News

Student composers get The Sage Gateshead treatment

(22 May 2006)

Music students at Durham and Newcastle Universities are to hear their compositions performed by Northern Sinfonia in a new series of public concerts at The Sage Gateshead, beginning with an inaugural event at 8pm on Monday 22nd May

This exceptional chance for budding composers to air their work in one of the world’s best music venues has come about through a special arrangement under a new educational project. The two universities are part of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) in Music, set up in the North East last year with special government funding. There will be up to three concerts a year in the next five years in a special series entitled ‘Composers of the North East’. Since March, students and performers have been taking part in workshops to develop the compositions and rehearse for the concerts. Each concert will programme their works alongside compositions by their university lecturers, Dr Martyn Harry (Durham) and Dr AgustFernᮤez (Newcastle), and the music of a distinguished guest composer, in this case Peter Wiegold, who also directs the first concert. Among the first student composers to be involved are Sergio Camacho from Newcastle University, and Alex Nutton from Durham University. Sergio (29) from Madrid is doing a PhD at Newcastle after completing a Master’s degree, and Alex (22) from Halifax in Yorkshire is working for his Master of Music degree at Durham after graduating there with a BA last year. Alex has played the piano since the age of 5 and began to take up composition at 14 with the help and encouragement of music teacher Liz Free while a pupil at Hipperholme Grammar School, Halifax. He also produces electronic music and plays the saxophone. Sergio is an accomplished performer of traditional Spanish folk music and has played in more than 40 countries. His latest composition for the concert and a Spanish opera project on which he is working for his PhD are influenced by folk music and the atmosphere of plays by the Spanish poet Lorca. Dr Martyn Harry, Durham lecturer and composer, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for final year undergraduates and postgraduate students to hear their compositions performed by first-class players in an excellent venue.” Dr AgustFernᮤez, composer and senior lecturer at Newcastle University, said: “To hear one's own music performed, to interact with the performers and to embark on a dialogue with the audience through a live performance, all this amounts to a cycle which constitutes the real learning process in musical composition.” Anthony Brice, Northern Sinfonia Manager at The Sage Gateshead, said: “It is a real thrill that we can showcase works by locally based student composers alongside that of their Lecturers. To be able to give young composers the opportunity not just to hear their pieces through the workshops, but to be able engage with the musicians is crucial to their development.”