Compositions

The Straight Line was inspired by Tim Ingold's book Lines: A brief history (2007). The piece aims to convey the themes of Ingold's writing in exploration of Justė Janulytė's idea of "monochromatic music". 

A specific performer layout is required to perform this work.

The first half of this piece was written for a workshop with Eric Kutz (vc) and Miko Kominami (pno). 

I - Pavement Watching

II - The Conservatory

This piano set is an exploration of virtuosity within piano performance. It was written for a workshop with virtuoso pianist Ben Smith.

I - Dreaming of Falling out of Bed is a manifestation of the idea of constant motion and abstract, wandering thought. Constant and leaping semi-quavers challenge the performer physically, demonstrating impressive technical ability.

II - Still is an expression of self-contentedness and satisfaction, juxtaposed by the technical challenges of the piece. It aims to explore virtuosity through the performer's delivery of dynamics, challenging the performer to self-restraint.

III - Erik Boiter / Satie with a Limp is the most challenging of the set. A tribute to Erik Satie, the piece explores a sentence written by Satie himself: "Man is as much made to dream as I am to have a wooden leg". Inspired by the Gymnopédies, the piece reveals virtuosity in a number of ways, increasing in difficulty as the piece goes on.

Commissioned by St Chad's College Chapel. 

First performed by the chapel choir of St Chad's College, Durham, on the 2nd of March 2024. The occasion marked the feast day of St Chad, and the 120th anniversary of the establishment of the college.  

Set to the 1984 sonnet of the same name by Roger Wagner (b. 1957).

Set to the poem of the same name by Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001). 

Presenting beauty within simplicity, Viola Quartet is an exploration of texture within an ensemble of the same instruments. The violas have been split into two groups for the majority of the piece, where the two pairs act together to create a feeling of disorientating unity. There is dialogue between the two pairs, as well as dialogue within. The warmth of the viola is displayed throughout the piece, where both open and crunchy harmonies create a feeling of intimacy for the listener. Different combinations of ideas create contrast and display collections of thoughts. 

The layout of the four performers helps immerse the audience in the experience of this piece; their ears are taken around the performance space as a result of the violas’ positioning. The piece is a celebration of coherence and clarity; whirling phrases around the performance evokes a sense of lucidity whilst maintaining precision and predictability. 

Written for solo piano, this piece was workshopped with composer Graham Fitkin alongside pianist Domonkos Csabay. 

Stylistically inspired by Chopin and Poulenc, Nocturne aims to encapsulate the spirit of the night through its enchanting melodies and unpredictable rhythms. 

It is night. In rainy suburbia a man sits alone by his window, watching rain trickle down the street into the gutters. He cannot sleep and stares outside with empty thoughts. The shimmering light from a lamppost alerts him as he realises the time. Outside, a young fox dashes across the empty road. Soaking wet and shivering, it catches the eye of the lonely man as it takes shelter under an empty tram stop, settling down as the rain hammers against the plastic roof. The man begins to think what his life would be like if he were a fox.

This piece was written for two pianos, for a workshop with composer Graham Fitkin alongside pianist Domonkos Csaby. 

The ideas behind Bulbs originated from a fascination with the life cycle of bulbous plants, such as snowdrops and daffodils. 

The piece begins with a lively, exciting motif. This is the beginning of the emergence of the bulb out of the ground. The texture thickens as the plant grows, and a new, delicate melody can be heard, representing the emergence of the flower. A descending sequence, representing the blooming of neighbouring plants, interrupts, followed by the unity of the plants depicted by lively and interesting piano rhythms. A fresh melody is heard alone in the first piano. This is the preparation for dormancy. The plants begin to fall, hitting the ground for the next section of the piece. Dormancy is reflected by a much slower section. The two pianos work together chordally, as crunching harmonies reflect the hibernation of the bulb. High pitch melodies heard between the chords are the roots beginning to grow and a repeated chordal idea that thickens symbolises their establishment in the soil. The motif from the start of the piece is gradually introduced, this time in a new key. This is the beginning of the next cycle.

This piece is a musical interpretation of the digital art piece of the same name by Henry Lavender. The piece is a reimagination of nature and the development of the human mind, through the context of the artwork.

The idea of transformation is evident throughout the piece. The artwork itself explores themes of migration, a locational transformation, as well as emerging conscience, a mental transformation. These ideas are reflected in the piece through musical transformations as well. There are frequent metric transformations as well as timbral, especially in the cello, transformations. There is a general feeling of awakening in the piece as it develops.

First performed by the University of Sheffield's New Music Ensemble, but has not been recorded.

I - Pavement Watching 

II - The Conservatory