UPDATE
Times were difficult in 2020 and 2021 for Hereford Composers' Workshop because of the Covid pandemic. it wasn't possible to organise any concerts in 2020 but in 2021 we had two excellent concerts.
Firstly at Hellens on August 5th we had a concert of music for piano solo and piano duet.
This included the first performance of my Dancing on the edge of blue and green and Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird. Also first performances of duets by Peter Fletcher and Gary Higginson and Oran Johnson's solo piano piece Coalescence.
Secondly at Leominster Priory on October 23rd a concert of new works was given by the Edge Chamber Choir with their director Ros Crouch. The organist was Hilary Norris. This concert included the first performance of my A song for St Cecilia's Day.
On 10th April 2022 we hosted another concert in Leomisnter Priory with Joris Boon (cello) and Hilary Norris (organ). This concert included the first performances of my Totentanz for solo organ and Eventide for cello and organ.
The next concerts are being planned as a wind + piano concert in Kington on October 7th 2022 and a soprano + piano concert in Hereford on April 22nd 2023
I have been a member of HCW since 2010, and became Chair in June 2015. We are a group of composers living and working in Herefordshire who meet a few times each year to share our music and thoughts about composing. Also to plan occasional concerts of new works by members of the group. Our concert in February 2016, saw performances of a number of new vocal compositions both for solo voices with piano and for choir.
On Friday 19th July 2019 there was a superb concert given by harpist Alexandra Guiraud. The concert juxtaposed new compositions by several HCW composers with repertoire pieces by Handel, Faure and Britten. Alexandra gave workshops in two primary schools at Eardisley and Hay on Wye as part of this project.
On September 29th 2019 there was a concert of new compositions by HCW members at Yarpole Church. This was given by Ruth Watson (oboe) Ollie Galletta (bassoon) and Andrew Morris (piano). I was very pleased with the composers' response to this concert and feel that the repertoire for this unusual combination of instruments has been extended most positively.
October 13th 2018 saw a concert of new works by HCW composers given by the Edge Chamber CHoir from Ludlow under the direction of Ros Crouch. The organist for the concert was Hilary Norris.
The programme was as follows :
September 7th 2018 saw an HCW concert given by a piano trio as follows :
October 5th 2017 saw the AGM of the Herefordshire Composers' Workshop. We met at Eardisley Church at 1900. The meeting was followed by an informal performance of works by five composers from the HCW.
An HCW concert was held at The Lion Ballroom, Leominster at 1930 on 28th April 2017 and featured
The Offa String Quartet and Andrew Morris (piano)
The concert included compositions by David Wyllie, the founder of HCW. Also by Andrew Morris, John Frith, Julian Robbins, Frances Phillips, Marie Wicks, Julian Reeves, Robert Peate and Gary Higginson.
The concert concluded with Andrew Morris's latest compoistion Elegy for piano quintet.
Anne de Dadelsen (piano) also featured in the concert as a guest artiste, performing John Frith's Sweet Borderlands
In concerts given by the Birchpole SIngers, some new carols by HCW composers were featured in December 2016.
These concerts were given at Brimfield on December 9th and at Yarpole on December 16th
The featured carols were :
Julian Robbins : Lully Lullay
David Wyllie : O little town of Bethlehem
Margaret Walker : Swaddling Carol
In our concert on October 8th 2016 at Dorstone Church, Herefordshire the Eilan String Quartet, students at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, gave performances of string quartets (or movements from string quartets) by six members of the Herefordshire Composers' Workshop. They also gave a performance of Haydn's Quartet in F, Op 77/1.
The HCW works performed were as follows :
Andrew Morris : For the 48% (2016)
Julian Robbins : Draw Down (2009)
Julian Reeves : Five Barred Gate (2016)
Robert Peate : Two folk songs : The blacksmith; The nightingale (2009)
Gary Higginson : String Quartet No. 1 (1973-1983; revised 1988)
David Wyllie : String Quartet in E flat (2002)
Here is a composition from 2014 called Gill's Gift : Lament for a lost piano
This is a requiem for the Steinway piano in the Lion Ballroom which mysteriously disappeared in April 2014. The piece is for flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone and piano and was performed at Yarpole in June 2014 and again in Ludlow in August 2014.