The Night With announces its 5th Composer Development Scheme – Magnetic Resonator Piano

Call for Proposals from emerging composers for Magnetic Resonator Piano

Workshop 1 – 22nd September, London

Workshop 2 – w/c 6th November, London

Concert – Glasgow mid December

The Night With… announces its fifth call for development opportunity for emerging composers and those who may not have had many professional development opportunities. We especially welcome composers from minority backgrounds, female and female-identifying composers. 

This year, we will be working with Xenia Pestova Bennett and the Magnetic Resonator Piano, an electronically-augmented acoustic piano capable of infinite sustain, crescendos, harmonics and pitch bends developed by Andrew McPherson. 

Selected pieces will be workshopped in November and performed in December. 

We are seeking proposals from emerging composers. We will select five composers to attend the first workshop, which will be an introduction to the MRP. The composers will write a new c. 5-10 minute work for the MRP which will be workshopped w/c 6thNovember. At least one piece will be chosen for inclusion in The Night With… 2023 in December

The magnetic resonator piano (MRP) is an electronically-augmented acoustic piano capable of eliciting new sounds acoustically from the piano strings, without speakers. Electromagnets induce vibrations in the strings independently of the hammers, creating infinite sustain, crescendos, harmonics, pitch bends and new timbres, all controlled from the piano keyboard.

Full information on the MRP can be found here http://instrumentslab.org/research/mrp.html

Proposals should be up to 200 words outlining the piece composers would like to write, their interest in the MRP and how it will benefit their development as a composer. Two scores and/or recordings should be submitted at the same time. These do not need to include any keyboard instruments. 

It is the responsibility of the composer to acquire any rights or permissions to text used in the pieces. By submitting to this call for scores the composer confirms that these have been obtained.

It is recognized that composers can begin their career at any age. Therefor ‘emerging’ is defined by the composer themselves though will be at the discretion of judges. Example definitions of emerging include:

Currently in education or recently left
Have worked with an orchestra for a development opportunity (e.g. RSNO Composers Hub, LSO Soundhub) but not received regular commissions orchestral or otherwise
Not have an exclusive agreement with a publisher

These are not exhaustive examples. 

It is intended that the workshops will be documented through recording and photography/film. 

Attendance at both the workshops is required. Reasonable expenses up to £200 will be covered. 

The workshops will be open to the public and free to attend. 

For further details and submissions please see more info