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Five composers have recently been accepted for representation by the Contemporary Music Centre.
Their music covers a wide range of styles and they also represent several different parts of the country. Michael Doherty, Christopher Norby and Gareth Williams are from the North of Ireland, while Janet Harbison and Enda Bates are from the Republic.
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Michael Doherty (b. 1983) studied composition with Adam Gorb and Gary Carpenter at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with first class honours. In 2004 he won a Bill Whelan International Music Bursary and in 2006 was awarded the Royal Northern College of Music Composition Prize. His music has been performed by ensembles including Ensemble 10/10, the RNCM Symphony Orchestra and the Apollo Saxophone Quartet. He is currently working as assistant composer to Gabriel Yared on several film and radio projects. |
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Christopher Norby (b. 1983) obtained a first class honors BMus degree from the University of Ulster in 2006, studying with David Morris, where he is currently in the final year of a PhD in composition with Frank Lyons. He teaches Film Music and Music Technology modules at the University of Ulster, Magee, and has had pieces performed in Festival Unicum in Ljubljana, the 55th International Rostrum of Composers in Dublin, the University of Ulster composers' conference 2008, and an Open Academy Composers Weekend at the Royal Academy of Music, London. His music has been broadcast by BBC Radio Ulster and his 2008 Concorde commission, Six Bagatelles, was broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm in August. |
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Originally from County Armagh, Gareth Williams (b. 1977) moved to Glasgow after studying music at Queen's University, Belfast. He completed his Masters in Composition in 2000 at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in 2002. In 2008 he completed a PhD in Composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, studying with Gordon McPherson. His works have been performed by the Hebrides, Black Hair and Paragon Ensembles, the Ceoil Quartet, Symposia, and the London Sinfonietta. His first opera, Love in the Blue Corner (2006) was premiered at the Plug Festival in May 2006. He recently completed King's Conjecture (2008) for Scottish Opera, working with writer Bernard MacLaverty, and has been invited to create another opera for Scottish Opera's 5:15 festival in 2009. He performs regularly as a singer/songwriter and pianist. |
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Janet Harbison (b. 1955) studied composition with James Wilson, Eric Sweeney and Joseph Groocock. Her Belfast Harp Orchestra 1992-2002 became a widely renowned, world-travelled and Grammy Award-winning stage production, featuring over 20 young harpers with guest professional musicians, singers and dancers. In 2002 when her organisation moved to the Republic of Ireland, two new stage groups were established: The Irish Harp Orchestra, a professional touring company, and The National Harp Orchestra, a touring training orchestra. In addition to her work at the Irish Harp Centre she has many published works for harp and has written four film scores as well as pieces for mixed instruments, harp ensembles, harp and vocal pieces, and stage and student harp solos. Large-scale works include the orchestral-choral suites Colmcille (1997) and a Christmas Cantata (1993), a symphonic collaboration with the BBC Northern Ireland Symphony Orchestra and flautist James Galway. |
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Enda Bates (b. 1979) is a graduate of the Music and Media Technology Masters Program in Trinity College Dublin, where he now lectures. He is currently working toward a PhD in spatial music composition with Donnacha Dennehy and Dr. Dermot Furlong, specialising in multi-channel electronic and electro-acoustic works. He has just had a work selected for performance in the prestigious 2009 International Gaudeamus Music Week and is an active member of the Spatial Music Collective, the Irish Composers Collective and the Alphabet Set. |
Posted: 26 February 2009
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