"New Sounds"- An Evening of Original Music

[ReinerTorheit]

Originally Posted by Treestump

What are the composition courses like?

Are there practical music making opportunities for people not studying music?

As you probably know, Oxford is a collegiate university. This means that under the overall umbrella of the University, many different colleges teach the university's courses, and they are free to do so as they think fit. Some have composition. Others don't. Any composition course will depend entirely on the abilities and preferences of those teaching it.

You can engage in any music-making you like in Oxford, but none of it counts towards your degree, and you will frequently encounter hostility from professors who believe you are 'wasting your time'. (Mysteriously this hostility doesn't apply to those who 'waste their time' on sport or military activites).

Cambridge has a similar situation, but there is a greater tradition of music-making there, and many decent conductors and performers have come out of the Cambridge system. I've just been working with one last week, in fact - William Lacey.

[ElliotViola]

Originally Posted by Treestump

Please could you tell us more about the concert? Which orchestra is it? Which choir is it?

It's a mixture of students from the Royal College of Music and Trinity College London and professionals. I'm calling it "The New Sounds Orchestra". The Choir I am waiting on a reply from The Brighton Orpheus Choir, but it will be supplemented by choral singers again from the colleges.

Originally Posted by Treestump

Now a change of subject question for you. Have you considered studying composition and viola at a university like Oxford?

I don't want to study academic music. I want to go to a conservatoire, definitely. I would rather focus on my playing than spend the next year and a half working like hell to get my A*AA grades to meet the cambridge offer.

In my opinion, if I get a two A's and a B for my AS grades, then on the strength of that I won't get into any good university like Oxbridge to read music, even if I am a world famous virtuoso string player, or the best violist in the world. But I will get into the Royal College of Music or the Academy.

I place more emphasis on the playing and performing of music, because you cannot know the music truly until you have studied it by playing it for me. I can study a solo suite all I want to, but I'll not understand the intentions until I experience the emotional connection the composer was aiming to instil in the listener. Music is written to be played, and whilst its study is a very important thing, it's nothing without it being played as well.

I also know that there is both a fantastic composition and string course at the Royal College of Music (where I want to study). I took my Grade 8 Theory yesterday, and study in my free time. I am happy doing the academic study in my own time, and not as a forced rigorous course. I need to get my technique to be excellent on Viola if I am to write repertoire for it that is convincingly authentic after all!

Is that a fair answer?

Again, thanks for the interest in my thread. I hope some of you will come to the concert

[ElliotViola]

Also, I'm just posting here that I am changing the date of the concert, due to unforeseeable circumstances (I messed my dates up...) and it is now going to be in February, precise date and venue TBC.

[ReinerTorheit]

Good luck with rearranging the concert, Elliott. Keep us posted about the new date.

You're probably right to avoid Oxford - the only music they care about there is Anglican Cathedral Choral music, which is an extremely backward-looking and conservative genre.

[ElliotViola]

Originally Posted by ReinerTorheit

Good luck with rearranging the concert, Elliott. Keep us posted about the new date.

You're probably right to avoid Oxford - the only music they care about there is Anglican Cathedral Choral music, which is an extremely backward-looking and conservative genre.

Lol, I know what you mean. They like their Parry/Stanford up there.

It'll probably/hopefully be the 23rd February. I may be hiring St John's, Smith's Square. Seats about the right amount of people and the stage is just about large enough for an orchestra, if we go into the first row or two of the front... It's either here or the Cadogan Hall (and that's a tad pricey!)