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Evan Parker @ Southampton

On Tuesday 19th April, Evan Parker, the legendary saxophonist and forefather of British Free Jazz, met with Southampton University Music Department students prior to his enthralling recital in Turner Sims. He shared insights on his commitment to raising ecological awareness through touring Europe by train, free improvisation, and finding your musical identity. Dr Thomas Seltz, Head of Jazz and Pop. Continue reading →

Ekanayaka Visit

On Monday 18th April, Dr Tanya Ekanayaka, a classical pianist and composer from Sri Lanka signed to Naxos records gave a recital in Turner Sims concert hall and led a workshop with Southampton University Music Department students on the topics of piano performance, composition and improvisation. Dr. Thomas Seltz, Head of Jazz and Pop. Continue reading →

British music for the modern harpsichord

Modern harpsichord advocate and Southampton PGR student Christopher D. Lewis tells us about his new recording on the Naxos label, based on his PhD research: My new recording British Music for Harpsichord, released at the beginning of this month, includes 20th-century and contemporary works by Lennox Berkeley, Herbert Howells, Gavin Bryars and John Jeffreys. Continue reading →

Opera for All Ages

By Catherine Gosney (3rd Year BA student in Music) As a student who loves opera, the University of Southampton offers an extraordinary faculty of music. The head of department is Prof Francesco Izzo, one of the world's leading opera scholars and general editor of the critical edition 'Works of Giuseppe Verdi'. Continue reading →

Sound Heritage returns

Just before the spring break, the Sound Heritage network met up for its second study day on music research and interpretation in country houses. Instead of gathering in the university, we made a field trip out to Chawton, home of Chawton House Library and Jane Austen's House Museum. Continue reading →

Another week, another piano

Professor David Owen Norris reports on another interesting week! Since I appeared on Radio 3’s special folk-music In Tune from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Memorial Library last month, I’ve been inundated with RVW-related things, from articles with confidential theories concerning which I must not breathe a word, to happy anecdotes. Continue reading →

Saxophone Masterclass

America saxophonist, Professor Jonathan Helton (pictured far right) visited Southampton on February 23. It was a fantastic morning full of saxophone talk and playing. Finalists Wayne Hau, Emily Cox and Laurence Astill and second-year student Hannah Brierley all performed for the masterclass. Following the class Dr. Helton and his duo partner, cellist Stephen Thomas played an exciting lunchtime concert of music for saxophone and cello. Continue reading →

Perfect Pianists

On Friday March 4th at 8pm on BBC 4, Professor David Owen Norris presents Perfect Pianists,  a compilation of archive film of great pianists, including Benno Moiseiwitsch, Myra Hess, Artur Rubinstein, Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia - David filmed the links at the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands, so you’ll hear him as well, playing Chopin on Chopin’s own Pleyel. Continue reading →

Sounds of the North

The Music department and Turner Sims are celebrating Norwegian musical culture with an array of fantastic events featuring visiting performers across the genres.  Lecturer in Composition Ben Oliver reports on one of the first of the series: On Saturday I had the great pleasure to attend a concert at Turner Sims featuring the Daniel Herskedal Trio with The University Strings. Continue reading →

Aesthetics, Athletics and Advertising

I always like going out to schools and colleges to meet sixth-formers and their teachers. It’s usually amusing, informative and largely straightforward. Some sort of entertaining academic talk aimed at the 17 and 18 year olds, and an outline of what it’s like to study music at university, career prospects, and so on. I do quite a lot of them, and they usually go very smoothly: everyone has a good time. Continue reading →

Finnissy and Grieg for five

Don't miss a rare opportunity to hear Professor of Composition Michael Finnissy perform his own take on Grieg with the fantastic Kreutzer Quartet at Turner Sims on Monday 7 March, at 1pm.  The concert will be followed by a composition workshop with the Kreutzers for Southampton undergraduate and postgraduate composers. Continue reading →

David Owen Norris learns a thing or two from Jane Austen

David Owen Norris is a pianist, composer, broadcaster, impresario, and Professor of Musical Performance at the University of Southampton. Always a pleasure to visit Chawton House, the home of Jane Austen’s brother, which now houses the International Library of Women’s Writing. I had a meeting with the director, Dr Gillian Dow, to discuss ways to mark this year's 200th anniversary of the publication of Emma. Continue reading →

Bastien Terraz Concert

Bastien Terraz is a freelance double bass and electric bass player and teacher based in Southampton. He is a Southampton University music graduate (BA 2001, MA 2002) and has taught Jazz & Pop bass in the department since 2001. I’ll be playing the Monday lunchtime concert on March 14th this year. Now, I’ve done this about 5 or 6 times before, and whilst I’ve led or co-led the band almost every time in the past, this time it’s going to be a little different. Continue reading →