Fielding Talent is hcmf//’s vehicle for investing in the future of emerging composers and performers – an aim that sits at the very heart of the festival. Encompassing all of our strands of talent development activity, Fielding Talent projects seek to provide support to artists through network-building, profile-raising and creative mentoring as well as offering an international platform from which to present their works.
We are pleased to share a round-up of news from Fielding Talent artists from recent months: an exciting new update involving a Riot Ensemble commission, plus achievements and acknowledgements for Mariam Rezaei, Laura Bowler and Laurence Osborn from late last year.
Riot Ensemble’s Bára Gísladóttir commission shortlisted for RPS Award
Congratulations to Bára Gísladóttir on the shortlisting of Animals of your pasture in the Chamber-Scale Composition category of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2023 RPS Awards.
The Icelandic composer’s 2021 work was commissioned by and developed in close collaboration with Riot Ensemble, who performed the UK Premiere here in Huddersfield at the 2021 edition of the festival. It has been praised as a visceral, moving and evocative piece that imaginatively explores resonant textures and timbres with keen focus.
To learn more about the Animals of your pasture, click here to read the programme note on the Edition·S music¬sound¬art website. Stream a live recording of the UK Premiere as performed by Riot Ensemble at hcmf// 2021 below.
The 2023 RPS Awards take place at the Southbank Centre in London on 1 March. Find out more about them here.
In the meantime, hcmf// is pleased to reveal that we have commissioned a new, concert-length work from Bára Gísladóttir to be premiered by Riot Ensemble at hcmf// 2023!
Mariam Rezaei and Laura Bowler recipients of Paul Hamlyn Awards
hcmf// congratulates Mariam Rezaei and Laura Bowler on being named as 2022 Composers for Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Awards for Artists.
Mariam Rezaei is a turntablist, performer, improviser and composer, often working with turntables, piano, vocals and electronics. She is currently the Artistic Director of TUSK Festival, and her fiercely political, hcmf//-commissioned composition Wolf’s Tail was premiered at hcmf// 2019. Read more about her artistic practice and reaction to winning the award on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation website.
Laura Bowler is a composer, vocalist and artistic director, specialising in theatre, multidisciplinary work and opera. Her music theatre work FFF, composed for vocalist and 8-piece ensemble, was commissioned by hcmf// and BBC Radio 3 and premiered at hcmf// 2017. More recently, her new work SHOW(ti)ME was performed by Zubin Kanga for its premiere at hcmf// 2022. Click here to learn more about her work and what winning a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists means to her.
Look out for new works commissioned by hcmf// from Mariam Rezaei and Laura Bowler in the coming months!
Laurence Osborn receives Ivors Composer Awards Nomination
hcmf// was thrilled to hear of UK-based composer Laurence Osborn’s nomination for the Ivors Academy’s 2022 Ivors Composer Award for Chamber Ensemble.
Laurence was nominated for his 2021 composition Essential Relaxing Classical Hits, co-commissioned by hcmf// and November Music and performed by Ensemble Klang and Agata Zubel for its UK Premiere at our 2021 festival. His collaboration with Ensemble Klang stemmed from their performance at hcmf// 2018.
Described as a case study into our personal trials with late capitalism, Essential Relaxing Classical Hits is an engrossing work for amplified solo soprano and 6 players. Read our feature on the piece here.
Further information on the Ivors Composer Awards 2022 is available from the Ivors Academy website.
Photo credits: Matthew Johnson (Riot Ensemble), Juliette Rowland (Bára Gísladóttir), Fair Light Photos (Mariam Rezaei), Robin Clewley (Laura Bowler), Brian Slater (Laurence Osborn)