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My 2017

It is edging toward the end of 2017 and as has become tradition over the last few years here is my summary of the year. This year has largely revolved around The Night With..., going to Shanghai, working with Marisa Zanotti and Magnetic North and writing an opera, my 4th string quartet, an orchestral piece and a duo.

2018 is going to see the première of Little Black Lies (the opera) and Entangled (the quartet), writing Joanna Nicholson and Frances Cooper a new piece for clarinet and soprano (with support from the Hope Scott Trust) and all being well running a third season of The Night With... Other plans are in the pipeline so we will see what is to come!

Year in Numbers

  • 1 single released
  • 1 film score completed
  • 1 installation in development
  • 3 premières
  • 5 pieces finished
  • 30 performances
  • 83 minutes of music written

February

The première of David Graham Scott's The End of the Game at the Glasgow Film Festival. Featuring music written for the film and my Quartet for Violin, Viola Cello and Double Bass. 

March

The return of The Night With... this year Creative Scotland supported five concerts with the first being Red Note Ensemble in March. http://thenightwith.co.uk/events/event/the-night-with-red-note-2/ It was also the first Scottish Awards for New Music, which I was involved in organising in Drygate.

April

The Night With... Emma Lloyd and Joanna Nicholson featured the première of my Piece for Violin and Bass Clarinet. Which was also released as a digital single with the support of the Bliss Trust.

Also on Bandcamp, iTunes, Apple Music etc.

May

After four months of writing the RTÉ NSO premièred Repercussive in the National Concert Hall in Dublin which was written as part of the CMC Composer Lab.

The third concert of The Night With... series this time with the Aurea Quartet and the first time I've run a call for scores and composer workshop.

Carla Rees' arrangement of my Nobilis Humilis was premièred in Greece by the Rarescale Flute Choir. Carla is also publishing the piece available on Tetractys.

Michael Palin's Quest for Artemisia was rebroadcast on BBC 4

June

The Night With... Tom Poulson, Danielle Price and Timothy Cooper, the last in the 2017 series.

Abby Hayward performed my Dichroic Light in the Fruitmarket Gallery as part of their Ambient Audiences series.

July

I won the Sunday Herald's One To Watch at their culture awards.

Crash Ensemble programmed my Unda Malacia during Clonmel Junction Festival

Found out I was going to the Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers in Shanghai supported by Creative Scotland!

August

Capella Nova performed Nobilis Humilis as part of the Made in Scotland showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Finished writing Little Black Lies for Scottish Opera Connect with libritto by Helene Grøn (it will be performed in 2018) and then spent some in NTS Studios with Marisa Zanotti developing We Are All Made of Stars

September

Dominic Hill's production of The Macbeths at Citizens Theatre featured Dichroic Light within its soundtrack.

October

After a few months of planning I went to Shanghai. It was a really interesting experience and I wrote another blog about it here I also spent 10 days in Australia as a bit of a holiday and went diving on the Great Barrier Reef for 3 days. Pretty good time away!

November

This was spent finishing off writing Entangled commissioned by the Institute of Physics for a performance on 15th Feb 2018 at the NI Science Festival by the Aurea Quartet with a film by Marisa Zanotti.

December

Was speant working on We Are All Made of Stars. We presented a work in progress sharing in Summerhall. Below is the 360 film part of the installation. I was also featured in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Movers and Shakers publication.

Music I’ve enjoyed listening to released in 2017