Here at UYMP, we are exceedingly pleased to give our support to one of our house composers, Sadie Harrison, who has written the work ..in the air.., for solo piano, for Duncan Honeybourne’s Contemporary Piano Soundbites. This project is fundraising to support Help Musicians UK.
Duncan Honeybourne’s Contemporary Piano Soundbites – Supporting Help Musicians UK
4 May 2020
Honeybourne writes that the objective of this project ‘is to harness the zeitgeist of our present situation, to bring comfort and enjoyment to a large ready-made audience
stuck at home, to aid musicians badly affected by the “cultural lockdown” and to add to the contemporary repertoire, creating an artistic keepsake of this extraordinary phase in our lives. Contemporary Piano Soundbites is a collection of solo piano miniatures composed, directly or indirectly, in response to the 2020 coronavirus crisis.’
..in the air.. by Sadie Harrison is one such piece. Whilst the title of the piece makes reference to the aerial transmission of the virus, it is meant primarily to express a feeling of quiet unsettledness, where drifting melodic fragments and harmonies come to rest momentarily before floating away again. The piece was also written as a gift for Harrison’s mother for her birthday on 12 April.
Each miniature from this project will be premiered in a video recording, posted online in the Contemporary Piano Soundbites Series on the ‘Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts’ YouTube page over the coming weeks. Honeybourne is planning to post one or two each week during this difficult period, and to invite donations for the Help Musicians UK Coronavirus Hardship Fund. Harrison's ..in the air.. was performed by Honeybourne on 2 May and the performance can be viewed here.
The project is consequently a united gesture of support by and for musicians at this time of great concern and hardship. Honeybourne’s aim is that, ‘as well as supporting our colleagues, the connection will provide a snapshot of reflections and musings by some of the finest composers of our time at a unique and unprecedented moment in our history.’
UYMP would encourage all of its readers to follow this series as it unfolds to gain a rewarding and fascinating insight into how composers and musicians are supporting each other and still producing musical outputs of incredible quality during these challenging times. The link to the JustGiving page to support Help Musicians UK can also be found here.
More news
2 July 2025
Excellent reviews and a Broadcast for Thomas Simaku
1 May 2025
David Blake, Elisabeth Lutyens and David Lancaster performances at Late Music, York
28 April 2025
Robert Saxton Wigmore Hall Premiere and CD Release
8 April 2025
Sadie Harrison’s "where she has always been … ble mae wastad wedi bod …" inspires new Welsh poetry
4 April 2025
"...a moving and heartfelt lament..." - an excellent review of Sadie Harrison's 'A Thousand Black Men Named George'
3 April 2025
Three April piano recitals at Late Music York
19 March 2025
UYMP Assistant Administrator (part-time)
19 March 2025
New album release of music by James Weeks and Nicolas Gombert
12 March 2025
Sammoutis awarded Senior Research Fellowship by the GATES International Excellence in the Humanities Programme
11 March 2025
“…a programme so perfectly shaped” - fabulous review of Danny Driver Wigmore concert which featured Simaku's ‘Catena IV’world premiere
26 February 2025
World Premiere of Lancaster's 'The World’s Last Night' on Saturday and Roger Marsh at 75
21 February 2025
Yash Saran Wins Ethyl Smyth Award With His Performance of Sadie Harrison's 'Lunae'