Graham Fitkin
Composer-in-Residence at CSYM’s Cambridge Suzuki Summer Music Institute 2007
At the finale concert of CSYM’s 2007 workshop, an exciting new work by
Graham Fitkin entitled Uncertain received its premiere performance. It met with
exhilarated cheers and lengthy applause from a warm and receptive audience.
Graham composed the work especially for CSYM, coaching and directing the
performers himself during the four-day workshop.
About Uncertain
Commissioned by the Cambridge Suzuki Young Musicians with support from the
Cambridge City Council, the PRS Foundation and Blueprint, the composition was
written for two pianos and string quartet. It is made up of three movements of
increasing difficulty, and lasts for nine minutes.
The performance
In the finale concert, the second movement incorporated a Dalcroze Plastique
coached by Jacqueline Vann and involving twelve children, aged 8—11 (from the
UK, USA, Spain and Denmark). Dalcroze Plastique is a Dalcroze strand that
involves ‘bringing alive’ the music through organised movement.
Eleven children, aged 11—16, from Cambridge, Devon and Copenhagen played
the piano parts and the string quartet was made up of a mixture of teachers,
students and two very young children from Spain and Denmark. All eleven children
worked on their own individual piano parts for a number of weeks before the
Institute, and Graham rehearsed them over the four days of the course.
Graham Fitkin
Born and brought up in Cornwall, Graham Fitkin is a composer who is also
involved in conducting, performing, music production and education. He started
playing the piano and composing at a young age. Early influences included his
mother (a piano teacher), jazz, popular culture and Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of
Spring’. He studied at Nottingham University and then travelled to the
Netherlands to study with Louis Andriessen at Koninklijk Conservatorium in The
Hague.
Composing for solo or multiple pianos has been central to his work. In 1985 he
founded the four-pianist group, ‘Nanquidno’ and there followed
commissions for Piano Circus and Kathryn Stott. Commissions followed for such
ensembles as The Smith Quartet, Ensemble Bash, Sound Affairs and Icebreaker. In
1993 he was appointed Programme Director for the spnm in England. Extensive
education work has included a 1995 project in the black community of Pelmamma,
Soweto in South Africa, three PRS Composer in Education residencies, various
regional community projects, university seminars, masterclasses and workshops
around the world.
Graham also often works with acoustic and electronic instruments and
collaborates with dance, film and digital media alongside concert orchestral and
chamber music. He has worked frequently with choreographers around the world and
with numerous ballet and dance companies, and in 1994 was awarded the Grand Prix
Music for Dance Video Award.
1996 saw the launch of the Graham Fitkin Group to perform the composer’s
work alongside other contemporary composers. 1998 brought further commissions
from the Hallé, RLPO, ENP and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras as well as from
Kathryn Stott and The Foundry. The following year saw Graham Fitkin being
featured composer for the Park Lane Group and for the Presteigne Festival, with
commissions from the Britten Sinfonia, amongst others.
Recent works include Graham’s Double Concerto for two Pianos and
Orchestra, Circuit, commissioned by the BBC and featuring soloists Kathryn Stott
and Noriko Ogawa. Other recent collaborations include Lens, a piano trio
commissioned by the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; a BBC commission for the Duke
Quartet; Pawn, a solo for the new organ at Birmingham Symphony Hall; and
Geography, an interactive multi-location work for computers and video. He
toured with Kaplan in 2005, and Still Warm in 2007. The latter, a collaboration
with partner Ruth Wall, featured electronically manipulated harps and visuals by
Marc Silver and Nick Corrigan.
2008 sees the beginning of multi-media collaboration with the Wilson Sisters and
Wayne MacGregor. There are new commissions for the London Chamber Orchestra,
Fibonacci Sequence and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
For more details about Graham’s work, his numerous past projects, current
plans, and recordings, visit his
website.
Back to Workshop page
Betty & Stephen Power
Tel: (01223) 264408
Email:
info@suzukipianocambridge.org.uk
28 November 2007 21:48
