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Excellence in Teaching Awards

Congratulations to our colleague Andy Fisher, Senior Lecturer in Music and Head of Commercial Composition, who was the winner for the Faculty of Humanities for 'Best Feedback' in this year's  Excellence in Teaching Awards.  These awards are sponsored by the Students' Union, and Andy was nominated by the SUSU Faculty Officer, Academic Presidents and Course Reps from the Faculty of Humanities. Continue reading →

Nuffield launch

Last Wednesday we had an event to mark the opening of the newly-refurbished Nuffield theatre Kitchen, a cafĂ© space that is housing the lovely Brinsmead baby grand that was given to us in the autumn.  Andy Fisher, our head of commercial composition, played Gershwin and accompanied postgraduate singer Lizzie Rogers in a sneak preview of some of the songs from his new one-woman show, Girl in a Crisis. Continue reading →

Singing success

Now back in term after the Easter break, we have heard some very good news from Hannah Woodhouse (year 3), who has been accepted onto The Sixteen's prestigious apprentice scheme: A couple of weeks back I learned the exciting news that I had been accepted onto the 2014/2015 Genesis Sixteen choral scheme for young singers. Continue reading →

Fauré in Winchester

Undergraduate singer and pianist Anna Stonehouse tells us about recording in Winchester cathedral for an upcoming Easter season broadcast by BBC 2: On Tuesday 25th March I took part in the ‘Passiontide Concert’,  singing Faure’s Requiem with the outstanding Winchester Waynflete Singers, teamed with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Recorded by BBC Radio 2, the concert will be aired on Good Friday, 18 April at 8pm. Continue reading →

Why ‘Happy’ makes us happy

Yesterday's Guardian featured an article asking the experts why Pharell Williams's single 'Happy' works so well.  Southampton's own Andy Fisher, Head of Commercial Composition, provided an analysis of the musical basis of the song's appeal - check it out here. And here's the video of 'Happy' for anyone who needs cheering up today. https://www.youtube. Continue reading →

Sea Slugs at School

Sax player Rob Kitney (year 3) tells us what Southampton-based band The Sea Slugs were up to just before the break: On Friday 7th March, The Sea Slugs made their way to Crawley to lead a workshop in afrobeat music with the year 9s at Hazelwick School. As a brief introduction to The Sea Slugs, we are a 15-piece afrobeat band, many of whom are currently studying at the University or have graduated in recent years. Continue reading →

Composing new music for early instruments

Postgraduate composer Alex Glyde-Bates talks about the process of writing his new work 'Objet d’Art' for Trio Aporia, which was premiered at the Turner Sims Concert Hall during our 'MUSIC @1PM' concert series: Last summer I was approached by flautist Stephen Preston to write a new ten-minute work for his new trio, Trio Aporia, to go in a concert of other new works to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of French composer and influential music theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau. Continue reading →

Meter in the Midwest

Reader in Music Danuta Mirka has just returned from Indiana, where she was a distinguished guest at one of the largest faculties of music in America: Last week I stayed in the US, guest lecturing and teaching in the Music Theory Department of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington. Continue reading →

Made in Italy – Italian Madrigals Englished

Bass singer Chris Lusty (year 3) tells us how music for Tudor merchants came back to a real period house - Southampton's Tudor House Museum - during our Made in Italy weekend: On Saturday, the University's choral scholars, Cantores Michaelis, sang a selection of Italian madrigals by Luca Marenzio (1553 -1599) and Giovanni Maria Nanino (1543 -1607) that were translated and arranged into an English style by Albert Chatterley. Continue reading →

Matthew Shlomowitz at the Adelaide Festival

Lecturer in Composition Matthew Shlomowitz reports back about a recent performance at the 2014 Adelaide Festival: Last September I wrote a post for this blog about a sixteen-minute piece I was working on at the time for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, which you can read here. The work was performed on March 9 in the Adelaide Festival and I’m pleased to say it went well. The work features a solo part for drum kit, and my mate Eugene Ughetti played the part brilliantly. Continue reading →

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 →