Midlands Fretted Orchestra with Richard Bullen
(Mentored by Colin Riley)
Jun
8
Posted by Lynda Grant.
Well we’ve had the world premiere and I think we all enjoyed it, orchestra and audience.
When we all arrived at 5pm for the run through, the BBC had already set up their equipment and were all ready to go. Nina arrived and we went through the piece and she heard it in its entirety for the first time. Now normally when you get comments on playing they are about making sure that you all play in time with each other. …
Jun
2
Posted by Mark.
Adopt-a-Composer is now in its 10th year! This time around, we are opening up the applications and giving two of the six places to composers who are not on Sound and Music’s Shortlist, and two groups who are not Making Music members.
If you’re a composer and would be interested in taking part, take a look at Sound and Music’s Opportunites page for information on how to apply. If you’re part of an ensemble that would like to apply, click here …
May
24
Posted by Nina Whiteman.
The Colinton Orchestra gave a fantastic performance of my piece on 8 May to a near-capacity audience. I was really impressed with the results of their hard work over several months, their focus and concentration, their interpretation of the music, and their approach to new playing techniques. So, a huge THANK YOU to everyone involved: players, organisers, supporters, Hector, and Lynda.
Below are extracts from my programme note:
My idea for the piece from quite early on in the process was to …
May
23
Posted by SARO.
Our partnership between Paul Fretwell, SARO and Skyswood Primary School, St Albans is now in full swing. Paul’s piece “Water Music” is comprised on 8 short movements on the theme of water some for orchestra, some with orchestra and school groups and one movement for the school alone. Their music teacher – Janet Bird – and a member of SARO has been getting the kids to make music for ‘By the Sea’. We have had two good …
May
4
Posted by Lynda Grant.
Well, it doesn’t seem long since we had the first rehearsal and now it’s our last before the concert and our world premiere. Nina is coming tonight and will have bound copies of the music, and we’ll be able to ask any last minute questions. The BBC Radio 3 man was at the venue this afternoon and we’ll find out what is needed for Saturday. The programmes are all printed, helpers have been allocated their tasks and the refreshments are in …
Apr
23
Posted by Nina Whiteman.
I promised the orchestra I would post some links to music I like/am influenced by, so here it is:
Many of these composers exploit the full sonic potential of instruments, including some unorthodox playing techniques. I’ve also included some pieces that employ found sounds, or objects that we wouldn’t normally consider to be musical instruments that make sounds. Feel free to respond to anything you hear by adding comments. I can also try to answer any questions you may have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BHzFggEGS4
Lachenmann – …
Jan
6
Posted by Richard Bullen.
Just before Christmas the MFO tried out my first composition / arrangement specifically written for them: Noisy Night. A total sight-reading test, the players certainly responded with gusto and enthusiasm to the challenge presented to them. What particularly impressed me was the speed at which the pieces improved and were beginning to come together over just a couple of run-throughs. Not a group to be underestimated in any way. Once they feel confident with something there is a real bounce and …
Jan
4
Posted by Mark.
A belated congratulations to Shortlisted composer Elizabeth Winters, who won the Making Music category at the British Composer Awards last month for her piece, The Serious Side of Madness. It was written for the Kensington Chamber Orchestra as part of last year’s Adopt-a-Composer scheme. The jury said that they were “intrigued and delighted by the sound world of the winning work” and that, in a large and diverse field, it stood out for the composer’s fine ear and …
Dec
14
Posted by Richard Bullen.
I have visited the Midlands Fretted Orchestra (MFO) twice since the beginning of the Adopt-a-Composer project and am planning to go again this Thursday to hear the group play through a ‘creative’ arrangement of the Christmas carol, Silent Night, I have been working on.
Both times I was greeted very warmly by the ensemble and I think bringing my acoustic guitar along (despite being of very primitive ability) and playing with them immediately helped to break down any initial barriers of …
Oct
29
Posted by Sound and Music.
Over the course of the next year you can follow the composers and the amateur music groups they are collaborating with through this blog. You can focus on any particular partnership by selecting one of the six ‘Partnership Blogs’ located to the right hand column, or just see all of them through the front page. We hope you enjoy the site, the work that’s produced and we look forward to reading your comments!
