In 2016 Junior LCoM was invited to take part in Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//). We immediately thought what a fantastic opportunity this will be for us, so we jumped at the chance! This year, it is the 40th edition of the annual celebration of contemporary and new music.
This is an international event and delivers performances of cutting edge music composed by world-class composers. The festival is recognised by BBC Radio 3, and in 2007 the whole of Radio 3's December programming was devoted to hcmf//.
Not only is the experience great for our young musicians' CVs, but hcmf// also provides an opportunity to work with professional composers and musicians, experience in the contemporary music scene and performing in an unfamiliar venue. It is an opportunity for our students and staff taking part to network with artists and composers, and create a relationship between Junior LCoM and hcmf//.
Since the beginning of October, Ben, Stefan, Evie, Louis, Tom, Stanley, Rebecca, and Kieran have been working together on a piece in preparation for their performance at hcmf//. The piece that they will be performing has been named 'The Persistence of Memory'.
Ben Gaunt on The Persistence of Memory:
"Dali's famous 'melting clock' painting is an appropriate title for this hour-long concert, combining material that is both improvised and composed (individually, and in collaboration). Both 'time' and 'memory' are at play here; the piece is fairly extensive, fragments of material reappear at various points during the hour, in different forms and various contexts."
Working on this project:
Karen Gourlay (Head of Junior LCoM)
Karen initially studied jazz at Leeds College of Music, she continued her studies at the University of Leeds and has a first class honours degree in music. Awarded a distinction for the MMus in composition,she studied with Sam Hayden, Martin Watkins, and most influentially, Philip Wilby. She has just completed MSc at the University of Huddersfield in Technology Enhanced Learning. Her research project looked at how instrumental teachers can use technology to support teaching and learning.
As a composer, Karen is a former winner of the Yorkshire Composers' Competition and her work has been performed internationally, including performances at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Sydney Festival, the Royal College of Music, and the USA. She was commissioned by Youth Music to write an ensemble scheme for the so called 'endangered species' group of instruments. Breathless for low flute quartet has been performed performed in Chicago, Warwick and Washington DC. Dreamscape for flute and guitar is recorded by Carla Rees and David Black and broadcast on Radio 3. Her work is published by Forton Music and Tetractys Publishing.
Ben Gaunt (Senior Lecturer at Leeds College of Music)
Ben Gaunt (born 1984) studied for a Bachelor's and Master's in Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music with Adam Gorb and Paul Patterson. He was awarded the Edward Hecht Prize for Composition during his second year and his Master's was kindly funded by The Countess of Munster Musical Trust. Ben holds a PGCE from Manchester Metropolitan University, and he recently completed a PhD in Composition at The University of Sheffield studying with Dorothy Ker and George Nicholson, where he was awarded The Gladys Hall Scholarship. He has received additional private lessons with David Horne and Michael Finnissy, and been mentored by Harrison Birtwistle, Alwynne Pritchard and Ian Gardiner.
Ben has been asked to write for the London Symphony Orchestra, Icarus Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, Ensemble 10/10, Britten Sinfonia, Size Zero Opera, York Late Music Ensemble, Christopher Redgate, Oren Marshall and Sarah Nicolls. His music has been performed at a variety of festivals and locations across the UK and further afield, including Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, New Music North West, Chorlton Arts Festival, Sonic Arts Festival, Sensoria Festival, Sheffield Lyric Festival, Music at Duffield, The Tate Modern, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Spazio Icarus in Reggio Emilia (Italy), the Cornerstone in Liverpool, and the Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).
Performances of Ben's works have been funded by ACE, BFI, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, Sir Max Bemrose Bursary Trust, The Frances Chagrin Award, The Bliss Trust and PRSF Composer Bursaries. Ben has participated on the European Composer’s Professional Development Programme, Sound and Music Portfolio scheme, Britten Sinfonia OPUS2014, Sound and Music Next Wave, and was a member of the LSO Soundhub in 2016.
Alongside fellow composers Eve Harrison and Steven Jackson, Ben co-founded the ensemble Sounds of the Engine House, which toured the North of England in 2013 and 2014, funded by Sound and Music, and have curated events at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Bridgewater Hall and Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival. His music has been published by University of York Music Press and recorded by NMC.
Liam Brigg (Junior LCoM Practitioner and Short Course Tutor)
Liam Brigg is a composer, pianist, organist, journalist and teacher. He recently received his MMus at Leeds College of Music, under the tuition of Jacob Thompson-Bell and Ben Gaunt. He has also received additional private lessons with Gavin Bryars.
Born and raised in Leeds, Liam learned the piano from his Grandfather and spent his formative years performing locally. His works have been broadcasted by Chapel FM, and performed at events such as Leeds Lieder Festival and Light Night. He has also written for the New Music Collective at Leeds College of Music, Juice Vocal Ensemble and the Peerson Project at Leeds University.
Liam is an experienced music teacher, educating adults and children in a variety of group and one-to-one settings. As a writer, Liam has contributed to the first edition of Volume, an outlet published by the Student Union at LCoM. He has also written CD sleeve notes for Cherry Red Records.
What are we doing there?
Saturday 25 November:
Visit to Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2 - 5pm - A chance to see behind the scenes, observe world-class composers and ensembles in rehearsal and explore new sounds in a percussion workshop.
Sunday 26 November:
Workshop with Fritz Hauser - A chance to work with world-class composer on the piece that has been written for this project, giving young musicians a chance to shape their final performance.
Performance at Huddersfield Town Hall 4pm - 5pm - Tickets are free, and the concert is open to all to attend.
Funding is vital to what we do, and thanks to The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation, Junior LCoM have had the chance to take part in this fantastic opportunity.
