Category: quotidian

Waving

Byartsyhonker March 18, 2017 3 Comments
The past week has been a little less silly than some, but still busy. The West Gallery course at Benslow last weekend was great fun, but hard work: we really could have done with another four or six singers, which would have resulted in me singing less and being able to pay more attention to conducting clearly; at times, I felt like I was a bit "wave arms around until music stops" rather than...

Catching up with myself

Byartsyhonker March 10, 2017 0 Comments
I often find myself very tired when I come back from Aberdeen, and my most recent trip was no exception. I've also been very busy with composing projects: a setting of 'O Nata Lux' for a workshop in Aberdeen later this month, a few things for various competitions, oh, and trying to get to grips with the whole PhD thing. This week has been mainly about preparing for the West Gallery course at...

#1daywithoutus

Byartsyhonker February 20, 2017 0 Comments
Today was the One Day Without Us National Day of Action to celebrate the contributions migrants make to the UK. For me, it was more a day of inaction; the past week has been very busy, and I have been out every evening for the last five nights at either rehearsals or social appointments, which left me more than a bit deflated today. It has been busy in other ways, too. I had a few ideas that will...

A quiet week

Byartsyhonker February 12, 2017 0 Comments
This past week has been relatively quiet. I finished a paper draft of a piece I'm working on for a Canadian competition, and made some decisions about applying for a choral conducting job. I did get started on some reading, though I need to do more to build up momentum there. I scheduled my next trip to Aberdeen, which I'm looking forward to a lot. I also found out that the two hymns I submitted...

Candlemas week

Byartsyhonker February 3, 2017 0 Comments
That was quite a week... I started on Sunday with the University of London Church Choir singing my Nunc Dimittis as part of the Candlemas service at St Mary's, Eversholt Street. It's the first time I've heard or been involved in a live performance of that piece, though it's been online for two years and I know it was performed in Edinburgh in November by Voces Inauditae. I also visited St Mary's...

What I’ve been up to

Byartsyhonker January 27, 2017 0 Comments
The year 2016 was quite a year for me, with a number of challenges and changes. The biggest change of all was going on a sabbatical (unpaid) from my post as Director of Music (or organist, or whatever you want to call it) at St Andrew's Leytonstone, and starting a PhD in contemporary sacred choral composition at the University of Aberdeen. I won't do a long review of the year here; but as is...