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Extending theorbo players from the inside

Head of Early Music Liz Kenny has been getting out of her comfort zone, playing very new music for a very old instrument:  I use my instrument the theorbo – the largest of the lute family with an extra long neck – for many things: annoying people on crowded tube trains, confusing airlines, accompanying students, demonstrating continuo harmonies, playing with singers and baroque ensembles . . . and so on. Continue reading →

Grade One-a-thon – getting started!

Catherine Underhill (year 3) is organising a new activity through the student Music Society:  You’re probably thinking: what on earth is a Grade One-a-thon? Well, it’s what it says on the tin - a chance for anyone to get involved, learn a new instrument and ultimately reach grade one standard within a short time. Just before the summer holidays began, I was speaking to a few friends in my year group about setting this up as a Music Society project. Continue reading →

Remembering the Great War

On 16th November, we are mounting the world premiere of a new work by Michael Finnissy, concerned with themes of war and remembrance in commemoration of the onset of WWI.  Lecturer in Composition Ben Oliver will conduct:  As the conductor of new music group Workers Union Ensemble I am fortunate to conduct around five to ten world premiere performances each year. I absolutely love learning and rehearsing new repertoire; it is such a joy to explore a new score with fellow musicians. Continue reading →

Mozart in Salzburg

PhD researcher David Jayasuriya is writing his thesis on the application of Fonte and Monte harmonic schemata in the symphonies of Joseph Haydn. Over the summer vacation he had the opportunity to present some of his work at a prestigious international conference: A highlight of my summer break was to attend and present a paper at the International Mozart Kongress in Salzburg. Continue reading →

Summer in the Theatre

Continuing our 'What I did over the summer vacation' series, Catherine Underhill (year 3) tells us about her fantastic introduction to the music theatre business:  Back in May, I received an email from Youth Music Theatre (YMT) about a position of Assistant Music Director (AMD) for their shows over the summer. I knew a little bit about the company, so applied online and to my surprise I received an interview. Continue reading →

Instruments in Istanbul

In the first of a series of posts on 'What I did over the summer vacation', postgraduate Anna Borg Cardona, who is researching instrument-making and musical culture in 17th-century Malta, tells us about the instruments she encountered on her trip to Turkey: Destination Istanbul – finally! This was the magical Constantinople which attracted so many Europeans in the 19th century. Continue reading →

Coming Soon – Ben’s Fresh Klang!

Postgraduate composer Ben Jameson tells us about his upcoming performance in an exciting new music series:  Kammer Klang is a concert series that was founded by cellist and curator Lucy Railton in 2008, and is currently directed by percussionist and composer Serge Vuille. The series presents thematically linked programmes of new contemporary classical, experimental, improvised and electronic music. Continue reading →

Where’s the Composer in “Making Music with Open Data”

  Jack Webster (BA Hons Music 2014) has now embarked on the MSc/PhD programme in Web Science at Southampton. Here he tells us about a recent event on music and technology:  On Friday 10th October, the Open Data Institute hosted a lunchtime lecture on the topic of “Making Music with Open Data,” which, for research purposes, I headed up to London to attend. The lecture consisted of a presentation by Nicholas Tollervey and Simon Davy about their project, “Oompah. Continue reading →

Music’s War-Torn World

During the 2014-15 academic year we will be mounting a series of concerts commemorating the Great War.  Here our head of keyboard studies, Professor David Owen Norris, explains the background to his upcoming concert 'Dreams of Germany: Music's War-Torn World': Mark Wilde (tenor), Joseph Spooner (cello) and I are putting on a day-full of music at St John’s Smith Square, London. It’s called A Dream of Germany – Music’s War-Torn World. Continue reading →

Congratulations

We are super proud of two of our Music colleagues who were recently honoured with awards for their outstanding service to the university.  The Vice Chancellor's Awards are presented annually to individuals who have made especially valuable contributions to the university community. Continue reading →

Summer break

After a couple of busy Open Days last weekend, we are going to close down the blog for the summer.  Congratulations to all our finalists and postgraduates who will be graduating next week - we will try to post a few pictures here after the ceremony.  And we will look forward to welcoming everyone back when the new term starts in the autumn.  Until then, happy summer from the staff and students in Music at Southampton. Continue reading →

A year in Baby SUSO

Emma Blundell and Tricia Mann (year 3) spent part of their final year as highly successful educational managers of the innovative Baby SUSO scheme.  Here's their report on how their work helped kids to participate in orchestral music: In 2010, Southampton University Symphony Orchestra's (SUSO) then President, Kat Hattersley, pioneered a pilot scheme called The Baby SUSO Project which aimed to bring orchestral music to children in local primary and secondary schools. Continue reading →