I am delighted to announce that I have been given one of 8 places on the inaugural Cheltenham Festival Composers Academy 2013. I will be writing a new work for ensemble-in-residence Dr K Sextet.
During the academy my new work will receive workshops by Dr K Sextet with visiting composer mentors, ahead of its premiere in the Academy Showcase on Saturday 6th July.
More details about the Academy and the other selected composers can be found here:
http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/news/2013/06/composer-academy-cheltenham-music-festival/
The piece I proposed to compose will be an instrumental play for three duos, playing with the notion of fore-, middle- and background material. I have been thinking about the corruption of words, and the corrupting uses of words in political vogue – particularly ‘aspiration’. In Shakespeare’s time, the aspirated letter ‘h’ was pronounced ‘ache’. Whether breathing, inspiring, or aiming for things, aspirated consonants are just a lot of hot air. I am sure that the work will use some physical theatre, most likely in the foregrounded duo of a solo flute, front stage-centre, and a heckling antagonistic clarinet from within the audience.
More information to follow!