes to mind while listening to your music is intensity. A sort of intensity which is familiar for me from my past encounter with trash metal bands' playing. Continue reading →

Pleasures and entertainments

Second-year PhD student Becky Gribble is working on a thesis about Thomas Linley Jr., a brilliant composer and childhood friend of Mozart’s who died in 1778 in a tragic boating accident at the age of only 22.  She has just returned from presenting her work at a prestigious international scholarly conference: Last week I attended the British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies (BSECS) Conference in at St Hugh’s College in Oxford. Continue reading →

Music returns to Chawton House

The Department of Music has just launched a new concert series in collaboration with our friends and long-time partners at Chawton House Library, the research centre in the beautiful country house formerly owned by Jane Austen's brother.  Postgraduate pianist Ellen Day tells us about the performance: On December 10 we gathered at Chawton House for the inaugural concert, featuring a newly restored 1828 Stodart grand piano. Continue reading →

Postcard from Germany

Austin Glatthorn came from the USA to do his PhD at Southampton, and in 2013-14 he is spending a year in Germany after winning a prestigious studentship to complete archival research for his thesis.  Here's his report on how it's going so far: Sometime late in the afternoon on 1 August 2013, I disembarked British Airways flight 0910 from London Heathrow into the Frankfurt International Airport. Continue reading →

UoS Voices sing out

Almost exactly a year ago Turner Sims Professor of Music Harvey Brough launched a new community choir based in the university.  Elwyn Edwards tells us what led the group to their first big stage appearance last week (and there's a video at the end of the post!): Like many people I have had a secret ambition to sing in a choir for most of my adult life. Continue reading →

Into the Dragon’s Den

Postgraduate composer Ben Mawson tells us about his prize-winning entry in a digital project competition, which involved making a speedy (and obviously very convincing!) pitch to industry experts: During my research at Southampton on Virtual Music Performance, I've been working on building a collaborative team to develop a system for listeners to walk inside a musical composition. Continue reading →

Composing and conducting in Beijing

On completing his PhD at Southampton last year, composer George Holloway was awarded a grant for postdoctoral work in China.  One year in, he tells us how it has been going: Autumn, the best time of year in Beijing, is rapidly giving way to the icy chill of Winter.  I have my duck feather coat ready! I’m in Beijing studying conducting at the Central Conservatory of Music. Continue reading →