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W O R K S   L I S T

stage

 STAGE 

YNYS

Chamber Opera

with librettist Chris Harris

2024 - (in progress)

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

Sop, Bar | Chamber Ensemble

70'

n/a

n/a

About the work
A Welsh-language chamber opera, exploring two people find connection and forge an unusual relationship in the face of isolation.  

The Parting Place

The Parting Place [extract 1]
00:00 / 01:32
The Parting Place [extract 2]
00:00 / 01:30

Chamber Opera

with librettist Sophia Chapadjiev

2022

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

Sop, Ten, Bar, Bass  |  Cl, Hn, 2Vln

6'

Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artists' Programme

8 March 2022 - ROH JPYAP Artists & Casco Phil at St Pancras Station, London, UK

About the work
A site-specific micro-opera, where an audience in transit observe a fleeting private moment between a couple, as they themselves are on a journey.

 

Stars and their Consolations

Storytelling Theatre

with storytellers Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton

2021

They became stars
00:00 / 01:12
Saved from Fire [Stars and their Consolations, Beyond the Border 2021]
00:00 / 01:52
Reunited Once More
00:00 / 01:28

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2 Storytellers & Electronic Score

90'

Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival

2 July 2021 - Daniel Morden, Hugh Lupton & Sarah Lianne Lewis at Dinefwr, UK

About the work
Stars and their Consolations conjures up Greek myths of some of the most prominent constellations in our night sky, weaving storytelling and musical soundscape together as one. 

The work has been presented in both a traditional theatre setting, and streaming live through silent disco headphones in the night open air.

""Lewis' instrumental compositions served as a sonic backdrop... Atop a hill we listened via headphones, akin to a silent disco - the intimacy added to the performance's gravity and grandeur."  -  Buzz Mag

Cynefin

00:00 / 01:36

Dance Theatre

with choreographer Anna ap Robert

2020

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

Dancers & Electronic Score

40'

Ty Cerdd & Hijinx Theatre through Ty Cerdd's CoDI:Move programme

Cancelled due to Covid-19 Pandemic.

About the work
Created in collaboration with Hijinx Mid-Wales Academy actors, 'Cynefin' explores themes of community, belonging and home.

 

A Son to the Slaughter

Chamber Opera

with librettist Max Hoehn

2015

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

C-Ten, Ten, Bass | Hn, Perc, Pno, Vcl

13'

Written through Jerwood Opera Writing Programme 2014-15

17 Sept 2015 at Snape Maltings, UK

About the work
A short chamber opera, written as the culmination of Aldeburgh Music's Jerwood Opera Writing Programme 2014-15, 'A Son to the Slaughter' retells the story of Abraham and Isaac.

 

orchestra

 ORCHESTRA 

L'Île des jamais trop tard
(The Island of Never Too Late)

A symphonic tale for Narrator, Solo Piano & Orchestra

with author Stéphane Michaka

2022-23

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2(=Picc).2(=C.A.).2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - timp & perc - pno - strings, female narrator

50'

Consortium Créatif & BBC National Orchestra of Wales, in collaboration with the Seine Musicale, Paris.

10 Mar 2023 - l'Orchestre National de Bretagne (cond. Grant Llewelyn), with Vanessa Wagner (piano) and Céline Milliat-Baumgartner (actress), at Theatre National de Bretagne, Rennes, FRANCE

English language Premiere:

28 Jul 2024 - BBC National Orchestra of Wales (cond. Grant Llewelyn), with Catherine Roe Williams (piano) and Elin Llwyd (actress), at BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK.

About the work

Both musical tale and animal fable, ‘L’Île des jamais trop tard’ (‘The Island of Never Too Late’) plunges the audience into the mind of a young girl facing an imminent climate threat to her home.  A piano, a symphonic orchestra, and an actress come together to tell this story; one that is not so far away from reality, to reflect on the issues and pave a way for the future.
 

On an island in the North Atlantic, Lise is ten years old, and collects polar animals made homeless by the melting ice caps. Polar bears, penguins, sled dogs, and seals - these beasts all have a story to share. They advocate the cause of the endangered Arctic inhabitants, and warn Lise - if the ice melts further, her island may be in danger too.  Lise must set out on an adventure to find the animals a safe new home, and to help the islanders face the threat of the rising waters.
 

‘L’Île des jamais trop tard’ (‘The Island of Never Too Late’) is suitable for children approx. ages 7 years old and above.  The work was commissioned by the Consortium Créatif and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, in collaboration with the Seine Musicale.  The Consortium Créatif brings together 5 orchestras (l'Orchestre National de Bretagne, l'Orchestre national Avignon-Provence, l'Orchestre national de Cannes, l'Orchestre de Picardie and l'Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse) to work for the dissemination and defence of contemporary creation.

"Alternating tonality, atonality, polytonality, rhythmic passages and evanescent episodes, it creates graceful moments for Vanessa Wagner's piano, both alone and with the orchestra" -  ResMusica

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Tourmaline

00:00 / 03:06

String Orchestra and Percussion

2022

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

Vln's [4 parts], Vla's [2 parts], Vcl's [2 parts], Db's - 2perc

7'

BBC Radio 3 for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

22 Sep 2022 - BBC NOW (cond. Jac van Steen) at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK

About the work
A highly energetic piece that takes inspiration from the mainstream genre of electronic dance music. Moving through different textures as themes build and tumble apart, this work is a joyous sprint through an off-kilter landscape, delighting in the versatility of acoustic strings, whilst maintaining the loud visceral impact of the genre that inspired it.

"It had charm and gusto"  -  Buzz Mag
"Positively catchy"  -  Seen and Heard International

Creatures of Dust and Dreams

00:00 / 02:07

Symphony Orchestra

2021

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

3(=Picc).3(=CA).3(=BCl).3(=CBsn) - 4.3.3.1 - timp - 2perc - hp - strings

11'

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

10 Dec 2021 - BBC NOW (cond. Finnegan Downie Dear) at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK

About the work
A playful exuberant piece, reflecting on our human frailty, of falling and failing, and reaching out and growing together.

 

"Brash and buoyant"  -  The Guardian
"Exuberant and spiralling"  -  Colin's Column
"whirling... luminous... rhapsodic"  -  Seen and Heard International

The sky didn't fall

Symphony Orchestra

2019 / 2023

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2.2.2.2 - 4.2.2.1 - 2perc - hp - strings

7'

Written through RSNO's Composer Hub 2018-19

2 Nov 2023 - BBC National Orchestra of Wales (cond. Emilie Godden)

About the work
Taking inspiration from the opening lines of Kerry Hardie’s poem, 'After My Father Died', 'The sky didn't fall' creates an atmosphere of of increasing unease and heaviness.

mind the gap

00:00 / 01:11

Chamber Orchestra OR Sinfonietta Ensemble

2018 / 2021

Forces:

Chamber Orchestra:  1.0.1(=BCl).1(=CBsn) - 0.1.1.0. - 1perc. - hp - strings

Sinfonietta:   1.0.1(=BCl).1(=CBsn) - 0.1.1.0. - perc. - hp - 2Vln, Vla, Vcl, Db.

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

6'

UPROAR Ensemble

Sinfonietta Version: 26 Oct 2018 - UPROAR Ensemble at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, UK

Orchestral Version: 19 Nov 2021 - BBC National Orchestra of Wales (online stream)

About the work
‘mind the gap’ is an energetic and noisy piece, inspired by a series of field recordings taken around the London underground system in January 2017.

 

"Transported the ear to a world of its own"  -  The Guardian

Is there no seeker of dreams that were?

00:00 / 03:25

Symphony Orchestra

2016 / 2018

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp - 3perc - pno - hp - strings

11'

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

4 Mar 2016 - BBC National Orchestra of Wales (cond. Tecwyn Evans), Bangor, UK

About the work
Inspired by Cale Young Rice's poem 'New Dreams for Old', the work explores the journey through the poem of loss and grief, images of forgotten and discarded dreams, and finally towards hope. 

 

"... a transgressive few minutes, with an eerie ambience"  -  Weeping Tudor Productions
"an emotionally engaged lament"  -  Seen and Heard International

From These Roots We Rise

Large Orchestra - Flexible forces (appropriate for children)

2014

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

Flexible forces - please check with composer

5'

Herne Hill Festival

18 Oct 2014 - London Contemporary Chamber Orchestra & the Lambeth Music Services, London, UK

About the work
Commissioned by the Herne Hill Festival, ‘From These Roots We Rise’ was influenced by memories of local music services and the nurture, camaraderie and inspiration from years of performing in orchestras and choirs.  The music is appropriate for young learners and Grade 2+ musicians.

Chiaroscuro

00:00 / 01:40

Symphony Orchestra

2011 / 2012

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp - 3perc - pno - hp - strings

6'

None

2 Feb 2012 - BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK

About the work
'Chiaroscuro' explores the light and shade of the night sky, and is full of dense material and complex orchestral harmonies. The small melodic fragments hidden in the texture resemble those elusive stars, invisible in the city sky.

 

large chamber (7+)

 LARGE ENSEMBLE (7+) 

a soul is more than a body is more than a number is more than

00:00 / 02:18

Chamber Ensemble

2020 / 2021

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

fl, cl, tpt, 1perc, pno, acc, vln, vcl, db

12'

Ensemble Télémaque

16 Oct 2021 by Ensemble Télémaque, Marseille, FRANCE

About the work
‘A soul is more than a body is more than a number is more than’ is a reaction and reflection on the government's managing of the Covid-19 pandemic. The piece was written with all those in mind who became one of the vast numbers; each was than their body in which they are carried, they were more than a number on a piece of paper. 

 

"... a dazzling start [with] its menacing percussion and double bass ostinato"  -  Zibeline

we watch it burn

Chamber Ensemble & Live Electronics

2020

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

fl, cl, tpt, 1perc, pno, acc, vln, vcl, db

12'

Ensemble Télémaque

16 Oct 2021 by Ensemble Télémaque, Marseille, FRANCE

About the work
With its title taken from Greta Thunberg's speech to the World Economic Forum in 2019, 'we watch it burn' explores our collective reaction to climate change, using live electronics to loop and manipulate the musicians' material to create sounds of the climate emergency.

 

the blue and the dim and the dark

00:00 / 02:23

Double String Quartet

2019

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

4vln, 2vla, 2vcl

10'

Written for the Lucerne Festival Composers' Academy 2019

1 Sep 2019 by JACK & Mivos Quartets, Lucerne Kunstmuseum, SWITZERLAND

About the work
The material for this double string quartet is taken from several recordings of local birdsong, lightly manipulated to create pitches and rhythms, against the fleetingness of the gloaming.

 

Sunflowers in Autumn

00:00 / 01:40

Chamber Octet

2019

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

cl, bsn, hn, 2vln, vla, vcl, db

6' - 10'

Ty Cerdd & Berkeley Ensemble through Ty Cerdd's CoDI:Chamber programme

9 Apr 2019 - The Berkeley Ensemble, Cardiff, UK

About the work
Exploring the notion of a forgotten memory, 'Sunflowers in Autumn' meanders gently though a journey of remembering, much like the hazy golden evenings of Summer.

 

"... ethereal and haunting..."  -  Musical Opinion
"the players’ quiet whistling added an intriguing extra texture"  -  The Guardian 

Train Tracks

00:00 / 03:19

Saxophone Choir

2013

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

SAATB Saxophone Choir 

13'

Written through Making Music's Adopt a Composer scheme

29 Jun 2013 - Bristol Saxophone Ensemble, Bristol, UK

About the work
Written in collaboration with the Bristol Saxophone Ensemble, 'Train Tracks' has four short movements, each depicting a snapshot of a typical morning commuter train journey.  The music is appropriate for Grade 4+ musicians.

 

small chamber

 SMALL ENSEMBLE (<6) 

glitch

00:00 / 01:23

Wind Quintet

2021

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

fl, ob, cl, hn, bsn

5'

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

None finalised yet.

About the work
‘glitch’ takes its starting material from a well-known Welsh folk-song; ‘Ffarwel i Aberystwyth’. The The melody is not heard in its entirety throughout the piece; the fragments of melody becoming indistinguishable from the overriding glitching jumps and rhythms as the piece progresses.

 

first snow, falling

00:00 / 02:03

String Quartet

2018

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2vln, vla, vcl

5'

Written for the CeNM@S Composer Workshop 2018

Please contact composer if you would like to premiere this work.

About the work
This piece reflects on time passing, and the watching of - and our perception of - time and circumstance change.

 

Blossoms in bloom are also falling blossoms

00:00 / 03:15

String Quartet with Tibetan Bowls

2017

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2vln, vla, vcl + 4 Tibetan bowls (please contact composer for options to hire the bowls)

20'

Written through Sound and Music's Embedded: Composers' Kitchen 2017

26 Oct 2017 - Quatuor Bozzini, Aberdeen, UK

About the work
Through the small, repetitive and slowly spiralling gestures, the work invites the audience to be still and listen to their own space within the wider world.

 

of lines and traces

Piano Trio

2017

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

pro, vln, vcl

13'

Bangor Music Festival 

18 Feb 2017 - The Fidelio Trio, Pontio Bangor, UK

About the work
Conceived in three movements, the impetus for 'of lines and traces' came from the concept of architectural drawings; the clean lines, the white space and the mechanical nature of the measurements.

to slumber but not sleep

00:00 / 02:29

Chamber Trio

2017

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

a.sax, acc, db

10'

Written for Time in Music's Composer Academy 2017

9 Jul 2017 - POING Trio, Viitasaari, FINLAND

About the work
'to slumber but not sleep' explores the notion of memories in sleep, shifting and distorting at that point where a person is between wakefulness and deep sleep, where thought patterns are often disjointed. 

 

Of Coal and Stars

String Trio

2016

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

vln, vla, vcl

12'

Written for Heidelberg Music Festival 2016

23 Apr 2016 - Isang Enders & Heidelberg Festival String Masterclass students, Heidelberg, GERMANY

About the work
Inspired by Bach’s Goldberg Variations, 'Of Coal and Stars' focuses on the ornamentation present in the Aria, taking the patterns and twisting them, placing them within a static and sustained environment, where they become the trigger for movement within the piece.

Shadow Play

00:00 / 01:59

Chamber Ensemble

2013

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

cl, bsn, hn, vcl

5'

Written as part of the Scottish Composition Marathon 2014

24 Mar 2013 - Daniel's Beard, Glasgow, UK

About the work
The piece explores the space created by light and shadows, and the sense of unease that an unexpected shadow creates. 

 

Those Echoes Around

Brass Quintet

2012

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

2tpt, 2tbn, tba OR 2tpt, hn, euph, tbn

7'

Cardiff New Brass Festival

11 Jun 2011 - Wormshead Top Brass, Cardiff, UK

About the work
'Those Echoes Around' was composed specifically with the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral in mind; the sustained notes and repetitive motifs in the piece linger as the new material emerges quietly from the reverberations. 

Different Pathways

00:00 / 01:26

Saxophone Quartet

2010

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

s.sax, a.sax, t.sax, b.sax

4'

None

19 Apr 2010 - Lunar Saxophone Quartet, Rhos-y-Gilwen, UK

About the work
Consisting of three 45-bar miniature 'movements', 'Different Pathways' explores a particular style and technique within each miniature.

Perpetual Motion

00:00 / 01:56

Six Pianos

2010 / 2011

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

6 pianos OR 6 keyboards / synths

6'

None

16 Apr 2011 - PianoCircus, Drefach, UK

About the work
Taking inspiration from minimalist and post-minimalist music, 'Perpetual Motion' is exactly what the title suggests. The constant movement is inspired by a particular train journey home across Wales. The train speeds along, the landscapes subtly change through the windows and, on especially sunny days, the light and suggestion of colours can be seen in dappled effect on the insides of one’s eyes when closed. 

solo and duo

 SOLO & DUO 

letting the light in

Solo Piano

2024

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

pno

9'

Drake Music Scotland, Ty Cerdd & NMC Recordings

3 Nov 2023 - Siwan Rhys, Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff, UK

Ocean of Stars

Cello & Digital Harp

2022

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

vcl, digital hp

5'

Drake Music Scotland & Hebrides Ensemble

14 Jun 2022 - William Conway & Rhona Smith, Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, UK

The calligraphy of birds I

Solo Violin

2022

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

vln

3'

N/A

Please contact the composer if you would like to premiere this work.

if the earth forgets you

Duo - Open Instrumentation

2021

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

open instrumentation

7' - 12'

Blank Space Ensemble

1 Dec 2021 by Blank Space Ensemble (online premiere)

About the work
Taking inspiration from Rainer Maria Rilke’s ‘Sonnets to Orpheus’, this work encourage a freedom of expression and improvisation from the performers, as they navigate within each other’s performing spaces.

 

The Tapestry of Dreams

00:00 / 01:50

Solo Classical Guitar

2021

Forces:

Duration:

Commissioner:

World Premiere:

solo classical guitar

7'

International Guitar Foundation

23 Oct 2021 - Emanuele Addis, Kings Place, London, UK

About the work
'The Tapestry of Dreams' explores the rich sonorities of the lower guitar strings, and places these fragments of low melodies against the light percussiveness of harmonics on the higher guitar strings.

Voicing the silence