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Tom Harrison Quintet

Music undergraduate George Barbett tells us about last week's visit from the Tom Harrison Quintet. The Tom Harrison Quintet performed a captivating concert on Monday 21 November, interpreting the music of Duke Ellington in new and interesting ways. Their use of soundscaping, acoustic and electronic effects, and very free forms was fascinating. Continue reading →

Body Percussion

Second year undergraduate student Kitty O’Neal reports on a recent composition workshop. Composition Workshop A (a BA Music module available to 2nd and 3rd year students) has three assignments – ‘Constraints’, ‘Rhythm’ and and a free composition at the end of the semester. Following our ‘Constraints’ challenge of writing a composition using only 4 pitches, we are now in the midst of composing for body percussion and non-singing voices. Continue reading →

Ensemble Paramirabo @ Southampton

by postgraduate Music student Harry Matthews. For the first composition workshop of this academic year, the University was joined by a group of musicians from Canada named Ensemble Paramirabo. The group flew to Southampton from Montreal - giving a workshop on three new pieces following their performance at the Music Department Monday Lunchtime Professional Concert Series featuring a new work by Lecturer in Composition Benjamin Oliver, The Circus Animals’ Desertion. Continue reading →

Handbook of Topic Theory in Featured Research

The Oxford Handbook of Topic Theory, edited by Professor of Music (and Head of Research) Danuta Mirka, has been added as a Featured Research article on the Women In Music Theory blog, under the auspices of the Society for Music Theory. The article includes a summary of the book by Professor Mirka, and a number of (very positive!) reviews from eminent publications.  The article can be found at the link below: https://womeninmusictheory.wordpress. Continue reading →

London streets to Romanian mountains

BA Music finalist Kath Roberts tells about her summer of music activities: Approaching what I called my ‘last summer as a proper student’, I was lucky enough to take part in a number of musical projects! The first was playing in the debut tour of the ‘Street Orchestra of London’, also known as SOL. Modelled on the Ricciotti ensemble in Holland, the orchestra was founded with the belief that “every human being has an equal right to enjoy quality live music. Continue reading →

Musica Secreta’s new CD

Professor Laurie Stras writes: Musica Secreta’s new CD – out in 2017 on Obsidian Records It’s always difficult to keep things a secret when you are excited about them. I have known for months that my ensemble Musica Secreta’s new CD, Lucrezia Borgia’s Daughter, was signed up for release on Obsidian Records, but have had to wait until this week to tell anyone. It’s been doubly difficult because this project has been part of my life for at least eight years. Continue reading →

Superstar Summer

Jon Gingell teaches guitar at Southampton University as well as working in theatre as performer, programmer and copyist.  He is a Southampton Music graduate. Over the summer break, I have been dividing my time between theatre work in Paris, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the National Theatre, and live gigs on the european blues festival circuit with American singer-songwriter Earl Thomas. In Paris I played guitar, ukulele and banjo for Damon Albarn’s musical Wonder. Continue reading →

A Multi-Media Summer

Bethany Stenning, 4th Year BA Music (with Year Abroad) student reports on her varied summer activities. During the summer I was asked to fly out to Dublin to take part in a short film. I was living in Dublin for the second half of my year abroad (I spent the first half in Paris), and whilst I was there I performed frequently at various pubs/cafes etc. Continue reading →

Ben at the Beeb

Lecturer in Composition Dr Benjamin Oliver reports on his recent experiences at the BBC.   Several weeks ago I conducted the Workers Union Ensemble for a recording of a new work by Matthew Kaner, Collide, at BBC Broadcasting House. Matt is currently ‘Composer in 3’, a residency with BBC Radio 3 and Sound and Music and is writing ten new pieces to be recorded for broadcast on the station in the next ten weeks. Continue reading →

Music, art, machines and more.

By Christian Drew, Music undergraduate student. Somewhere near the end of an in-depth discussion around his work, David Pocknee is asked what the relationship might be between the various divergent paths his output as composer, performer, researcher and visual artist has taken. An answer to such a question is not clear cut, as Pocknee himself admits that the diversity of his practice evades any easy summary. Continue reading →

NCEM Young Composers Award

By Christian Drew, Music undergraduate student. The National Centre for Early Music’s Young Composers Award is held each year in York, giving emerging composers an opportunity to engage with early music performance and practices through the lens of contemporary composition. This year entrants were invited to write a lute song, setting a text from a list of poems by Shakespeare or Carol Ann Duffy. Continue reading →

A Monday with Mark and Manuel

By Jeremy Hunt, Music Undergraduate Student On Monday 9th May, London-based pianist Mark Knoop and Italian flautist Manuel Zurria performed an exciting, modern programme of works by Laurence Crane, Conlon Nancarrow, Howard Skempton, Beat Furrer, and the University of Southampton’s very own composition lecturer, Matthew Shlomowitz. Continue reading →