All posts by Daniel Harding

Head of Music Performance, University of Kent: pianist, accompanist and conductor: jazz enthusiast.
Composer in Focus, Keeping It Real: reviews.

String Sinfonia at Faversham with John Woolrich

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Congratulations to the University String Sinfonia, who on Saturday headed to the Market Town of Kings, to perform at St Mary’s, Faversham, as part of the Coffee Concert series.

Directed by Floriane Peycelon, the players gave a spirited reading of Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (a theme most often heard in the carol ‘A Crown of Roses’), followed by a performance of John Woolrich’s evocative Ulysses Wakes, featuring postgraduate Music Performance Scholar reading Chemistry, Kira Hilton, as soloist.

Music PErformance Scholar and Chemistry postgraduate, Kira Hilton, and composer John Woolrich after the concert

Woolrich’s hushed, agile responses to Monteverdi cast a shimmering spell as it lifted into the church’s generous acoustic, and the composer, who was present for the performance, talked before the piece about his music and the spirit behind his reimagining music of the past.

The String Sinfonia is back in action on Friday 31 March in Colyer-Fergusson Hall; more details here.

Notes on Music

New music: rehearsing with Russell Hepplewhite

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As part of the continuing ten-year anniversary of Colyer-Fergusson, the Music department continues to explore new musical frontiers in commissioning a piece from composer Russell Hepplewhite; an innovative take on the Magnificat, written for the University Cecilian Choir and string orchestra.

Bringing the Song of Mary together with new poetry by Nancy Gaffield, Emeritus Professor in the School of Creative Writing, the choir has been working on the piece in rehearsals, and we were delighted to welcome the composer to the concert-hall this week as the choir worked together with Russell.

It’s always a nervous experience to rehearse a piece with the composer present, but there was a tremendous rapport between the choir of students and staff and Russell, as the group continued to develop the piece with direct Composer Input.  Heroically, Russell volunteered to be the repetiteur for the rehearsal, and choir, composer and poet spent a lively session bringing the piece to life.

Before the rehearsal, Russell and Your Loyal Correspondent filmed a conversation about the commission, about the process of writing a piece that combines a well-known sacred text with contemporary poetry, and techniques of writing for voices and strings – the interview will appear soon!

Pictured are Russell and Nancy with the Cecilian Choir; the piece receives its premiere performance in Colyer-Fergusson on Friday 31 March; tickets here.

Keeping It Real: reviews., Notes on Music, Now Hear This!

Minerva Voices singing at Canterbury Cathedral: watch on demand

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Congratulations to Minerva Voices and organist John Wyatt, who yesterday sang Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral. Conducted by Your Loyal Correspondent, the choir presented contemporary settings by Jeremy Woodside and Justin Breame as part of the music sung during the service.

The service was livestreamed on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel, and can be viewed below:

(The choir begins processing in just after the four-minute mark)

Well done to all the students involved; the Choir will be in action again at the start of June, singing as part of the choral concert in the Cathedral Crypt on Friday 2 June as part of Summer Music Week.

Gallery Space

On the face of it: new portraiture exhibition in Colyer-Fergusson Gallery

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Our latest exhibition in the gallery space here in Colyer-Fergusson is a mesmerising exploration of portraiture by Canterbury artist, Adam De Ville.

When out one day presents a series of ten images reflecting Adam’s interest in exploring the human condition, brought vividly to the canvas in an array of arresting paintings that pushes through the space between viewer and subject, looking to capture the essence of the moment.

My work is the result of how I see the things around me. As well as portraiture, I paint landscapes and cityscapes. Recurring themes of displacement and belonging colour my portrait work especially. I always aim to capture a moment and something of the inner life of the subject. I don’t have any conscious theme for painting as I paint; themes are only attributed afterwards. it’s very much an unconscious process; I paint what I want at the time, the things around me. But the work can therefore be said to be reflexive in that my inner life is the guide. In the case of portraiture, I am painting my state at the time.

Based in Canterbury, Adam De Ville is a self-taught artist exhibiting both nationally and internationally, most recently with the Royal Cambrian Academy of Arts (Award Winner), Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (Award Winner), Wales Contemporary (Award Winner), Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours (Award Winner), Pastel Society, ING Discerning Eye as well as galleries in London, Dublin, and Paris.

Adam’s work can also be found on Instagram at adamleedeville.  His work is currently being shown at the Lilford Gallery in Canterbury, The Doorway Gallery, London Contemporary Art Gallery, Art5 Brighton and Queen Street Gallery, Neath. One of Adam’s portraits will also feature as the cover of the programme for the concert by the University Cecilian Choir and Consort at the end of March.

The exhibition is free to view, open during the day until 9pm; there is wheelchair access, and the images are on display until May.

www.adamdeville.com

Music and Wellbeing, Now Hear This!

Filmed interview: extra-curricular music-making at the University of Kent by Kent Creative

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The latest film by the Faversham-based company, Kent Creative, promoting excellence in arts and culture across the county, features an interview with Your Loyal Correspondent, talking about extra-curricular music at Kent, the social aspect of music-making, the Colyer-Fergusson Building, and more.

Filmed a few weeks ago, it also features Minerva Voices, our upper-voices chamber choir, in rehearsal as it prepares to sing Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral; one of this year’s Music Scholarship students having an instrumental lesson; and photos from the recent concert by University Chorus and Symphony Orchestra.

Many thanks to Nathalie Banaigs for creating such a lovely way of highlighting extra-curricular music at the University, and all we do.

You can also listen to the interview as a podcast on Soundcloud here.

Notes on Music

Minerva Voices to sing Choral Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral

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Our upper-voices chamber choir, Minerva Voices, makes the pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral on Weds 15 February to sing the service of Choral Evensong.

Minerva Voices with harpist Harriet Adie

Comprising students from across the University community and Kent and Medway Medical School, Minerva Voices will sing some gloriously colourful contemporary settings as part of the service, including pieces by Jeremy Woodside and Justin Breame; details are in the Music Listings on the Cathedral website here.

The view of the Cathedral from the University campus

Last heard in action singing part of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols in December, the choir is sounding in excellent form, and the service promises to be a wonderful occasion.

The service begins at 5.30pm, and will also be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s YouTube website below.

(Update: the choir begins processing in just after four minutes in to the broadcast!).

 

Notes on Music, Now Hear This!

Magnificat commission: rehearsal with poet Nancy Gaffield

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The University Cecilian Choir has been hard at work rehearsing a brand-new setting of the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which the Music department commissioned as part of its year-long anniversary celebrations of the Colyer-Fergusson Building’s ten years. Last night, the Choir was delighted to welcome poet Nancy Gaffield to the rehearsal; Nancy has written four new poems which are interspersed with the text of the Magnificat, with music written by Russell Hepplewhite for mixed choir and string orchestra.

Poet Nancy Gaffield (centre) with the University Cecilian Choir
Nancy Gaffield

The new piece is an exciting blend of high energy, driving rhythms, lyrical melody and sumptuous harmonic colours, particularly in the sections setting Nancy’s poetry; each of the four poems is written in response to a famous piece of art representing stages in the life of Christ, including Michelangelo’s The Birth of Adam, Ghirandaio’s The Visitation,  and Piero della Francesca’s The Baptism of Christ. Here, the music revels in the same richly-colourful textures as each of the paintings; last night was an opportunity for Nancy to talk with the choir about her poems, the relationship to the paintings, and to hear some of the piece coming to life in rehearsal.

The first performance takes place in Colyer-Fergusson Hall on Friday 31 March, with a second performance on Friday 9 June as part of this year’s Summer Music Week; details and tickets for the premiere performance online here. It should be quite something…