Kettle's Yard New Music Series 2014

The eclectic and wide ranging music series has been programmed by Richard Causton in his first year as Kettle’s Yard New Music Associate. Lecturer in Composition in the Faculty of Music, Causton has been described  as “one of the finest of the new generation of British composers”, The Guardian. His inspirational programme explores themes of lineage, with several performances of works by teachers and their students. In the first concert on 26 January, the highly acclaimed Chroma Ensemble perform Causton’s award winning Phoenix (2006), alongside works by one of his Italian teachers, Franco Donatoni, and a newly commissioned piece by one of Causton’s students, Andrew Thomas. The series also celebrates Italian 20th century music, and the works of Jeremy Dale Roberts, one of the unsung heroes of British New Music.

The second concert on 16 February, a memorial to Michael Harrison, Director of Kettle’s Yard from 1992 to 2011, presents new works by every one of the composers he appointed whilst Director -  an extraordinary homage to his legacy and a chance to hear world premiers by composers including John Woolrich, Richard Baker and Kenneth Hesketh.  Kettle’s Yard is delighted that the works will be performed by Anton Lukoszevieze, cello (a former New Music Associate) and Mark Knoop, piano.

On March 2 , Jeremy Dale Roberts’ Oggetti for piano (an homage to the Italian artist Giorgio Morandi) is presented alongside music by Morandi’s contemporary Luigi Dallapiccola and Dallapiccola’s pupil Edwin Roxburgh.  The Kreutzer String Quartet (with cellist Bridget MacRae) will also be performing a vibrant string quartet by Dale Roberts on 25 May, which draws its inspiration from the art of Edvard Munch along with Virginia Woolf, Marina Tsvetayeva and Janaceks.

Further new commissions are showcased in the fourth concert on 27 April, in which University third year music student Kate Honey’s substantial new work will be performed by Peter Sheppard Skaerved, violin and Roderick Chadwick, piano (kindly supported by the PRS for Music Foundation).

The series also presents works outside the classical mainstream including the electronic music pioneer Trevor Wishart, with a selection of his electroacoustic works on 11 May. The programme closes with a final concert on 15 June, featuring Errollyn Wallen,  a composer who is “not afraid to take risks in her music” (International Record Review), who will perform a selection of her own compositions. Wallen, MBE, was recently the recipient of an Ivor Novello Award.

To see the full programme and to book tickets: https://www.kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk/music/newmusic/