Author: alannah

Composition, My PerformancesLeave a comment

New Piece for 28 Pianos Performed in Yorkshire

alannah

My latest composition, Resonance/Light/Decay for 28 pianos, composed in collaboration with Dr Mic Spencer (University of Leeds) was premiered on Tuesday 12 December, 2017 in the School of Music, University of Leeds. The composition and its performance was done to celebrate the School of Music becoming a Steinway School. More about this can be read here and here. The performance of Resonance/Light/Decay was live-streamed online and also featured on BBC Radio Leeds. Continue reading New Piece for 28 Pianos Performed in Yorkshire

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Upcoming Performance in Łódź

alannah

One of my compositions, ‘We Lived in the Gaps between the Stories.’ (2016) for amplified accordion will be performed in the upcoming sixth edition of the ‘Working Scene’ concert series (Scena Robocza #6). The event will take place on Wednesday, September 27 in Łódź and will feature performances from accordionist Ryszard Lubieniecki and artist Sonia Skowronek with electronics and sound realisation by Piotr Bednarczyk. This event will also feature the works of Mateusz Śmigasiewicz, Josue W. Amador, Dominik Karski, and Piotr Bednarczyk. More information about this event can be found here. Continue reading Upcoming Performance in Łódź

Research, Talks/Lectures/Concerts1 Comment

‘Exploring Xenakis: Performance, Practice, Philosophy’

alannah

Tomorrow I will be giving a talk at the ‘Exploring Xenakis: Performance, Practice, Philosophy’ Symposium with colleague and critical theorist Michael D. Atkinson. Our talk discusses Xenakis, the Avant Garde, May ’68 and the legendary quote ‘Xenakis, not Gounod’ which was scrawled in graffiti during the protests in France. Below is an abstract of our talk: May ’68 saw a time of political tension in France: the Situationist International signified a growing desire to move away from capitalism and the world of boredom and alienation it entails, and, likewise, young radicals wanted to free music from the shackles of reification that contradicted … Continue reading ‘Exploring Xenakis: Performance, Practice, Philosophy’

Talks/Lectures/ConcertsLeave a comment

Reviewing the New Music Biennial Festival #nmb17

alannah

Any readers following my Instagram feed will be aware that I was reviewing this year’s New Music Biennial Festival in Hull. For those of you who could not attend the festival this year, my article features in Sounds Like Now: Contemporary Music News  and can be read here. Below is a preview of the article, also available here. The New Music Biennial festival, funded by the PRS for Music Foundation, claims to push ‘the boundaries of new music’. It provides an opportunity for new musical works to be showcased across the United Kingdom and on BBC Radio 3. The term … Continue reading Reviewing the New Music Biennial Festival #nmb17

Music, My Performances, ReviewsLeave a comment

New Music Biennial, Hull

alannah

The New Music Biennial festival, funded by the PRS for Music foundation, claims to push ‘the boundaries of new music’. It provides an opportunity for ‘new’ musical works to be showcased across the UK and on BBC Radio 3. The term ‘new’ in this instance is to be taken literally: these works were very recently written (some were world premieres) and drew on music history, existing practices, and the musical techniques of a variety of cultures. The festival, initially presented in Hull, the 2017 City of Culture, was repeated at London’s Southbank Centre and follows the previous models of this festival to present a variety of eclectic genres of music being written today. Continue reading “New Music Biennial, Hull”

My PerformancesLeave a comment

Upcoming Performance in Bydgoszcz

alannah

Tomorrow, accordionist Ryszard Lubieniecki will perform my piece ‘We Lived in the Gaps between the Stories.’ (2016) for amplified accordion as part of his final diploma recital at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. He will also perform works by Richard McReynolds, Gilberto Agostinho, Dominik Karski, Piotr Bednarczyk, as well as his own piece black-control-Holzfällen.  This recital is free, and so if you happen to be in Bydgoszcz, then why not have a listen. Event details: June 16, 2017, 1:30 pm, Concert Hall of the Academy of Music,  Gdańsk Street 20, Bydgoszcz A full programme is available here. Continue reading Upcoming Performance in Bydgoszcz

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Upcoming Performance: Amplified Accordion in Wrocław

alannah

My composition for solo accordion ‘We Lived in the Gaps between the Stories.’ (2016) will be performed for a second time by Ryszard Lubieniecki in Wrocław on June 13. This piece was first performed at Wrocław’s Spadochron festival last week. Tomorrow’s event comprises a performance of amplified accordion music, commissioned and performed by accordionist Ryszard Lubieniecki with additional electronics by Piotr Bednarczyk. The event features many new works by composers Richard McReynolds, Gilberto Agostinho, Dominik Karski, Piotr Bednarczyk, and Ryszard Lubieniecki himself.  If you happen to be in Wrocław tomorrow, then why not have a listen. A full programme is available here. Continue reading Upcoming Performance: Amplified Accordion in Wrocław

My Performances1 Comment

World Premiere in Wrocław

alannah

On June 10, 2017, accordionist Ryszard Lubieniecki will premiere my composition for solo accordion ‘We Lived in the Gaps between the Stories.’ (2016). The premiere will take place in Wrocław’s festival ‘Spadochron‘ (parachute). ‘Spadochron’ is a festival dedicated to solo improvised music and curate by Michał Sember and Lena Czerniawska. Due to the nature of the score, ‘We Lived in the Gaps between the Stories.’ is of indefinite duration and Lubieniecki’s performance at this particular event will last approximately 20-30 minutes. Further details of the event, along with the above poster, can be found here. Continue reading World Premiere in Wrocław

My Performances1 Comment

Upcoming Performance: *Pacific Pleasures*, an opera.

alannah

I have composed a one-act opera called Pacific Pleasures (with libretto by Jorge Balça), which will be performed by Bloomsbury Opera company on March 25th and 26th in London. More information can be found here and on the poster below.  Pacific Pleasures (2016-17) is a prequel to Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (1952), which tells the story of a married couple living together in suburban America. They are both desperately unhappy in their relationship and frequently argue. In contrast to this, Pacific Pleasures tells the story of how this soon-to-be married couple were born, met, fell in love, and got married. Stage Director: Jorge … Continue reading Upcoming Performance: *Pacific Pleasures*, an opera.

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Słuchalnia Festival in Toruń

alannah

On the 25th November, Trio Layers will be performing angustia for flute, violin, accordion, and fixed-media electronics in ‘Słuchalnia’, the fourth edition of the international festival for new music in Toruń. More information about this festival is available here. Trio Layers will also be performing works by Bednarczyk, Blecharz, Lubieniecki, Skrzypczak, Amador, and Karsk. A program is available here and here. Continue reading Słuchalnia Festival in Toruń

ResearchLeave a comment

‘avant garde’ and ‘Avant Garde’: A Practice-Led Investigation

alannah

I will be giving a talk at the University of Leeds in December. More information will be available here at some point. My talk is based on my PhD thesis, and is titled ‘”avant garde” and “Avant Garde”: A Practice-Led Investigation’. Below is an abstract for the talk: ‘avant garde’ and ‘Avant Garde’: one term denotes artistic progression, the other describes a fixed concept. Both fuel artistic practice. The terms are easily and often confused and this goes someway to blurring the boundaries between being progressive and adhering to a style. This talk examines and compares these two definitions by way of … Continue reading ‘avant garde’ and ‘Avant Garde’: A Practice-Led Investigation

ResearchLeave a comment

(Per)Forming Art: Performance as Research in Contemporary Artworks

alannah

I have recently completed editing a multi-authored book based on the proceedings of the (Per)Forming Art Symposium which I founded in 2015. I am pleased to announce that the book will be available via the Cambridge Scholars Publishing website from the 1st October, 2016. This publication is based on the proceedings of the first (Per)Forming Art event, which took place September, 2015. More information regarding this event can be found here. Further information regarding this publication can be found on the (Per)Forming Art website. Below is a book description, which is also available on the Cambridge Scholars Publishing website: Book Description: The acts of composing and … Continue reading (Per)Forming Art: Performance as Research in Contemporary Artworks

ResearchLeave a comment

What does it mean to ‘compose’?

alannah

Tomorrow I will present a paper at a postgraduate symposium in Leeds about composition and what it might entail. This talk also forms a small part of the argument in my PhD thesis. A the moment, it poses more questions than it answers. Below is an abstract for this talk: What is really involved in the act of composing? Does it concern ‘material’ (whatever that is) or structure? Are composers genuinely ‘creating’ when they compose or are they merely rearranging what already exists into a coherent form? In order to explore this area, my investigation begins with the following question: what … Continue reading What does it mean to ‘compose’?

My Performances, Talks/Lectures/ConcertsLeave a comment

L.I.M.E.: ‘Barricades and Partitions’

alannah

CROSSWOR[K] (2013)  for free instrumentation will be performed by Leeds Improvised Music and Experimentation organisation (L.I.M.E.) in their  upcoming concert Barricades and Partitions, 1st May, 2016 , Wharf Chambers, Leeds, England. The event also features LUUMS New Music Ensemble and Prohibited Strangers. More information about the event can be found here. More information about my composition CROSSWOR[K] (2013) can be found here.   Continue reading L.I.M.E.: ‘Barricades and Partitions’