University of York Music Press

We are delighted that the Divine Art/Metier recording of Sadie’s new chamber work Fire in Song has received another excellent review, this time by Paul Conway in Musical Opinion. Conway writes: 'In Sadie Harrison’s Fire in Song, for clarinet, viola and two clapstick-playing narrators (2020), the creation story about fire is told by the Yolngu group of Aboriginal Australians. The work was written during the catastrophic bush fires that swept much of Australia in 2019-2020 and reflects on the Aboriginal approach to these fires.

We were very pleased to see Frederick Viner’s new work ‘Chase’ performed on Paul Barton's YouTube channel this week. A Feurich artist, Paul has amassed more than half a million subscribers on YouTube, and many of his performances have been viewed over a million times. 

https://snapemaltings.co.uk/music/residencies/creative-retreats/

We are delighted that Sadie has been granted a Creative Retreat at the Red Studio as part of the Snape Maltings Britten Pears Arts initiative. Creative Retreats say: 'For Benjamin Britten, a quiet place to compose was absolutely essential. He was fortunate enough to achieve this for most of his life, spending his last two decades at The Red House, down a quiet lane on the outskirts of Aldeburgh.

Thomas Simaku’s CD album on BIS Records, con-ri-sonanza, has received another great review, in July 2021’s Tempo magazine.  The review begins with a challenging remark from Simaku himself:

‘‘Life isn’t easy,’ said British-Albanian composer Thomas Simaku, ‘why should my music be?’  In con-ri-sonanza, an album for piano and string quartet, individually and together Joseph Houston and Quatuor Diotima bridge this implied difficulty admirably, producing genuine and vivid recordings.’

Distinguished UYMP composer David Lumsdaine has recently been in conversation with Frederick Viner.  In a most interesting discussion, Lumsdaine talks about his musical education, growing up in Australia, his lifelong fascination with birdsong and soundscapes.  Lumsdaine describes how he was drawn to composition, his childhood influences and the process of musical discovery.  He reminisces about studying for his degree in Sydney, in the early days of the Music course there, and his subsequent more formal study in England. 

French National Radio, France-Musique, have chosen Thomas Simaku’s new album in their list of best CDs (coup de coeur) of the 2020-21 season. A special programme is to be broadcast on Sunday, 4th July and can be heard here.

France Musique featured Simaku’s CD in their programme of 7th February 2021 and described his music as ‘astonishing’.

David Lancaster’s choral work Apocalypse has been recorded for future CD release on the Resonus Classics label.  Working over three days, the Ex Corde Vocal Ensemble (conducted by Paul Gameson) explored the vivid, sometimes violent, musical imagery of the score, which portrays the final fifteen days of the world as depicted in some of York’s medieval stained glass.  Alongside Apocalypse on the recording will be a new work, which similarly draws upon aspects of York’s rich medieval history.

On June 22nd at 7.30pm (this evening!) London New Wind Festival will broadcast an Association for the Promotion of English Composers concert, which will include Elisabeth Lutyens’ Footfalls Op. 128 for flute and piano and her Fantasie Trio Op. 55 for flute, clarinet and piano.  The concert was recorded on 9th June at the Craxton Studios.  It may be accessed via this YouTube link, or through the London New Wind Festival website.

Evensong at Exeter College, Oxford, on Friday 4th June, honoured renowned UYMP composer Professor Robert Saxton, who has been Professor of Composition in the Faculty of Music/Tutorial Fellow in Music at Worcester College since 1999. Saxton's beautiful choral work Our Father, whose creative will was given a ‘very fine, distanced rendition’ by Exeter College Choir, who sang through masks and were conducted by the talented Christopher Holman. 

UYMP is very excited to announce the launch of a new blog series entitled 'Caesura'. Over the next few weeks we will begin to share reflections written by our composers on their experiences over the last year, including the challenges they have faced and the projects they have undertaken.  Watch this space for the first blog, to be published soon!

In exciting news, Hilda Paredes is one of sixteen composers selected by Wigmore Hall, as part of their Lockdown Commissions Scheme. This is the largest ever one-off commissioning scheme in the history of the hall, completing its 120th anniversary celebrations.

We are absolutely delighted that Sadie’s song for tenor and piano, Easter Zunday has been featured in Jane Manning’s fabulous volume Vocal Repertoire for the 21st Century (Works written from 2000 onwards).

The work was commissioned in 2008 for NMC Recording’s 20th Anniversary and recorded by Benjamin Hulett and Andrew Ball for the NMC Songbook.