Selected music creator for the 2023 Picture Gallery Composer-in-Residence Scheme
About the installation piece
This piece “The First Glimpse of the Sea” is named after and inspired by the artwork of the same name by Thomas Creswick. I aim to create a sense of atmosphere through wide harmonies and capture the excitement of seeing the first glimmering specks of the sea on the horizon as you are approaching the coast.
In my composition work, I enjoy experimenting with complex harmonies and voice leading to create an expansive sound and immersive experience for the listener.
Generally, the piece is intended to be quite abstract in nature. Although, I took the windmill in the artwork into consideration when composing the material for piano and have sought to encapsulate the mechanical repetitive nature of the windmill turning with the rhythmic patterns which I use. I feel this creates a contrast with the more free feeling of the voices.
I would like to thank Lydia Callomon, Ben Norris, Cole Bryan, and members of the Royal Holloway Founder’s Choir for their contributions to this project making it possible for me to record all the necessary elements. Thanks also go to Nathan James Dearden and Thomas Baynes for overseeing the project and providing technical advice.
