On Musical Imagination as part of my working method... I have been thinking a lot about the role that musical imagination plays in my compositional working method. To inform this reflection, I have been immersing myself in literature on the topic, most recently a book chapter by Freya Bailes and [...]
The recent easing of Covid restrictions across Scotland has begun to slowly return some sense of normality to many of our lives. As a choir, our undertaking is a fundamentally collaborative one, with intimate rehearsals being essential to how we grow, learn and perform together as a group. As such, [...]
Maggie Broadley, who sings soprano in the GSA Choir, writes about her experience of rehearsing Within The Living Eye – composed by Rebecca Rowe, with lyrics taken from a selection of poems by Kathleen Raine. When Jamie Sansbury, the GSA Choir’s Musical Director, revealed our next commissioning project, Composeher, I [...]
Claire Bradley, who sings soprano in the GSA Choir, writes about her experience of rehearsing Margaret’s Moon – composed by Ailie Robertson, with lyrics by Scots Makar, Jackie Kay – the first new work rehearsed by the ensemble for Composeher. Having been in one or two short-term, temporary choirs [...]
Back in May, Jamie Sansbury, Musical Director of the Glasgow School of Art Choir, shared a selection of music which he was enjoying during the Coronavirus lockdown. Nearly six months later, he shares some more works. Who would have thought, when I wrote Listening in lockdown back in May [...]
Melanie Sparrow, who sings alto in the GSA Choir, writes about her experience of rehearsing Margaret’s Moon – composed by Ailie Robertson, with lyrics by Scots Makar, Jackie Kay – the first new work rehearsed by the ensemble for Composeher. There’s something about music, and about poetry, that can reach [...]
Last year Cecilia McDowall invited the poet, Seán Street, to write a text for her to set to music for Composeher. In his three poems Seán has seamlessly woven together his words with those of the remarkable nineteenth century pioneering nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. [...]
Science, medicine and healing... It is very special indeed to be a part of the ambitious Composeher project to create new choral music to be performed by the Glasgow School of Art Choir. I love writing for choral forces, large or small, amateur or professional, accompanied or a cappella. [...]
Maria Sibylla Merian... In my last Composeher blog, I introduced you to my thoughts and processes when it comes to selecting texts for my choral works. I am now thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce you to the impetus for my new piece for the Glasgow School of [...]
Judith Bishop - whose poem, 14 Weeks, is being set to music by Jane Stanley for Composeher - writes about the power of music in the following essay, A Short Meditation on Music and Meaning... 1 Towheaded is the word that comes to mind to describe him. He had tufty [...]