To celebrate their centenary, Birmingham’s own CBSO has commissioned a wide range of composers to write for them. A number of these works have been performed over the past couple of years, with interruptions from Covid-19 restrictions. These centenary celebrations continue into the present season and beyond.
Here’s one concert to look forward to: an entire programme in January 2023, comprising 20 brand new, four-minute pieces for orchestra from a selection of young composers, several with Birmingham connections. It’ll be fascinating to see and hear what they’ll produce with a whole orchestra at their disposal. It’s not an ‘instrument’ many young composers get the opportunity to work with. Doubtless, they’ll all bring their unique style and musical talent to bear.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of these fortunate individuals. More information about everyone involved in CBSO’s New Sounds project can be found here .
Tyriq Baker
Tyriq Baker has been making the news in a number of ways recently. He’s worked at the ceremonies for the 2022 Commonwealth Games; acted in and composed music for productions at Birmingham Rep; produced his own film. As his own website says: ‘artist, musician, creative’ indeed.
Liam Taylor-West
Liam Taylor-West already has connections to CBSO with a piece for brass, Unbound, and Turning points, for full orchestra, both being performed by CBSO players in 2020. Part of a Daily Telegraph review by Ivan Hewett made these comments:
[He] had the difficult assignment of following Beethoven’s joyous ending with a brief four-minute encore, and it’s a tribute to his louche, athletic, brilliantly coloured Turning Points that it didn’t seem at all embarrassed in that august company.
On his website, the composer describes himself as ‘a composer and creator of audio-visual artworks’. It’ll be interesting to see if any ‘artworks’ form part of his piece for the upcoming concert.
Millicent B. James
Like Tyriq Baker, Millicent B James also benefited from the Commonwealth Games being in Birmingham with a commission from BCMG (Birmingham Contemporary Music Group). She studied composition at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and possesses a musical style which
has seamlessly interwoven a myriad of sounds, drawing inspiration from gospel, jazz, soul, contemporary classical, ambient and afro music, and the result is truly outstanding. Original World 8.9.2020
She is also a cellist and singer. Should be fascinating to hear how she melds an orchestral sound with her own style.
Yfat Soul Zisso
Yfat Soul Zisso has spent much of the past few years studying composition at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Howard Skempton and Joe Cutler as her tutors. Here’s how her own website describes some of her musical interests:
Her interests range from the use of different microtonal soundworlds and textures to children’s books and the exploration of various extended techniques. She is also interested in writing for dance and has composed music for Rambert Dance’s Vintage Rambert project.
She is also a singer. It’ll be interesting to hear whether the composer includes herself in the line-up for her composition. Another snapshot of Zisso’s activities from a website called ‘Unclassical’ is fascinating and highlights other individuals working in the same areas.
I think, in a way, that term ‘unclassical’ might sum up all the composers here. They refuse to be labelled, to be put in certain boxes or excluded from others. If Western classical music has a future as a dynamic, forward-looking artform, these composers and performers will be one route to its continued flourishing.
If anything here has whetted your appetite, all tickets to the concert are £10 and available via the link at the start of the post.
In Concert 