News

An incredible opportunity for established artists, and ‘young innovators’ (aged 18-24)

Sail aboard the wonderful Excelsior as part of an immersive residency, 23 May to 11 June 2024, journeying from Orkney to the Faroe Islands and Shetland.

Read more and apply here by responding to the prompt: Fracture, a Question for Humanity.

The residency is a collaboration between Utter Nonsense, Original Errant and The Excelsior Trust.

Sunday 10 March 2024, 7.00pm, Great Hall, Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 2BB

Smetana, Ma Vlast – Vltava
Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist, Tsz Hin (Bendit) Chan
Dvořák, Symphony No. 8

Saturday 9 March 2024, 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church, Thame OX9 3AJ

Beethoven, Overture – Coriolan
Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto with soloist, Yunus Eshekh-Alonso
Mozart, Symphony No. 41, ‘Jupiter’

Tickets

Tuesday 30 January 2024, 1.00pm-2.00pm, online

Join John Scott Martin FRSA, President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) and me to discuss Eco Sail Cargo: how this will shape the future of sustainable goods transportation and passenger travel. At Guild of Ships, we were delighted to collaborate with RSMA and the sail cargo community at the RSMA Annual Exhibition in the Mall Galleries, September 2023.

More information.

Monday 1 January 2024, 7.00pm, St Albans Cathedral, St Albans AL1 1BY

Johann Strauss II: Overture – Die Fledermaus; Im Krapfenwald
Josef Strauss: Moulinet Polka; Plappermäulchen – Polka schnell
Johann Strauss I: Loreley-Rheinklänge; Radetzky March
Brahms, Hungarian Dances No.s 5, 6 & 7
Delibes, Waltz and Mazurka – Coppelia
Rota: Love Theme and Waltz – The Godfather
Shostakovich, Jazz Suite No. 2
Mascagni, Intermezzo – Cavalleria Rusticana

Sun 12th November 2023, 2:00pm – 3:30pm, St Saviour’s Church, St Albans AL1 4DF

Wood, Hornpipe from Fantasia on British Sea Songs
Sullivan, Overture – HMS Pinafore
Anon (shanty) arr. Carslake, Blow the Man Down
Britten, excerpts from Four Sea Interludes
Rossini, storm from The Barber of Seville
Grieg, storm from Peer Gynt Suite No. 2
Anon (shanty) arr. Carslake, Wellerman

Saturday 11 November 2023, 7.45pm,
Princes Hall, Aldershot, GU11 1NX

Bacewicz, Overture (composed 1943)
Gregson, Tuba Concerto with soloist, Charlie Jones
Strauss, Serenade for Winds
Brahms, arr. Schönberg, Piano Quartet in G minor

Saturday 14 October 2023, 7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, St Albans AL1 4DF

Sarah Frances Jenkins, And the Sun Stood Still
Nielsen, Helios Overture
Sibelius, Nightride and Sunrise
Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances

Appointment as Artistic Director, following Tom Hammond

I’m honoured to have been appointed Artistic Director of St Alban’s Symphony Orchestra (SASO). SASO is a wonderfully warm community orchestra that performs to a high level. We collaborate with established soloists, and our leader is the superb Charlotte Fairbairn.

Sadly, SASO lost its much-loved Principal Conductor, Tom Hammond. Tom was appointed in 2016 but passed away suddenly in December 2021. We will never forget him. His dedication to music and to his colleagues and friends was extraordinary.

When the SASO committee asked me to take on the next three concerts before opening the process of finding a new conductor, I inherited Tom’s rehearsal schedule. This schedule had detailed timings for every piece, for the rest of the season. I followed it to the letter and it worked a dream. It was a testament to the incredible amount of care with which he approached his career and colleagues.

Tom was founder and Co-Artistic Director of Hertfordshire Festival of Music which launched in 2016 and has quickly become one of the main classical music festivals in the UK. He was Music Director of Hertford Symphony Orchestra and Finchley Symphony Orchestra, and was very busy in the UK and abroad. This was recognised when he was appointed an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2010, and later when London’s Sinfonia Tamesa appointed him Conductor Emeritus in 2019.

Tom also worked in the Middle East, conducting ensembles at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine – including the Palestine Youth Orchestra – and adjudicating for the Palestine National Music Competition. In the UK he adjudicated for the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Oxford University, Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Croydon Performing Arts Festival.

Alongside his practical music-making, Tom was a much-respected producer with Chiaro Audio. His work there was released on Resonus Classics, First Hand Records and the Edition Peters label.

As it happens, Tom and I shared a love of ancient walking routes in the UK and Europe, and he introduced me to the Harrow Way (or Harroway), the Stone-Age route that stretches from Devon to Dover.

Here’s to you, Tom.

I’m delighted to be talking with Resonance FM, 3.00pm – 3.30pm on 19 September

I’m very happy to join John Scott Martin, President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists for an interview with Peter Warren of Resonance FM. We’ll be talking about the RSMA annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, 21-30 September. This year the exhibition focuses on sail cargo and there is a wall dedicated to the movement. As Co-founder of Guild of Ships, I’m delighted to be part of an advertisement in the catalogue that showcases incredible sail cargo companies and initiatives and explains more about the sector.

Listen in at 104.4 FM at 3.00pm! The ‘Listen’ button is at the top right in the Resonance FM link above. Resonance FM – ‘The best radio station in London’ (The Guardian) – is a charity and a force for good in London. If you don’t know it, do try it!

Later on the 19th Wille Christiani from Grayhound Shipping (and fellow Co-founder at Guild of Ships) will join John Scott Martin for an interview with Bryony Collins at the respected Carbon Pulse platform.

I’ve just returned from a week bivouacking on one of the most significant raised bogs in Europe: Carrownagappul, East Galway, Ireland.

I was honoured to have permission from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to live quietly on this stunning bog. One of the largest bogs in Ireland’s ‘Living Bog‘ conservation project, Carrownagappul is of international significance. Having been heavily drained for peat cutting, the bog has now been re-wetted (by the laying of thousands of large-scale blocks in the drainage channels) and rejuvenated, with the support of the local community. Peat bog restoration in Ireland has instant repercussions for local people who have the right to cut and burn its peat for fuel. I was very happy to visit the local interpretative centre, and was treated to a warm welcome by Maura and the team.

I was also thrilled to meet the internationally recognised photographer, Tina Claffey, who specialises in the macro photography of Ireland’s wetlands. Her books, Tapestry of Light and Portal are a must-read for anyone interested in these delicate and ancient ecologies. Did you know that although only 3% of the world’s surface is bog, it represents twice the carbon efficacy of all the world’s trees and forests?!

This research is for a commission from the Harry Woolhouse Trust for a piece to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Imperial College Sinfonietta, London. Come and hear the piece, Carrownagappul, on Sunday 9 June in the Great Hall, Imperial College, London, 7pm, in an event that will feature the current orchestra and alumni players from the last 25 years.

Sunday 11 June, 7.00pm, Great Hall, Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 2BB

Ravel, Piano Concert in G 
Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 2 
Dvorak, Scherzo Capriccioso

Plus chamber music by Smetana, Dvořák and Beethoven

Tickets available soon

Sat 10 June, 7.45pm, Princes Hall, Aldershot GU11 1NX

Elgar, Froissart Overture
Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Elgar, Enigma Variations

Soloists: Alison Wyld (French Horn) and Ruairi Bowen (Tenor)

Supported by the Elgar Society

Tickets

Sat 20 May, 7.45pm, Drill Hall, Ware SG12 9HP

Nielsen, Helios Overture; Beethoven, Leonore Overture No. 3; Grieg, Morning Mood; Schumann, Symphony No. 3, ‘Rhenish’ 

Tickets

A ‘circular’ masterpiece

Cesar Franck was one of the great organ improvisers – and an inspiring teacher to a generation of French composers. It’s probable that Debussy’s structural innovations (his String Quartet, for example) wouldn’t have come to pass were it not for the circular forms created by his teacher. Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D Minor takes a ‘cross’ motif that Bach would have recognised. He then meditates on it over the course of a three-movement symphony. Every theme and instrument is given its full character and space, like the organ stops and architecture of his beloved Saint-Clotilde in Paris. The recurrence of the cross motif brings us around with perfect timing to a blazing finale, with four trumpets blasting away jubilantly.

We are delighted to welcome back Aishwarya Swaminathan Saravanan, who led Sinfonietta for two years as an undergraduate. Her rendition of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor is passionate and inspiring. And the programme begins with Sibelius’ rousing Finlandia.

Tickets and map

Lark Ascending, Farewell to Stromness, Czech Suite and more… Saturday 29 October, St. Mary’s Church, Thame, 7:30pm

It’s a delight to collaborate again with Crendon Chamber Orchestra. I’m looking forward to exploring Vaughan Williams’ amazing evocation of lark-flight with violinist, Madeleine Pickering.

We will pair the Vaughan Williams with another outdoors gem: Maxwell Davies’ Farewell to Stromness, arranged for strings by Rosemary Furniss.

Two large-scale works for chamber orchestra complete the programme: Dvořák’s Czech Suite is a masterclass in Czech dance rhythms, richly characterised by superb orchestration; and the concert opens with Malcolm Archer’s Variations for Orchestra on a Theme of Ruth Gipps.

I hope to see you there!

Bogs, glaciers and swans

I’m over the moon to be collaborating with a wonderful professional orchestra on a project featuring my compositions. More on that very soon.

In other news, the Harry Woolhouse Charitable Trust are commissioning a work by me for Imperial College Sinfonietta, to be performed next summer. More on that soon, too; but think bogs… think peat… think space. Bogs are our glaciers in UK and Ireland. They move, they breath, they shield.

Also, I’m delighted that Sands Films Studios want to feature The Singing Glacier in a festival in March 2023.

Finally, listen to this: Cliffs, by Garefowl, inspired by St Kilda. St Kilda has the highest cliff in the UK, Connachair, which falls 1401 ft to the sea. These sounds call me towards a sail voyage in 2025 to the great cliff of Cape Enniberg in the Faroe Islands – a staggering 2474 ft drop. Thank you, Anna Lowenstein, for the recommendation.

Imperial College Touring Orchestra, 4-10 July

What a joy this was. So good to be making music abroad again! Fantastic to be part of the combined energies of Imperial College Symphony Orchestra and Imperial College Sinfonietta.

It was a great pleasure to share the podium with Oliver Gooch; and the Imperial students were true ambassadors for Imperial College. At every turn we were bowled over by the hospitality and attentiveness of our Czech colleagues, as well as the audiences in St. Simon & Jude, Prague; St Ann’s, Karlovy Vary; and Jindřichův Hradec Castle. Huge thanks to the student committees, and to the tour consultants, ACFEA.

7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans AL1 4DF

Two days short of Independence Day, SASO will celebrate with two American classics: Dvorak, Symphony No. 9, ‘New World’ and Barber, Violin Concerto, with soloist David Le Page. The concert also features the ballet music from Holst’s opera, The Perfect Fool.

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Tom Hammond, SASO’s Principal Conductor, who died in December 2021. One of Tom’s passions was the music of Sibelius. We will celebrate Tom by performing Sibelius, The Swan of Tuonela.

Tickets and details.

A new work for Imperial College Sinfonietta, to feature current members and alumni.

I am delighted to have been commissioned by the Harry Woolhouse Charitable Trust to write a new work to mark the quarter-centenary of Imperial College Sinfonietta. To be performed in 2023/24. The piece will reflect the adventurous spirit of Harry Woolhouse and Sinfonietta. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the Sinfonietta community and, in particular, the amazing work that current members and alumni do in the field of climate adaption. More details soon.

Great Hall, Imperial College, Sunday 12 June

Imperial College Sinfonietta was joined by alumni from the past 25 years for a festival weekend, culminating in a concert given by a massed orchestra of over 100 players. We were delighted to welcome back the founding conductor, Daniel Capps, to conduct Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5. We were also thrilled to perform Schumann, Cello Concerto, with alumnus, Elizabeth Porter. Our Honorary President, Sir Robert Lechler, gave a welcome speech.

The weekend was an opportunity for the wider Sinfonietta family to meet and reminisce, and a wonderful time was had by all. It was also a golden opportunity for us to highlight the work of the Harry Woolhouse Charitable Trust, named after alumnus, Harry Woolhouse. The trust supports the current membership, and the long-term future of the orchestra.

Princes Hall, Aldershot, Saturday 11 June

FSO gave a beautiful performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in Princes Hall to mark the end of our 100th Anniversary Season. We opened the concert with Joby Talbot’s Chacony in G minor, composed for the BBC Proms in 2011. Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, ‘Haffner’, completed a glittering musical offering that brought nearly 80 musicians together before an appreciative audience.

Recorded at the premiere on 22 January by Farnborough Symphony Orchestra. Listen here.

FSO is grateful to the sound engineer and producer, Haresh Patel, for recording the premiere live.

FSO performed Disco Ball – Mountain Hare in a Scottish themed concert that included Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Scottish Symphony.

Disco Ball – Mountain Hare was inspired by my research into Mountain Hares in the Cairngorm mountains, Scotland, and was supported by a Finzi Trust Scholarship. There is also a version for violin, cello, piano and clarinet. The title Disco Ball – Mountain Hare is shared by an extended travel essay I wrote about the research process called Composing with Hares. You can read extracts from that, and about the disco ball metaphor here.

7.30pm, St Albans Cathedral, St Albans, AL1 1BY

A beautiful programme in the fabulous acoustic of the cathedral. We are joined by soprano, Jessica Cale, organist, Andrew Parnell, and Gloriana choir, under their director, Deborah Miles-Johnson. Tickets.

Poulenc: Ave verum corpus
Debussy: Nocturnes
Canteloube: Chants d’Auvergne
Faurè: Cantique de Jean Racine
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3, Organ Symphony

6.30pm, Great Hall, Sherfield Building West, Imperial College South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ

Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio Espagnol; Dvořák, Carnival Overture; Sibelius, Symphony No. 2 in D.

The students of Imperial College Sinfonietta celebrate their upcoming holidays with two glittering orchestral showpieces and Sibelius’s soaring second symphony. Advance tickets here (select ‘non-student tickets’ in the drop-down menu) for £8 or £9 on the door. Map here.

7.30pm, St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane, St Albans AL1 4DF

Arnold, Clarinet Concerto  No.2 with Mark van de Wiel; Arnold, Symphony No. 5; Brahms, Symphony No. 3.

St Albans Symphony Orchestra (SASO) celebrates Malcolm Arnold’s centenary year with these two stunning works, in a programme designed by SASO’s much-missed principal conductor, Tom Hammond. It’s a great pleasure for us all to work with Mark van der Wiel, Principal Clarinet of the Philharmonia, in Arnold’s super jazzy concerto, written for Benny Goodman. Brahms’ third symphony rounds off an evening of uplifting and moving music-making. I’m honoured to be conducting SASO this season. Information and tickets here.

I have Covid so I’m very grateful to Orlando Jopling for stepping in to direct CCO this Saturday 26 Feb at St. Mary’s Church, Thame, 7:30pm

Arnold, Concerto  No.1 for Flute and String Orchestra  with Sirius Chau; Dag Wiren, Serenade for Strings; Sibelius, Suite Champetre; Janacek, Idyll for String Orchestra.

Beginning with a chance to hear the highly-acclaimed young flautist, Sirius Chau, the programme ends with a delicate Sibelius suite and an early work of Janacek that includes one of the most beautiful tunes in 5-time ever written.

The collaboration between Orlando and CCO will be stunning. Enjoy it with the loyal CCO audience in the beautiful accoustic of St Mary’s, Thame. Tickets and details. All the best to everyone for a fantastic concert. I look forward to reuniting with CCO soon!

Saturday 22 January, Princes Hall, Aldershot, GU11 1NX with Farnborough Symphony Orchestra.

Farnborough Symphony Orchestra is brilliant for performing contemporary music. Recent concerts have included works by Charlotte Bray, David Matthews and Elizabeth Winters. We are also proud to run the Farnborough Young Composers Competition.

I’m thrilled that FSO performed Disco Ball – Mountain Hare in this Scottish themed concert which also included Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture and his Scottish Symphony.

Disco Ball – Mountain Hare was inspired by my research into mountain hares in the Cairngorm mountains, Scotland, and was supported by a Finzi Trust Scholarship. There is also a version for violin, cello, piano and clarinet. The recent change of title to Disco Ball – Mountain Hare brings the piece in line with the extended travel essay I wrote about the project called Disco Ball – Mountain Hare: composing in the Cairngorms. You can read extracts from that and about the disco ball metaphor here.

I am honoured to be an Ambassador for EcoClipper! This inspiring company has a vision for clean cargo shipping.

‘Ten years ago everybody thought it was crazy to transport goods in sailing ships. Now it is a rising trend for companies to watch their entire production chain for sustainability. Soon customers will demand clean transport…’ (EcoClipper website.)

If you are interested in joining the second round of investment contact Captain Jorne Langelaan and the EcoClipper office via the investment form. If you are interested in taking part in the sailing revolution here is a great article by Jess Clay of EcoClipper that includes a section on sail cargo.

Communications and website design exclusively for low-carbon shipping

Since November 2020

I set up Clarity & Hart as part of the ecological concern of my total work. The amazing team at C&H advises on communications, creates designs and provides tracking. We also design websites from scratch, e.g. www.grayhoundshipping.com. We are proud to have collaborated with sail cargo companies in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the UK and Central America. I am also co-founder of Guild of Ships, a bookings and circular economy platform that serves the sail cargo/travel sector.

Interview with Michael Holland, Arts Correspondent for Southwark News

Michael has been running a series about musicians in South London, and the effect of the pandemic on their working lives.

Poetry and music, featuring ‘The Singing Glacier’

1 October 2020

As part of the BBC’s annual Contains Strong Language spoken word festival, Elizabeth Alker talked to writer Helen Mort about her musical collaborations, including The Singing Glacier. Composer Sophie Cooper revealed a new piece written in response to one of Helen’s poems. The programme included a clip from The Singing Glacier in the version for modern violin and piano, featuring Flora Curzon, violin.    

Heath Street Baptist Church ‘Home Companion’ radio show and newsletter

During the first lockdown these radio programmes included thoughtfully-curated poetry, readings and songs, featuring members of the congregation. As well as contributing to these, Bill was happy to feature in the September – November newsletter.

Part of the touring production, ‘Strange Creatures’

Bill was commissioned by MishMash Productions to write a trio using just vocal sounds and body percussion for this fantastic show. Bill chats with cellist Sophie Rivlin about the process. An excerpt from the ‘Grumpy Trio’ is included.

Knoydart Peninsula

August 2020

Knoydart is the uppermost of the peninsulas that make up the Rough Bounds in Northwest Scotland, an area intruded by deep sea lochs (including Scotland’s deepest, Loch Morar) and characterised by mountainous horizons. They overlay each other like lines of music, and the striations in the rock provide other melodies. Work in progress.

Science and Art: Climate Change and The Singing Glacier

Manchester Metropolitan University

June 2020

Part of the Science and Art series. Poet Helen Mort and Physical Geographer Kathryn Adamson share their experiences of East Greenland and discuss how science and art can interlock to communicate the effects of climate change. Featuring an extended extract from The Singing Glacier.   

Farnham Maltings, Farnham

14 March 2020, 7pm

Glinka, Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture; Prokofiev, Violin Concerto No. 1 with soloist, So-Ock Kim; Stravinsky, Firebird (1945).  An all-Russian programme featuring one of music’s sublime endings – Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no. 1, with acclaimed violinist So-Ock Kim.

Cancelled due to Covid-19

S.M.A.K. Gallery, Ghent, Belgium

30 November 2019 – 16 February 2020

‘Lamb’ is a new film by Nashashibi/Skaer with a soundtrack created by Bill, mezzo soprano Olivia Ray and Rosalind Nashashibi. The footage from a lambing shed was shot by Lucy Skaer on Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides.