This year the KBB Music Festival stretched its legs and was held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Mary’s Church in Parnell. It was one again an absolute hit, even considering it had to move for two days due to the state funeral for Sir Paul Reeves!
I was on the committee this year, so it was great to spend some more time at the festival and help to organise it beforehand. Being the new venue there were a lot of extra things to think about and teething issues but the many thousands of students who came through during the week had a wonderful time and some outstanding music was made.
Part of my role on the committee was to create and maintain the festival website – of course something I know well and enjoy. Check it out!
I had five groups in the festival this year (sorry, no photos this year!), the Diocesan School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the Carmel College Orchestra and Chamber Orchestras and the Kristin School Symphonia. They all did very well and I look forward to another good year at the festival next year.
On the 21st and 22nd of May was the 2011 48 Hours Film Festival. This year I was on board with Sideways Productions and masterminds Allan George and Ben Fowler. They approached me to work with them last year, but I couldn’t due to other commitments, so it was great to finally get things rolling with them.
The genre we got was revenge movie, and Allan and Ben put together a good script. I packed up some gear and followed them around their two main locations, fine-tuning initial draft ideas as the structure and feel of the film came to life.
I was reasonably happy with the result, loved the feel of the music, but not so much the final edit of it in the film. Have a listen to a few of the tracks below:
Or check out the movie here:
Although initially gutted not to get through, the team were then awarded the “Sexiest Images & Sound” award for Auckland and therefore nominated for that award at the nationals. Well done guys.
The team was Director: Ben Fowler Producer: Allan George, Ben Fowler Writer: Allan George, Ben Fowler Actors: Andy Nicholson, Yulie Great, Gwendoline Taylor Editor: Ben Fowler, Manuel Castelltort Sound / Music: Ryan Youens Cinematography: Allan George
My new work for orchestra, “blimp”, finally landed in Auckland on the 1st of May – premiered by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra at the Auckland Town Hall. It is a short work commissioned by the orchestra and their conductor Peter Thomas. It received a second performance on the 8th of May at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna. This was followed by its inclusion in their “Proms” concerts on the 18th and 19th of June. A great first month and a half for a new work!
The orchestra during soundcheck before the premiere. Photo by Keri Moyle (www.signsoflife.co.nz).
“Blimp [noun] a small, non-rigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.”
The idea I tried to portray is that for me I think of blimps as being slightly odd, awkward to get off the ground and driven by men who are a little loopy; but, once in the air, they jauntily go about their purpose.
The brass during soundcheck before the premiere. Photo by Keri Moyle (www.signsoflife.co.nz).
I was extremely happy with the performance, the orchestra did a wonderful job and loved playing it. It was also great to get such positive feedback from the audience after all four concerts.
Watch the live performance from 8th May here:
Or listen to a good audio recording here:
The orchestra and Auckland Town Hall during soundcheck before the premiere. Photo by Keri Moyle (www.signsoflife.co.nz).
During this year’s New Zealand Music Month I wrote 31 musical microscores, and far out, what a month it was! I decided back in this post that I would do the project – each microscore would be from 30 to 60 seconds and I would do them in a maximum of one hour each day.
I was initially unsure how it would shape up musically – would they all be completely different, how would they relate to each other – but once underway it was clear that small sets of microscores was going to be the way to go.
Another thing I was unaware of was the difficulty of taking one hour out of an already extremely busy working day, especially for 31 in a row. I made it though, with a few catchup days here and there.
It was interesting to see the voice that came out through the compositions and how they relate to each other even when they are for very different instruments and based on a very different idea. Some I wrote for instruments I know well, others I wrote for instruments I have not worked with much.
Below are most of the microscores – have a listen. The rest are still on their way due to technical disasters.
Below is the full list of microscores:
FOR PIANO, a response to my piece for orchestra, “blimp”, which was premiered on May 1 at the Auckland Town Hall by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra.
May 1: “the pilot” Yes, it is about the pilot of the blimp.
May 2: “the view” Yes, it is about the view from the blimp.
May 3: “the flock” Yes, it is about the flock of birds that hit the blimp.
FOR PIANO, the development of my favourite idea from all microscores written in May. And I also happened to sit on a rather large swiss ball to write all 31 microscores.
Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of conducting at the Bay of Plenty Music School, held for the second year in Tauranga. Check out my previous post if you’d like some more info about the music school.
It was a really fantastic weekend. The wind orchestra players (my group) were really keen to do some hard work, loved the selection of music, were really positive and after the 13 hours of rehearsal arose to present a really tight and energetic performance on the Sunday afternoon.
Rehearsing the massed item, Handel's "Zadok the Priest".
Timpani anyone?
The (very good!) horns.
Peter Thomas rehearsing the combined orchestra item, "Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saëns.
Conducting the wind orchestra, possibly "October" by Eric Whitacre.
David Squire conducting the choir.
The choir, in fine form.
Peter Thomas conducting the string orchestra in Elgar's "Serenade for Strings".
Conducting my section of the massed item, Handel's "Zadok the Priest".
David Squire conducting his section of Handel's "Zadok the Priest".
A friend of mine, Anna Donald, has a project for 2011 – she is a young mum and to keep living an exciting life, she is trying something new each week and blogging about it here: Mi Cosa Nueva.
On Facebook she asked for ideas and I suggested she write some words to a song and I would set it to music. Within the hour Anna had written the lyrics, she continues:
“I flicked it on to Ryan, and he replied immediately, saying he’d ‘whip it up’. A couple of days later I was stunned to hear that he had not only written the music, he’d also recorded the backing track with piano, guitar, drums and bass. He suggested that I come over and learn it and record it with him. By this stage I was so excited that I nearly wet my pants.”
Anna came over and recorded the singing while Wendy, my wife, got clucky looking after her baby, Rosalie, upstairs.
I then produced everything and I’ll let Anna continue:
“Ryan turned up to my husband’s 30th a few days later with the complete package of CD, chords and sheet music, all professionally bound with some photos of me recording the song. My husband, for whom the song is written, is quite smitten with the song and has been humming it around the house ever since. (‘Da da da da soul food…’)”
My new piece for orchestra, blimp, began rehearsals last night. It was commissioned for the Auckland Symphony Orchestra by their conductor, Peter Thomas. It will be premiered at the Auckland Town Hall and Bruce Mason Centre in their May “Up, Up and Away!” concerts.
Inspiration was drawn from the concert theme and with a little help from some friends, blimps seemed an ideal title and topic.
Blimp [noun] a small, non-rigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
For me, I think of blimps as being slightly odd, awkward to get off the ground and driven by men who are a little loopy; but, once in the air, they jauntily go about their purpose. I love this idea, and the music hopefully portrays this in its short two minute duration.
The concert also features Die Fledermaus Overture, Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 featuring Hong Yul Yang, Jupiter from “The Planets”, two great movie soundtracks – “Up” by Michael Giacchino and “E.T.” by John Williams – and much more.
Concert 1: Auckland Town Hall, Sunday 1st May, 2:30pm, FREE.
Concert 2: Bruce Mason Centre (Takapuna), Sunday 8th May, 2:30pm, FREE (but ticketed).
It is of course in May, New Zealand Music Month, so you should be overdosing in musical activities – make this one of them. Look forward to seeing you there!
May is New Zealand Music Month, a chance to celebrate all things NZ music. I have always been involved in extra activities during the month, but I decided that this year I would do a project of my own – write 31 musical microscores in the 31 days of May. I will write one and then post it online every day – no exceptions!
I am very much looking forward to it, but am in the process of thinking how exactly I will go about it, so I thought the big wide world may be able to help me. What I’m pondering is:
What instruments should I do it for? A different instrument each day? Select perhaps six in total? Have only one instrument?
Are there any performers out there who would be keen to perform them through the month?
Any ideas on a theme that could tie them all together?
