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Blog, Page 5

What a Performance!

Our British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow Kate Guthrie consulted on a documentary for BBC 4, broadcasting this month. She writes about her experience: In early September, I received out-of-the-blue an invitation to consult on a BBC 4 documentary. The producers were in the middle of filming a three-part series tracing the evolution of music hall in Britain, from its mid-19th-century roots, through the Golden Age of variety entertainment, to the working men’s clubs of the 1950s. Continue reading →

Cosmopolitan operetta

On the 24 and 25 November, we were privileged to welcome Derek Scott as the first guest speaker for this year’s programme of Hartley Residencies in Music.  Master's student Catherine Garry reports: Launched in February 2015, the Hartley Residencies are a series of two-day events during which an eminent scholar is invited to share and discuss their current research. Continue reading →

Launching Sound Heritage

A couple of weeks ago heritage professionals, historical performance experts and music academics came to Southampton for the inaugural meeting of Sound Heritage, a new project on music in English country houses of the 18th and 19th centuries. Network leader Professor Jeanice Brooks tells us about the day: Country houses have special place in British culture, and with the huge success of movies and television dramas like 'Downton Abbey', more people than ever before are interested in them. Continue reading →

Cantores Carols

Just in time for the holidays:  The University of Southampton Choral Scholars - Cantores Michaelis - have just released their first commercial recording. Christmas Carols 1500-2000 is issued by the Herald label and is now on sale in record shops, at Turner Sims Concert Hall on campus, and through Amazon, and will shortly be available on iTunes. The carols are an eclectic mix. Continue reading →

Coming soon – The Trembling Line

We are looking forward to the opening of Aura Satz's new show at the University's John Hansard Gallery, running from 3 December 2015 - 23 January 2016.  The show, The Trembling Line, is the result of Aura's year as Artist in Residence at the university, sponsored by The Leverhulme Trust, and featuring collaboration between the artist, the Department of Music, and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. Continue reading →

New recording of modern harpsichord

We’re delighted to congratulate Southampton postgraduate research student Christopher Lewis on the release of his new CD on the Naxos label.  Christopher specialises in music for the revival harpsichord, and his PhD work is part of the "Making of the Modern Harpsichord" project sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the National Trust. Continue reading →

Bad Music in Oslo?

Can a piece of music can be inherently bad, or are all such judgements purely subjective? Associate Professor in Composition Matthew Shlomowitz reports on a recent premier in Oslo addressing such issues. I was commissioned by the Ultima Festival in Oslo to compose a forty-minute work for the Plus Minus Ensemble, a group I direct with English composer Joanna Bailie. For this commission I decided to do something different: instead of writing a piece, I wrote a 'lecture-piece'. Continue reading →

Studying music and the web

The Department has constructed a new undergraduate joint honours course in Music and Web Science, with the first student intake planned for October 2016 - the video below gives more details.  In this post Anna Kent-Muller (BA Hons Music 2015) explains how her own interest in Web Science started, and describes how she contributed to the new degree programme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Q7MmdAw0E&feature=youtu. Continue reading →

Behind the scenes at the Proms

Kerry-Ann Bronner spent the summer between years 2 and 3 learning all about the complexities of mounting the Proms, and applying knowledge from her degree course (as well as her tea-making skills!) to a real life employment context: In May this year, I learned of an exciting opportunity offered by the BBC to spend a few weeks on a work experience placement within the Music Television department, working on the Proms. Continue reading →

New Songs for Old Souls

We are really enjoying Southampton Music alum Joe Stilgoe's newest disc, New Songs for Old Souls.  And so are lots of other people:  check out the five-star review in the Observer, this enthusiastic article from ArtsDesk, and this great account in London Jazz News of the album launch at the Old Vic, where Joe is currently playing in the theatre's acclaimed production of High Society until 22 August. Continue reading →

Interview with the interns

Rhiannon Lewis and Dan Varley (both year 2) are Turner Sims Interns for 2015, with responsibility for the Southampton Showcase scheme for advanced performers.  Here they tell us about their first semester in the job: What interested you in applying for the intern post? Rhiannon: Arts management is something that has always interested me but I felt my knowledge on the profession was limited. Continue reading →