New Directions Project
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In 2020, Lewis Merthyr Band was awarded a Stabilisation Grant for Organisations from the Arts Council of Wales to support the band through the Covid19 outbreak.
This award enabled the band to undertake a project called New Directions, which saw Lewis Merthyr commission and workshop a number of short works from composers and other professional musicians. The band worked on these pieces throughout the pandemic, initially individually in isolation and then collectively as lockdown lifted. The band will soon record these works and make them available for public consumption online. The works will then be retained for performance at concerts in 2022 and beyond These new "micro-commissions" will also go on to form the basis of a number of larger scale concert projects which the band will then explore further and tour, with further support from additional funders, through the coming years. The project was a tremendous opportunity and achievement for the band, and renewed the strong history Lewis Merthyr had of commissioning, recording and promoting new music. Further information on previous LMB commissions to date can be found at www.lewismerthyrband.com/commissions The individuals the band worked with on New Directions are outlined below. We are incredibly grateful to this group of incredibly talented and prominent musicians for their support and tremendous works |
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Collaborators
Andrew Powell - Music from Ladyhawke
Andrew Powell was born in Surrey of Welsh parents and educated at King’s College School, Wimbledon and King’s College, Cambridge, where he received a Master’s degree in Music. Whilst still at school he studied piano with Dr. Malcolm Troup, viola with Noel Long, percussion with James Blades and composition with Cornelius Cardew.
Prior to going to Cambridge he attended composition classes with Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti at Darmstadt. Whilst at Cambridge he was a founder member, together with Roger Smalley and Tim Souster, of the live electronics group “Intermodulation,” which gave first performances of several works by Stockhausen, as well as performing works by all of its members. He also founded, together with Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson, the progressive rock group “Henry Cow, ” and performed with Nick Drake.
His first professional engagement after leaving Cambridge was as a soloist at the “Proms” at the Royal Albert Hall, London, playing Terry Riley's “Keyboard Studies”. He subsequently worked with several orchestras, including Covent Garden, LSO, LPO, BBC Welsh and, mainly, the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez. He also worked as a session player, as well as founding the group “Come to the Edge” with Robin Thompson and Morris Pert, which performed regularly with the Japanese percussion virtuoso Stomu Yamash’ta.
One of his first commissions as an arranger/conductor was the debut album of Cockney Rebel, including the songs Sebastian and Death Trip: he arranged their next two albums, and also albums for Leo Sayer (One Man Band,) Donovan, John Miles (Music, Rebel,) Cliff Richard (Miss You Nights,) Pilot (Magic, January,) Al Stewart (Modern Times, The Year of the Cat, Time Passages, Russians & Americans, Between The Wars,) Ambrosia, Mick Fleetwood, David Gilmour, Chris Rea, Nick Heyward, Vitamin Z, Peter Hoffman, Münchener Freiheit, The Hollies, Sammy Hagar, Classic Rock, Wouter van Belle, Laïs, Il Divo, Eva Jacobs, Racoon….
His career as a record producer took off when he was asked by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (whose office had discovered her) to produce Kate Bush’s first album The Kick Inside. The first single Wuthering Heights went straight to No. 1 in the U.K., and achieved platinum status all around Europe, South America and Australasia, as did the album. He produced her follow-up album Lionheart, which was also successful. He went on to produce records for artists as diverse as Chris de Burgh and Kansas, Elaine Paige and Judy Collins, Tim Rice and André Heller, John Miles and Berdien Stenberg & The Philharmonia Orchestra...
He worked on Tales of Mystery and Imagination, the first album by "The Alan Parsons Project" as arranger, conductor and co-composer: and on the band's subsequent records, including all of the albums released in the 1990s under the name "Alan Parsons". This group were to become one of the most important forces in Progressive Rock in the 1970s and 80s, with worldwide album sales in excess of 50 million coming from a string of platinum albums. His highly contemporary large orchestral and choral sound combined with the rock rhythm section (the London Times commented: “At last a rock arranger who knows that music has developed since Tchaikovsky”) was a “fingerprint” of the group.
He wrote the scores for Ladyhawke (Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, dir. Richard Donner ) which won an honours nomination for best score from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Rocket Gibraltar (Burt Lancaster, Macauley Culkin, dir. Dan Petrie,) Closed Circuit (Film 4,) and has contributed music to other films, such as Janice (Joseph Strick,) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss, dir. Ted Kotcheff,) Caravan to Vaccares, Ice Dance, as well as to many T.V. programmes and series both in the U.K. and in Germany, France, Scandinavia and America.
He has toured with his old group "Come to the Edge" (Paris Biennale, Royan Festival, many U.K. universities), and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez. He also toured as musical director with Jimmy Helms and with Elaine Paige (all round the Middle East and U.K.) and with a group called "Tim Rice and Friends" (which included Elaine Paige and either Tommy Körberg or Colm Wilkinson and Tim Rice) playing in London, Hong Kong, Palm Springs, and two tours of Australia and New Zealand - the last of which had INXS as the rhythm section for some of the show). He also toured with Alan Parsons - taking part on the first ever live performances in Antwerp in 1990, and then extensively all around Europe, America and South America in 1994/5. He has also toured with Al Stewart.
He has co-written songs with Al Stewart, Alan Parsons, David Pack, Stuart Elliott, Menna Elfyn and Tim Rice.
His catalogue of concert music includes several works written for “Intermodulation”, such as Plasmogeny, The Old Pavilion and Terilament. His Suite for Brass Quintet with Piano was commissioned, and first performed, by Equale Brass with the composer at the piano in 1986 at the University of Wales, Cardiff. His work Falstaff for brass band, commissioned by Peter Bassano, was premièred at the Cité de la Musique in Paris in July 1998 by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Bassano, and has since received many performances in the U.K. Plasmogeny II for trumpet, live electronics and tape, was written for John Wallace and first performed by him and the composer at the University of Richmond, Virginia for the International Trumpeter’s Guild in May 1999, and has since been recorded by Wallace and Powell for the "Deux-Elles" label. Within Those Radiances... was written for the Wallace Collection and first performed by them in London in December 2000.
Other commissions include Concerto Melyn Coch, commissioned by James Watson and the Welsh Brass Arts Festival, and first performed there in June 2001, Fish Throw Stones, written for the LCO, Pied Beauty for a cappella mixed choir, Tair Cerdd Sanctaidd, settings of poems by William Williams, Gwenallt, & Dafydd ap Gwilym, for baritone, harp, male voice choir & brass band, was commissioned by the Welsh Brass Arts Festival and first performed there in June 2006 with Gareth Rhys-Davies, Catrin Finch, Parc & Dare Band and “Only Men Aloud”. His Variations Towards a Theme for two trumpets & live electronics was premièred in London in September 2006 by "Bella Tromba". His work Living Stones for choir, brass & organ received its first performance in St. David’s Cathedral in October 2007. Glasiad y Dydd Dros Ben Dinas, for cello and harp, was premiered at the City of London Festival in March 2008 by Nia Harries and Claire Jones. Preiddiau’r Cymry (text – Menna Elfyn) for soprano flute and clarinet, was premiered in April 2008 in Cardiff, Living Stones Fanfare in July 2008 at St. David’s Hall Cardiff. Caban Coed was premiered on S4C in May 2009, and the cantata Y Dyn Unig, co-written with the Welsh poet Menna Elfyn, about the “Red Lady of Paviland” was premiered in April 2010 in Carmarthen. Will Etienne and Isabeau never meet? was premiered in November 2010 at the KKL Konzertsall, Lucerne, by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra/Ludwig Wicki. Points upon a Canvas, for large orchestra, was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in the Millennium Centre, Cardiff in February 2011. He is currently writing a children's opera, and a piece for contra-bassoon and live electronics.
He has conducted orchestras and ensembles all over the world, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the LPO, the LCO, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Wellington Symphony Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Münchener Kammeroper, and the Black Dyke Mills and Grimethorpe Colliery Bands.
Andrew's work for Lewis Merthyr will be an excerpt of his soundtrack from the 1985 movie "Ladyhawke", which starred Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick. The excerpt is performed below by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davis, at the 2017 Prague Proms
Prior to going to Cambridge he attended composition classes with Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti at Darmstadt. Whilst at Cambridge he was a founder member, together with Roger Smalley and Tim Souster, of the live electronics group “Intermodulation,” which gave first performances of several works by Stockhausen, as well as performing works by all of its members. He also founded, together with Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson, the progressive rock group “Henry Cow, ” and performed with Nick Drake.
His first professional engagement after leaving Cambridge was as a soloist at the “Proms” at the Royal Albert Hall, London, playing Terry Riley's “Keyboard Studies”. He subsequently worked with several orchestras, including Covent Garden, LSO, LPO, BBC Welsh and, mainly, the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez. He also worked as a session player, as well as founding the group “Come to the Edge” with Robin Thompson and Morris Pert, which performed regularly with the Japanese percussion virtuoso Stomu Yamash’ta.
One of his first commissions as an arranger/conductor was the debut album of Cockney Rebel, including the songs Sebastian and Death Trip: he arranged their next two albums, and also albums for Leo Sayer (One Man Band,) Donovan, John Miles (Music, Rebel,) Cliff Richard (Miss You Nights,) Pilot (Magic, January,) Al Stewart (Modern Times, The Year of the Cat, Time Passages, Russians & Americans, Between The Wars,) Ambrosia, Mick Fleetwood, David Gilmour, Chris Rea, Nick Heyward, Vitamin Z, Peter Hoffman, Münchener Freiheit, The Hollies, Sammy Hagar, Classic Rock, Wouter van Belle, Laïs, Il Divo, Eva Jacobs, Racoon….
His career as a record producer took off when he was asked by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd (whose office had discovered her) to produce Kate Bush’s first album The Kick Inside. The first single Wuthering Heights went straight to No. 1 in the U.K., and achieved platinum status all around Europe, South America and Australasia, as did the album. He produced her follow-up album Lionheart, which was also successful. He went on to produce records for artists as diverse as Chris de Burgh and Kansas, Elaine Paige and Judy Collins, Tim Rice and André Heller, John Miles and Berdien Stenberg & The Philharmonia Orchestra...
He worked on Tales of Mystery and Imagination, the first album by "The Alan Parsons Project" as arranger, conductor and co-composer: and on the band's subsequent records, including all of the albums released in the 1990s under the name "Alan Parsons". This group were to become one of the most important forces in Progressive Rock in the 1970s and 80s, with worldwide album sales in excess of 50 million coming from a string of platinum albums. His highly contemporary large orchestral and choral sound combined with the rock rhythm section (the London Times commented: “At last a rock arranger who knows that music has developed since Tchaikovsky”) was a “fingerprint” of the group.
He wrote the scores for Ladyhawke (Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, dir. Richard Donner ) which won an honours nomination for best score from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, Rocket Gibraltar (Burt Lancaster, Macauley Culkin, dir. Dan Petrie,) Closed Circuit (Film 4,) and has contributed music to other films, such as Janice (Joseph Strick,) The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Richard Dreyfuss, dir. Ted Kotcheff,) Caravan to Vaccares, Ice Dance, as well as to many T.V. programmes and series both in the U.K. and in Germany, France, Scandinavia and America.
He has toured with his old group "Come to the Edge" (Paris Biennale, Royan Festival, many U.K. universities), and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Pierre Boulez. He also toured as musical director with Jimmy Helms and with Elaine Paige (all round the Middle East and U.K.) and with a group called "Tim Rice and Friends" (which included Elaine Paige and either Tommy Körberg or Colm Wilkinson and Tim Rice) playing in London, Hong Kong, Palm Springs, and two tours of Australia and New Zealand - the last of which had INXS as the rhythm section for some of the show). He also toured with Alan Parsons - taking part on the first ever live performances in Antwerp in 1990, and then extensively all around Europe, America and South America in 1994/5. He has also toured with Al Stewart.
He has co-written songs with Al Stewart, Alan Parsons, David Pack, Stuart Elliott, Menna Elfyn and Tim Rice.
His catalogue of concert music includes several works written for “Intermodulation”, such as Plasmogeny, The Old Pavilion and Terilament. His Suite for Brass Quintet with Piano was commissioned, and first performed, by Equale Brass with the composer at the piano in 1986 at the University of Wales, Cardiff. His work Falstaff for brass band, commissioned by Peter Bassano, was premièred at the Cité de la Musique in Paris in July 1998 by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by Bassano, and has since received many performances in the U.K. Plasmogeny II for trumpet, live electronics and tape, was written for John Wallace and first performed by him and the composer at the University of Richmond, Virginia for the International Trumpeter’s Guild in May 1999, and has since been recorded by Wallace and Powell for the "Deux-Elles" label. Within Those Radiances... was written for the Wallace Collection and first performed by them in London in December 2000.
Other commissions include Concerto Melyn Coch, commissioned by James Watson and the Welsh Brass Arts Festival, and first performed there in June 2001, Fish Throw Stones, written for the LCO, Pied Beauty for a cappella mixed choir, Tair Cerdd Sanctaidd, settings of poems by William Williams, Gwenallt, & Dafydd ap Gwilym, for baritone, harp, male voice choir & brass band, was commissioned by the Welsh Brass Arts Festival and first performed there in June 2006 with Gareth Rhys-Davies, Catrin Finch, Parc & Dare Band and “Only Men Aloud”. His Variations Towards a Theme for two trumpets & live electronics was premièred in London in September 2006 by "Bella Tromba". His work Living Stones for choir, brass & organ received its first performance in St. David’s Cathedral in October 2007. Glasiad y Dydd Dros Ben Dinas, for cello and harp, was premiered at the City of London Festival in March 2008 by Nia Harries and Claire Jones. Preiddiau’r Cymry (text – Menna Elfyn) for soprano flute and clarinet, was premiered in April 2008 in Cardiff, Living Stones Fanfare in July 2008 at St. David’s Hall Cardiff. Caban Coed was premiered on S4C in May 2009, and the cantata Y Dyn Unig, co-written with the Welsh poet Menna Elfyn, about the “Red Lady of Paviland” was premiered in April 2010 in Carmarthen. Will Etienne and Isabeau never meet? was premiered in November 2010 at the KKL Konzertsall, Lucerne, by the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra/Ludwig Wicki. Points upon a Canvas, for large orchestra, was performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in the Millennium Centre, Cardiff in February 2011. He is currently writing a children's opera, and a piece for contra-bassoon and live electronics.
He has conducted orchestras and ensembles all over the world, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the LPO, the LCO, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Wellington Symphony Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, the Münchener Kammeroper, and the Black Dyke Mills and Grimethorpe Colliery Bands.
Andrew's work for Lewis Merthyr will be an excerpt of his soundtrack from the 1985 movie "Ladyhawke", which starred Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick. The excerpt is performed below by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davis, at the 2017 Prague Proms
Chris Marshall - Homecoming | Fulling Mill Lea
Chris Marshall hails from from Cardiff, and has performed extensively as a percussionist specialising in world music. He has appeared and recorded with many prestigious orchestras and artists, and has performed on numerous productions in London’s West End.
Chris balances his performance schedule with his flourishing career as a composer and arranger. His growing portfolio of compositions, includes the music for "Heartstrings" (no 1 download on iTunes) which was recorded for Classic FM/Decca in 2012 and was featured on Claire Jones’ album, "The Girl With The Golden Harp". Chris has also composed "Bluestone" and arranged many tracks on Claire’s additional chart topping album "Journey". He has also composed music for numerous television commercials, including a track for Clogau, screened internationally, and for ‘Fishermans Friends’, currently being shown in the USA. Chris is now working on the next television promotion for Clogau, which will be released later this year.
Many of Chris's works have been performed and recorded by some of the worlds leading orchestras, including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Welsh National Opera, and Ulster Orchestra.
In 2017, Chris was commissioned to arrange and conduct a new album with the Portuguese singer sensation, Yolanda Soares, with whom he has performed recently with at the Tivoli Theatre Lisbon and Colisseum in Porto. He has also been commissioned by the American Youth Harp Ensemble and choir to compose a special set of works which will be premiered on PBS television in the USA and at Carnegie Hall, New York in 2020.
Chris's career highlights as a professional percussionist include appearances with the BBC symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, London Mozart Players, The Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has also worked on many productions in London's West End and international touring shows in the UK and China. These include We Will Rock You, Wizard of Oz, Zorro, Carousel, West Side Story, Evita, Love Beyond, Big, and Elf the Musical.
Chris has a passion for playing instruments from all around the world, and it has resulted in seeing him perform on numerous recording sessions for TV and film. He also performs as part of C2 duet with his wife, and former Official Harpist to HRH Prince Charles, Claire Jones. This unique duo has travelled extensively throughout the UK and in the USA
The band will be working with Chris on a transcription for brass of his "Homecoming". Originally written for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the work was premiered by the RPO conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE in the Last Night of the Welsh Proms at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff in July 2018
The band will be performing with Chris and harpist Claire Jones, in concert at Cardigan Castle on Sunday July 11th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
Chris balances his performance schedule with his flourishing career as a composer and arranger. His growing portfolio of compositions, includes the music for "Heartstrings" (no 1 download on iTunes) which was recorded for Classic FM/Decca in 2012 and was featured on Claire Jones’ album, "The Girl With The Golden Harp". Chris has also composed "Bluestone" and arranged many tracks on Claire’s additional chart topping album "Journey". He has also composed music for numerous television commercials, including a track for Clogau, screened internationally, and for ‘Fishermans Friends’, currently being shown in the USA. Chris is now working on the next television promotion for Clogau, which will be released later this year.
Many of Chris's works have been performed and recorded by some of the worlds leading orchestras, including the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Welsh National Opera, and Ulster Orchestra.
In 2017, Chris was commissioned to arrange and conduct a new album with the Portuguese singer sensation, Yolanda Soares, with whom he has performed recently with at the Tivoli Theatre Lisbon and Colisseum in Porto. He has also been commissioned by the American Youth Harp Ensemble and choir to compose a special set of works which will be premiered on PBS television in the USA and at Carnegie Hall, New York in 2020.
Chris's career highlights as a professional percussionist include appearances with the BBC symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, London Mozart Players, The Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has also worked on many productions in London's West End and international touring shows in the UK and China. These include We Will Rock You, Wizard of Oz, Zorro, Carousel, West Side Story, Evita, Love Beyond, Big, and Elf the Musical.
Chris has a passion for playing instruments from all around the world, and it has resulted in seeing him perform on numerous recording sessions for TV and film. He also performs as part of C2 duet with his wife, and former Official Harpist to HRH Prince Charles, Claire Jones. This unique duo has travelled extensively throughout the UK and in the USA
The band will be working with Chris on a transcription for brass of his "Homecoming". Originally written for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the work was premiered by the RPO conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE in the Last Night of the Welsh Proms at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff in July 2018
The band will be performing with Chris and harpist Claire Jones, in concert at Cardigan Castle on Sunday July 11th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
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Claire Jones - Excerpt from Concerto for Harp
Britain’s best selling classical harpist, Claire Jones was born and lives in Wales. Following her appointment as Official Harpist to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (2007-11), she became a household name for her esteemed performance at the Royal Wedding for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Solo career highlights include solo and concerto appearances with the World’s top orchestras and artists such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Ballet Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir James Galway; Maestro Gergiev, Joshua Bell, Reniee Fleming, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Alfie Bow to name only a few. She has performed prestigious recitals at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall (London), Capitol Hill (USA), City Hall (Hong Kong), International Harp Festival (Brazil) and at the Millennium Stadium for and audience of 75,000.
Claire is no stranger to the classical charts with her albums ‘Girl With The Golden Harp’, ‘Journey’, 'Highrove Suite', and ’This Love’ reaching the top of the classical charts. Claire is a firm favourite on Classic FM playlists, and her albums have been released worldwide.
Claire has a first class BMus(hons) degree from The Royal College of Music and studied as an MA (Scholar) at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In 2016 she was awarded an honorary Associateship from the Royal Academy of Music London for her significant contribution to her profession,and is an international ambassador for jewellery company, Clogau
The band will be working with Claire on an Excerpt from Gareth Wood's groundbreaking Concerto For Harp and Brass Band, which was commissioned and premiered by James Watson and the NYBBW. The band will be performing an excerpt from the work, together with Claire, in concert at Cardigan Castle on Sunday July 11th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
Solo career highlights include solo and concerto appearances with the World’s top orchestras and artists such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Ballet Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir James Galway; Maestro Gergiev, Joshua Bell, Reniee Fleming, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Alfie Bow to name only a few. She has performed prestigious recitals at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall (London), Capitol Hill (USA), City Hall (Hong Kong), International Harp Festival (Brazil) and at the Millennium Stadium for and audience of 75,000.
Claire is no stranger to the classical charts with her albums ‘Girl With The Golden Harp’, ‘Journey’, 'Highrove Suite', and ’This Love’ reaching the top of the classical charts. Claire is a firm favourite on Classic FM playlists, and her albums have been released worldwide.
Claire has a first class BMus(hons) degree from The Royal College of Music and studied as an MA (Scholar) at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In 2016 she was awarded an honorary Associateship from the Royal Academy of Music London for her significant contribution to her profession,and is an international ambassador for jewellery company, Clogau
The band will be working with Claire on an Excerpt from Gareth Wood's groundbreaking Concerto For Harp and Brass Band, which was commissioned and premiered by James Watson and the NYBBW. The band will be performing an excerpt from the work, together with Claire, in concert at Cardigan Castle on Sunday July 11th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
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Christopher Painter - Great Composers of Wales
Christopher Painter was born at Port Talbot, South Wales in 1962 and studied music at University College, Cardiff. His composition studies were initially with Timothy Taylor and Richard Elfyn Jones, and in 1984 he began to study with Alun Hoddinott.
He studied full-time with Hoddinott until 1989 and complemented these studies with consultations and masterclasses with Samuel Adler (Eastman School of Music, New York); George Benjamin; John McCabe (London College of Music); Edward Gregson (Royal Northern College of Music); Robert Saxton (Worcester College, Oxford); Robert Simpson and Marek Stachowski (Warsaw University).
In addition to his composition studies, Christopher also studied brass band conducting with Edward Gregson; choral conducting with Stanley Saunders (University of Guelph, Canada) and Rod Walker (University of Texas, USA) and latterly, orchestral conducting with Christopher Adey.
Christopher Painter was the first recipient of the Afan Thomas Composer's Award and has also won the National Eisteddfod Composition Prize (Newport 1988) and was featured in the Welsh Arts Council's Young Welsh Composer Forum in 1987. In 1997, he was the first Welsh winner of the Gregynog Composer Award of Wales which was given for his Sonata for Harp which was premièred on June 28th at the 1997 Gregynog Festival.
Appointed as Composer-in-Association with North Wales based Ensemble Cymru in October 1997, Christopher wrote a number of works for this ensemble, including the children's dance work,Yggdrasil, a Millennium Commission/Techniquest commission as part of the Sounds for Science education project.
In 1999 Christopher Painter was Composer-in-Residence with both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Brass Band of Wales. His work, Invisible Cities, for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, not only received performances around the UK but was also subsequently released on CD by the orchestra.
The Royal Society of Arts awarded Christopher Painter a Fellowship in December 2003.
In August 2005, Christopher won the prestigious Tlws y Cerddor (Musicians Medal) at the National Eisteddfod of Wales for his chamber work, Yr Hanes Swynol (A History of Charms). He won the award for a second time in 2010 for Syniadau’r Serch (Thoughts on Love), a cycle of songs for baritone, violin and harp.
Between Autumn 2005 and Spring 2006 Christopher was Composer-in-Residence with the Thueringen Philharmonie in Gotha, Germany. Here he worked closely with Welsh conductor Alun Francis, a long-time champion of his music, and his tenure ended with the première of a major work for the orchestra, Forest of Dreams, which received two performances and was broadcast on German television. The work subsequently received its UK première with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, under the direction of Jac van Steen, in April 2009.
In 2010, the Lunar Saxophone Quartet premièred his Lunar Seas on their These Visions tour and the work was released on Signum Classics. This followed an earlier recording, also on Signum, of his Sonata for Alto Saxophone, commissioned by Welsh saxophonist, Lara James.
In 2006, his Symphony No.3 - Fire in the Snow received its première in Mexico City where it was twice performed by the Orchesta Filharmonico de la UNAM under the direction of Alun Francis. The second performance was broadcast live on Mexican national television to an estimated audience in excess of one million people.
In March 2011, Furnace of Colours was premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and soprano Claire Booth, conducted by Jac van Steen, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
His most recent works include Hanes Taliesin (Taliesin’s Tale) for solo clarinet and dancer; Images in the Mist for the Richards String Quartet and The Gregynog Suite for solo harp, commissioned by the Gregynog Festival and premièred by Catrin Finch.
Christopher Painter’s works are published by Arcomis Publishing; Maecenas Music; Oriana Publications and Vanderbeek & Imrie.
Chris's own publishing company, Oriana Publications, hold many of the works of Grace Williams and Mervyn Burtch. Chris will be working with us to transcribe Grace' music from the 1949 movie "The Blue Scar". Filmed on location in Blaengwynfi and Port Talbot, the movie was the first feature film to be directed by a female director (Jill Craigie) and to feature a soundtrack by a female composer. Chris will also be working with the band on a previously unpublished work by Mervyn Burtch, the composer's "Hiraeth"
He studied full-time with Hoddinott until 1989 and complemented these studies with consultations and masterclasses with Samuel Adler (Eastman School of Music, New York); George Benjamin; John McCabe (London College of Music); Edward Gregson (Royal Northern College of Music); Robert Saxton (Worcester College, Oxford); Robert Simpson and Marek Stachowski (Warsaw University).
In addition to his composition studies, Christopher also studied brass band conducting with Edward Gregson; choral conducting with Stanley Saunders (University of Guelph, Canada) and Rod Walker (University of Texas, USA) and latterly, orchestral conducting with Christopher Adey.
Christopher Painter was the first recipient of the Afan Thomas Composer's Award and has also won the National Eisteddfod Composition Prize (Newport 1988) and was featured in the Welsh Arts Council's Young Welsh Composer Forum in 1987. In 1997, he was the first Welsh winner of the Gregynog Composer Award of Wales which was given for his Sonata for Harp which was premièred on June 28th at the 1997 Gregynog Festival.
Appointed as Composer-in-Association with North Wales based Ensemble Cymru in October 1997, Christopher wrote a number of works for this ensemble, including the children's dance work,Yggdrasil, a Millennium Commission/Techniquest commission as part of the Sounds for Science education project.
In 1999 Christopher Painter was Composer-in-Residence with both the National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Brass Band of Wales. His work, Invisible Cities, for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, not only received performances around the UK but was also subsequently released on CD by the orchestra.
The Royal Society of Arts awarded Christopher Painter a Fellowship in December 2003.
In August 2005, Christopher won the prestigious Tlws y Cerddor (Musicians Medal) at the National Eisteddfod of Wales for his chamber work, Yr Hanes Swynol (A History of Charms). He won the award for a second time in 2010 for Syniadau’r Serch (Thoughts on Love), a cycle of songs for baritone, violin and harp.
Between Autumn 2005 and Spring 2006 Christopher was Composer-in-Residence with the Thueringen Philharmonie in Gotha, Germany. Here he worked closely with Welsh conductor Alun Francis, a long-time champion of his music, and his tenure ended with the première of a major work for the orchestra, Forest of Dreams, which received two performances and was broadcast on German television. The work subsequently received its UK première with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, under the direction of Jac van Steen, in April 2009.
In 2010, the Lunar Saxophone Quartet premièred his Lunar Seas on their These Visions tour and the work was released on Signum Classics. This followed an earlier recording, also on Signum, of his Sonata for Alto Saxophone, commissioned by Welsh saxophonist, Lara James.
In 2006, his Symphony No.3 - Fire in the Snow received its première in Mexico City where it was twice performed by the Orchesta Filharmonico de la UNAM under the direction of Alun Francis. The second performance was broadcast live on Mexican national television to an estimated audience in excess of one million people.
In March 2011, Furnace of Colours was premièred by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and soprano Claire Booth, conducted by Jac van Steen, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
His most recent works include Hanes Taliesin (Taliesin’s Tale) for solo clarinet and dancer; Images in the Mist for the Richards String Quartet and The Gregynog Suite for solo harp, commissioned by the Gregynog Festival and premièred by Catrin Finch.
Christopher Painter’s works are published by Arcomis Publishing; Maecenas Music; Oriana Publications and Vanderbeek & Imrie.
Chris's own publishing company, Oriana Publications, hold many of the works of Grace Williams and Mervyn Burtch. Chris will be working with us to transcribe Grace' music from the 1949 movie "The Blue Scar". Filmed on location in Blaengwynfi and Port Talbot, the movie was the first feature film to be directed by a female director (Jill Craigie) and to feature a soundtrack by a female composer. Chris will also be working with the band on a previously unpublished work by Mervyn Burtch, the composer's "Hiraeth"
Grace Williams - Mountain Scene from The Blue Scar
Grace Williams was one of the first professional Welsh composers of the twentieth-century to attain significant national recognition, and many of her remarkably distinctive pieces are directly inspired by Wales and its culture.
Born in Barry, Glamorganshire, Williams studied music at Cardiff University (1923–26), later studying composition at the Royal College of Music (1926–30) with Ralph Vaughan Williams and in Vienna (1930–31) with Egon Wellesz. She particularly enjoyed writing for the orchestra, and her gift for this medium is apparent in her early overture Hen Walia (1930) and the Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes (1940). She followed her popular Fantasia with a Sinfoni a Concertante for piano and orchestra (1941), and a dramatic First Symphony (1943), a work inspired by the fifteenth century Welsh rebel Owain Glyndwr. Her masterly Sea Sketches for string orchestra (1944) were stimulated by her beloved Glamorganshire coast.
Williams worked as a successful composer and music teacher in London for many years, but returned to live and work in Barry in 1947. This homecoming sparked a new and vital phase of her creative development. Her Penillion for orchestra (1955), for example, is a highly original orchestral adaptation of the metrical and melodic characteristics of traditional Welsh penillion singing. Her expanded musical vocabulary energised other significant works for orchestra including the powerful Symphony no. 2 (1956), the Trumpet Concerto (1963) and Ballads for orchestra (1968).
Williams also became more interested in writing more choral and vocal music in her later years. Her choral suite The Dancers (1951) is a radiant example of her skill at handling the choral medium, as is the exquisite Ave Maris Stella (1973) for mixed chorus. Many of her greatest large-scale works for voices date also from this time including her brilliant comic opera The Parlour (1966), the Missa Cambrensis for soli, chorus and orchestra (1971) and the exquisite aria Fairest of Stars (1973) for soprano and orchestra.
The band will work on music from Grace' score for the 1949 film "The Blue Scar", her "Mountain Scene" which will be transcribed for band by Christopher Painter, with the kind permission of Grace' estate
Born in Barry, Glamorganshire, Williams studied music at Cardiff University (1923–26), later studying composition at the Royal College of Music (1926–30) with Ralph Vaughan Williams and in Vienna (1930–31) with Egon Wellesz. She particularly enjoyed writing for the orchestra, and her gift for this medium is apparent in her early overture Hen Walia (1930) and the Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes (1940). She followed her popular Fantasia with a Sinfoni a Concertante for piano and orchestra (1941), and a dramatic First Symphony (1943), a work inspired by the fifteenth century Welsh rebel Owain Glyndwr. Her masterly Sea Sketches for string orchestra (1944) were stimulated by her beloved Glamorganshire coast.
Williams worked as a successful composer and music teacher in London for many years, but returned to live and work in Barry in 1947. This homecoming sparked a new and vital phase of her creative development. Her Penillion for orchestra (1955), for example, is a highly original orchestral adaptation of the metrical and melodic characteristics of traditional Welsh penillion singing. Her expanded musical vocabulary energised other significant works for orchestra including the powerful Symphony no. 2 (1956), the Trumpet Concerto (1963) and Ballads for orchestra (1968).
Williams also became more interested in writing more choral and vocal music in her later years. Her choral suite The Dancers (1951) is a radiant example of her skill at handling the choral medium, as is the exquisite Ave Maris Stella (1973) for mixed chorus. Many of her greatest large-scale works for voices date also from this time including her brilliant comic opera The Parlour (1966), the Missa Cambrensis for soli, chorus and orchestra (1971) and the exquisite aria Fairest of Stars (1973) for soprano and orchestra.
The band will work on music from Grace' score for the 1949 film "The Blue Scar", her "Mountain Scene" which will be transcribed for band by Christopher Painter, with the kind permission of Grace' estate
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Mervyn Burtch - Wind in the Willows
Mervyn Burtch was one of the most practical of composers, responding to requests for music from a wide variety of musicians throughout the community over a period spanning some sixty years. His output ranged from operas, concertos and string quartets through to a vast output for brass bands, choirs, community groups and, in particular, children.
Born in Ystrad Mynach in South Wales's Rhymney Valley, Mervyn Burtch attended Lewis School at Pengam where he was taught by one of Wales's most significant composers, David Wynne, then the school's music teacher. In due course he took the position of Head of Music at Lewis School for GIrls, until joining the staff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1979. Throughout that time he also produced a continuous stream of music and left over 650 works behind him.
Burtch's work always reflected the need to write music of practical use; he probably reached more performers at a grass root level than any other Welsh composer. But his string quartets, chamber music, songs and orchestral work also reveal a composer whose voice was hard won and whose work could also make considerable demands on the listener. His music is often brisk, clear and concise, with an instantly recognisable individual voice.
He will be particularly remembered for the large number of operas he wrote for performance by children and young people. He also reached a huge number of amateur musicians through his choral music and works from brass band. He was a keen reader of poetry and his hundred or so songs reflected his deep knowledge of poetry as well as collaborations with many contemporary writers and poets including Mark Morris, Francesca Kay and Simon Rees. But he also set great store by his concertos and the cycle of seventeen string quartets that he completed between 1985 and 2013; perhaps the most significant contribution to the genre to come out of Wales.
It is no coincidence that one of the composers he most admired was Haydn; Burtch's music rejoices in the everyday and commonplace, responding to the challenge of providing useful music with a fresh, fertile and lively invention.
As a man, Burtch was the best kind of quiet, gentle company with whom it was possible to spend many enjoyable hours in discussion of his wide range of interests, fuelled by his keen sense of humour. He worked tirelessly for the cause of Welsh music, sitting on numerous committees during his life, but also enjoyed nothing more than an afternoon at the cricket ground. He did not marry until the age of seventy-five, but the last ten years of his life spent with his wife, Rita, brought him a sense of deep contentment.
Lewis-Merthyr Band enjoyed a long and close association with Mervyn Burtch, which began in the 1980's between the composer and then Musical Director Nigel Seaman. Mervyn wrote two works specifically for Lewis-Merthyr Band. In 1982, the band gave the first performance and broadcast of Mervyn Burtch's Overture: Pinocchio and, a year later in 1983, the premiere broadcast performance of Paean, both on the BBC. The band also performed a new setting of Mervyn's "Deep Harmony" for band & organ at the 2019 Welsh Proms held at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff, in memory of the composer's 90th birthday year. The performance was conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE.
As part of this project, the band will work on Mervyn's previously unpublished "Hiraeth" and "Mr Toad" from his Wind In The Willows suite
Born in Ystrad Mynach in South Wales's Rhymney Valley, Mervyn Burtch attended Lewis School at Pengam where he was taught by one of Wales's most significant composers, David Wynne, then the school's music teacher. In due course he took the position of Head of Music at Lewis School for GIrls, until joining the staff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1979. Throughout that time he also produced a continuous stream of music and left over 650 works behind him.
Burtch's work always reflected the need to write music of practical use; he probably reached more performers at a grass root level than any other Welsh composer. But his string quartets, chamber music, songs and orchestral work also reveal a composer whose voice was hard won and whose work could also make considerable demands on the listener. His music is often brisk, clear and concise, with an instantly recognisable individual voice.
He will be particularly remembered for the large number of operas he wrote for performance by children and young people. He also reached a huge number of amateur musicians through his choral music and works from brass band. He was a keen reader of poetry and his hundred or so songs reflected his deep knowledge of poetry as well as collaborations with many contemporary writers and poets including Mark Morris, Francesca Kay and Simon Rees. But he also set great store by his concertos and the cycle of seventeen string quartets that he completed between 1985 and 2013; perhaps the most significant contribution to the genre to come out of Wales.
It is no coincidence that one of the composers he most admired was Haydn; Burtch's music rejoices in the everyday and commonplace, responding to the challenge of providing useful music with a fresh, fertile and lively invention.
As a man, Burtch was the best kind of quiet, gentle company with whom it was possible to spend many enjoyable hours in discussion of his wide range of interests, fuelled by his keen sense of humour. He worked tirelessly for the cause of Welsh music, sitting on numerous committees during his life, but also enjoyed nothing more than an afternoon at the cricket ground. He did not marry until the age of seventy-five, but the last ten years of his life spent with his wife, Rita, brought him a sense of deep contentment.
Lewis-Merthyr Band enjoyed a long and close association with Mervyn Burtch, which began in the 1980's between the composer and then Musical Director Nigel Seaman. Mervyn wrote two works specifically for Lewis-Merthyr Band. In 1982, the band gave the first performance and broadcast of Mervyn Burtch's Overture: Pinocchio and, a year later in 1983, the premiere broadcast performance of Paean, both on the BBC. The band also performed a new setting of Mervyn's "Deep Harmony" for band & organ at the 2019 Welsh Proms held at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff, in memory of the composer's 90th birthday year. The performance was conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE.
As part of this project, the band will work on Mervyn's previously unpublished "Hiraeth" and "Mr Toad" from his Wind In The Willows suite
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Joji Hirota - Windows of the World / World Dances
Composer, Japanese Taiko Drummer, Multi-Percussionist, Shakuhachi player and Singer, Joji's prolific career spans over 30 years and 16 albums, sculpting dynamic landscapes of rhythm and haunting melodies with the themes of nature and the beauty in every day life.
Since receiving a commendation from the UK Japanese Embassy from Ambassador Orita in 2003 for his contribution to Japanese culture overseas through his musical activities, he has continued to work on a vast number of diverse projects, and with his recent 'Beyond The Requiem' charity concert tours with the London Metropolitan Orchestra in the UK and Japan, has strived to make a difference by supporting the people affected by the Earthquake disaster of 2011 through music.
2012
Orchestrated a series of folk songs specially for Fundraising Charity Concerts in Japan to perform with the London Metropolitan Orchestra, with a special edition of "Esashi Oiwake" where all proceeds go to the disaster fund.
Performance at the National Theatre in London
2011
Beginning of a series of Fundraising Charity Concerts in wake of the Tsunami Disaster in Tohoku Japan
2010
Various tours including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jah Wobble and the Scottish Flute Trio
2009
Composed and performed on album "Waterfall of Time" for the Scottish Flute Trio
2008
Performances at Womad Festival Australia / New Zealand
Guest performer at the Kremlin Palace with the Terem Quartet
2007
Chosen as one of the top 100 Japanese Respected In The World by Newsweek
Opening act for the LIVE EARTH concert at Wembley Stadium
Collaborative World Dances project with the Welsh Brass Arts Festival
2006
Toured UK and Europe with The JJK Project (Hirota, John Kaizan Neptune & Kenny Endo) before releasing an album
2003
Awarded the Ambassador's commendation award by the UK Japanese Embassy for his contribution to musical activity outside of Japan in recognition of his achievements throughout his career spanning over 30 years
2002
Album "The Gate" Japanese version released by EMI Japan
2001
Tour the UK new project Tozai (Violin: M. Kino, Piano: R. Fujisawa, Shakuhachi: H. Kato)
2000
Percussionist and Co-Composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth
1999
Album "The Gate" released from Real World Records in the UK
1993
Trisan receive Tower Records New York's Best Contemporary Music album
1991
Formed Trisan with musicians Guo Yue and Pol Brennan
1980s
Founded Joji Hirota and the Taiko Drummers
1975
Won Time Out Award for Best Dance Company for The Lindsay Kemp Dance Company's production of Onnagata, for which Joji wrote and performed the music as Musical Director
1971
Travels to Europe, first as a musician at Stom Yamashita's Red Buddha Theatre, eventually to become Musical Director
1966
Studied Percussion & Compositions at the Kyoto Arts University, Japan
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan
The band will be working with Joji on Peter Graham's "Windows of the World" and Stephen Roberts' "World Dances", and will perform both works together with the Japanese Taiko Drummers as part of the Rhondda Arts Festival (RAFT) at the Park & Dare Theatre on Friday June 25th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
Since receiving a commendation from the UK Japanese Embassy from Ambassador Orita in 2003 for his contribution to Japanese culture overseas through his musical activities, he has continued to work on a vast number of diverse projects, and with his recent 'Beyond The Requiem' charity concert tours with the London Metropolitan Orchestra in the UK and Japan, has strived to make a difference by supporting the people affected by the Earthquake disaster of 2011 through music.
2012
Orchestrated a series of folk songs specially for Fundraising Charity Concerts in Japan to perform with the London Metropolitan Orchestra, with a special edition of "Esashi Oiwake" where all proceeds go to the disaster fund.
Performance at the National Theatre in London
2011
Beginning of a series of Fundraising Charity Concerts in wake of the Tsunami Disaster in Tohoku Japan
2010
Various tours including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jah Wobble and the Scottish Flute Trio
2009
Composed and performed on album "Waterfall of Time" for the Scottish Flute Trio
2008
Performances at Womad Festival Australia / New Zealand
Guest performer at the Kremlin Palace with the Terem Quartet
2007
Chosen as one of the top 100 Japanese Respected In The World by Newsweek
Opening act for the LIVE EARTH concert at Wembley Stadium
Collaborative World Dances project with the Welsh Brass Arts Festival
2006
Toured UK and Europe with The JJK Project (Hirota, John Kaizan Neptune & Kenny Endo) before releasing an album
2003
Awarded the Ambassador's commendation award by the UK Japanese Embassy for his contribution to musical activity outside of Japan in recognition of his achievements throughout his career spanning over 30 years
2002
Album "The Gate" Japanese version released by EMI Japan
2001
Tour the UK new project Tozai (Violin: M. Kino, Piano: R. Fujisawa, Shakuhachi: H. Kato)
2000
Percussionist and Co-Composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth
1999
Album "The Gate" released from Real World Records in the UK
1993
Trisan receive Tower Records New York's Best Contemporary Music album
1991
Formed Trisan with musicians Guo Yue and Pol Brennan
1980s
Founded Joji Hirota and the Taiko Drummers
1975
Won Time Out Award for Best Dance Company for The Lindsay Kemp Dance Company's production of Onnagata, for which Joji wrote and performed the music as Musical Director
1971
Travels to Europe, first as a musician at Stom Yamashita's Red Buddha Theatre, eventually to become Musical Director
1966
Studied Percussion & Compositions at the Kyoto Arts University, Japan
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan
The band will be working with Joji on Peter Graham's "Windows of the World" and Stephen Roberts' "World Dances", and will perform both works together with the Japanese Taiko Drummers as part of the Rhondda Arts Festival (RAFT) at the Park & Dare Theatre on Friday June 25th 2021. For further information on the event, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/engagements
Dr. Mick Wilson - Excerpt from Concerto for Six String Electric Violin
Mick Wilson studied music at York University from 1976 to 1982, achieving a First Class Honours Degree, and a PhD in Composition as a pupil of David Blake. Since then he has been Composer-in-Residence with North West Arts, Musical Director, Composer and Performer with Horse+Bamboo Theatre Company, Fellow in Music at Bradford University, and Composer-in-Residence with the London Borough of Havering.
His many compositions include works for Orchestra, Brass Band, Wind Band, Chamber Groups of various sorts, Piano, Percussion, Music Theatre and Contemporary Dance, together with extensive repertoire for the ensembles Acrobats of Desire and Cragg Vale Gamelan, founded and directed by the composer. Kite to the Moon, a 13-track album of original songs by Foxtrot, featuring performances by Mick and his daughter Jemima, was released in September 2003.
Mick's current activities are mainly concerned with Music Theatre, with planned performances of two mini-musicals, an adaptation of Angela Carter's play Vampirella, and of Mick's full-length musical Atlantic Hotel. Other creative activities include various forms of visual arts. Over the last forty years Mick has exhibited in solo and mixed exhibitions throughout the North West of England. Inspired by the work of Spanish artist Cesar Manrique, Mick’s urge to paint and create three dimensional pieces has become much stronger over the years, resulting in an intriguing collection of multimedia work. His images are powerful, the colour is vibrant and his themes are often inspired by music. He has had solo shows in Hebden Bridge and also at The Portico Gallery in Manchester.
Mick was Head of Composition on the BA (Hons) Music Degree, and Programme Leader for the MA Music, Composition Pathway at the University of Salford. Together with violinist Steve Bingham, the band will explore excerpts from Mick's groundbreaking "Concerto For Six String Electric Violin & Brass Band" which was premiered by David King and the University of Salford Brass Band, and later received it's Welsh premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
His many compositions include works for Orchestra, Brass Band, Wind Band, Chamber Groups of various sorts, Piano, Percussion, Music Theatre and Contemporary Dance, together with extensive repertoire for the ensembles Acrobats of Desire and Cragg Vale Gamelan, founded and directed by the composer. Kite to the Moon, a 13-track album of original songs by Foxtrot, featuring performances by Mick and his daughter Jemima, was released in September 2003.
Mick's current activities are mainly concerned with Music Theatre, with planned performances of two mini-musicals, an adaptation of Angela Carter's play Vampirella, and of Mick's full-length musical Atlantic Hotel. Other creative activities include various forms of visual arts. Over the last forty years Mick has exhibited in solo and mixed exhibitions throughout the North West of England. Inspired by the work of Spanish artist Cesar Manrique, Mick’s urge to paint and create three dimensional pieces has become much stronger over the years, resulting in an intriguing collection of multimedia work. His images are powerful, the colour is vibrant and his themes are often inspired by music. He has had solo shows in Hebden Bridge and also at The Portico Gallery in Manchester.
Mick was Head of Composition on the BA (Hons) Music Degree, and Programme Leader for the MA Music, Composition Pathway at the University of Salford. Together with violinist Steve Bingham, the band will explore excerpts from Mick's groundbreaking "Concerto For Six String Electric Violin & Brass Band" which was premiered by David King and the University of Salford Brass Band, and later received it's Welsh premiere at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Steve Bingham - Ascension
An eclectic violinist and conductor renowned worldwide for both his solo concerts and his work with the Bingham String Quartet, Steve studied violin with Emmanuel Hurwitz, Sidney Griller and the Amadeus Quartet at the Royal Academy of Music from 1981 to 1985, where he won prizes for orchestral leading and string quartet playing. In 1985 he formed the Bingham String Quartet, an ensemble which has become one of the foremost in the UK, with an enviable reputation for both classical and contemporary repertoire.
The Quartet has recorded numerous CDs and has worked for radio and television both in the UK and as far afield as Australia. The group has toured in Europe, the Middle East and Australia and has worked with distinguished musicians such as Jack Brymer, Raphael Wallfisch, Michael Collins and David Campbell. The Quartet’s educational activities have included residencies at London’s South Bank Centre, for several UK festivals and at Radley College. The Quartet is also known for it’s many performances of new works by some of the best young composers in Britain.
Steve has appeared as guest leader with many orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English National Ballet and English Sinfonia. He has given solo recitals both in the UK and America and his concerto performances include works by Bach, Vivaldi, Bruch, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and Sibelius, given in venues as prestigious as St. Johns’ Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall.
In recent years Steve has developed his interest in improvisation, electronics and World music, collaborating with several notable musicians including guitarist Jason Carter and players such as Sanju Vishnu Sahai (tabla), Baluji Shivastrav (sitar) and Abdullah Ibrahim (piano). Steve also plays live with No-Man, the progressive art-rock duo of Tim Bowness and Steve Wilson.
Steve’s debut solo CD “Duplicity” was released in November 2005, and has been played on several radio stations including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. His second solo CD, entitled “Ascension”, was released in December 2008 and has since been followed by “Touchable Dreams”, a CD of poetry and violin with Jeremy Harmer, “Third”, an eclectic mix of live-looped pieces, and in 2014 “The Persistence Of Vision”, which features the amazing Bach D minor Partita, and works by Michael Nyman. Steve has also released many single tracks, and has an active YouTube channel featuring many weird and wonderful video creations.
Beyond performing on the violin Steve is a conductor of some repute, and currently conducts the Ely Sinfonia, Ad Hoc Sinfonia and City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, with guest appearances with several other ensembles. Steve is a committed teacher, being Editor for the European String Teachers Association (UK), and coaching on many chamber music courses as well as giving regular school workshops to all age groups. He is particularly known for his communication skills and enthusiasm.
Steve is also Joint CEO of PartPlay, an exciting online music service for chamber musicians. Steve’s interests include ornithology, photography and Celtic knotwork
The band will work with Steve on excerpts from Dr. Mick Wilson's groundbreaking "Concerto for Six String Electric Violin and Brass Band"
The Quartet has recorded numerous CDs and has worked for radio and television both in the UK and as far afield as Australia. The group has toured in Europe, the Middle East and Australia and has worked with distinguished musicians such as Jack Brymer, Raphael Wallfisch, Michael Collins and David Campbell. The Quartet’s educational activities have included residencies at London’s South Bank Centre, for several UK festivals and at Radley College. The Quartet is also known for it’s many performances of new works by some of the best young composers in Britain.
Steve has appeared as guest leader with many orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English National Ballet and English Sinfonia. He has given solo recitals both in the UK and America and his concerto performances include works by Bach, Vivaldi, Bruch, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and Sibelius, given in venues as prestigious as St. Johns’ Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall.
In recent years Steve has developed his interest in improvisation, electronics and World music, collaborating with several notable musicians including guitarist Jason Carter and players such as Sanju Vishnu Sahai (tabla), Baluji Shivastrav (sitar) and Abdullah Ibrahim (piano). Steve also plays live with No-Man, the progressive art-rock duo of Tim Bowness and Steve Wilson.
Steve’s debut solo CD “Duplicity” was released in November 2005, and has been played on several radio stations including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. His second solo CD, entitled “Ascension”, was released in December 2008 and has since been followed by “Touchable Dreams”, a CD of poetry and violin with Jeremy Harmer, “Third”, an eclectic mix of live-looped pieces, and in 2014 “The Persistence Of Vision”, which features the amazing Bach D minor Partita, and works by Michael Nyman. Steve has also released many single tracks, and has an active YouTube channel featuring many weird and wonderful video creations.
Beyond performing on the violin Steve is a conductor of some repute, and currently conducts the Ely Sinfonia, Ad Hoc Sinfonia and City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, with guest appearances with several other ensembles. Steve is a committed teacher, being Editor for the European String Teachers Association (UK), and coaching on many chamber music courses as well as giving regular school workshops to all age groups. He is particularly known for his communication skills and enthusiasm.
Steve is also Joint CEO of PartPlay, an exciting online music service for chamber musicians. Steve’s interests include ornithology, photography and Celtic knotwork
The band will work with Steve on excerpts from Dr. Mick Wilson's groundbreaking "Concerto for Six String Electric Violin and Brass Band"
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Project Updates
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Lewis Merthyr Band were delighted to work with this group of talented and prominent musicians
Regular updates on the New Directions project were posted, and continue to be available, on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media channels, as well as here in the News section of the band website and on the band's new YouTube channel The band will also continue to post additional Video and Audio items from performances of the works on both YouTube and in the Media section of the website here Our thanks go to the Arts Council of Wales for their support through an incredibly challenging period. We look forward to further developing our digital capacity, and to now returning to live rehearsal and performance Diolch yn fawr Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru - diolch o galon am eich cymorth |
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