Concert and Experimental Music
Catalogue of Works
Orchestral
Refractions
For Symphony Orchestra
2024
Duration: c.12’
Instrumentation: 2(pic),2,2,2 - 4,2,3,1 - Timp. 1 perc. - Harp - Strings
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8 +)
About this Work
Defined as the directional change of a wave passing from one medium to another, Refractions is a spectral piece depicting the shift and distortion of light through a camera lens. Utilising the harmonic series, the piece explores the overtones of specific notes, drawing attention to the harmonic spectrum of sound, like a triangular prism splitting light into its component colours. Primarily built on the fundamentals of E, C and G, the piece shifts through the partials of each note achieved through the use of microtones and instrument timbre.
Sketches of Rome
For Symphony Orchestra
2023
Duration: 10’
Instrumentation: 2,2,2,2 - 4,2,3,1 - Timp. 1 perc. - Harp - Strings
Commissioner: N/A
Difficulty: Moderate (Grade 6-8)
About this Work
Sketches of Rome was written to depict the atmosphere of walking through the City of Rome, particularly the contrast between the busy modern- day city, surrounded by over 2000 years of history. The piece is made up of multiple contrasting sections which often represent different places, environments, characters and our imagination of what the city might have felt like during the Roman Empire. The music also makes references to media depictions of ancient Rome, whilst also taking inspiration from the works of Italian composers such as Ottorino Respighi. The opening captures the intense hectic atmosphere of the city, with crowds of tourists and traffic during the busy summer season. Some of the musical fragments here are based upon sounds of the modern-day city, such as emergency vehicles. The slower middle sections focus on our imagination and witnessing the historic remains and ruins of places such as the Pantheon and Roman Forum, as well the city’s significance in western faith. The final sections of the piece are a culmination of the prior ideas and a return to the busy modern-day reality of the city.
Shifting Landscapes
For Woodwind, Brass and Percussion
2021
Duration: 10’
Instrumentation: 2 (picc.),2 (C.A.),2 (B.Cl.),2 - 2,2,1,1 - Timp. 1 perc.
Commissioner: University of Glasgow
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
‘Shifting Landscapes’ is a personal observation of the changes in the environment surrounding us, often influenced negatively by human activity. The first section of the piece representing a growing problem gradually becoming more complex and interconnected over time, driven by long sustained notes in the brass. After the climax, at figure E there is a sense of unity and clarity representing a clear solution to the problem although this does not last, as at figure G we return to a sense of disorientation achieved with cross rhythms and again texture. The sense of clarity returns again at figure N, this time initially played entirely in the brass before moving to the woodwind but this also does not last. Instead the piece resorts to a complicated interlocking texture through orchestration from figure P. This represents humanity’s attempt to fix the issue but with little unity and corporation with each other as heard with the often difficult to follow interlocking passages. The problem theme gradually returns again, as a sort of reminder that the problem is still here in the background before resorting back to the chaotic nature of the start.
Large Ensemble
Fanfare of Bells
For Brass Dectet
2024
Duration: 6’ 30”
Instrumentation: 1 Hn., 4 tpt. (1 Flug.) 4 Tbn. (1 B. Tbn.), 1 Tba
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Inspired by the ringing of bell towers, Fanfare of Bells is an energetic piece for brass dectet. The piece explores tintinnabulation or the ringing of bells as a reoccurring theme throughout and explores this through rhythm and timbre. A key idea is finding sounds, melodies and patterns within the texture of sounds heard in cathedral bells, which is explored through texture and syncopated rhythms.
Muinntir na Mara
For String Quintet and Guitar
2023
Duration: 10’
Instrumentation: 1 Gtr., 2 Vln., 1 Vla., 1 Vcl., 1 Db.
Commissioner: Cantilena Festival on Islay
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Muinntir na Mara (People of the Sea), is a musical interpretation of interactions between the seal populations of Islay and humans. The piece is heavily inspired by the stories of Fiona Middleton on Islay, who notably performed violin on the rocky shoreline at Kildalton to the local grey (Atlantic) and common (Harbour) seal populations, whilst also caring, rehabilitating and campaigning for their protection. The violin solos throughout the piece reflect upon this, with the lower strings later imitating a response from the sea people emerging from the depths. The piece also reflects upon the Scottish folklore of the Selkie, where the often land imprisoned seal maidens continuously long for their return to the sea. Additionally, nature and the sea play a key role in the texture and timbre of the piece, along with elements of Scottish traditional music. The music opens with the imitation of the sea with discernible pitch rising from the depths of the sea. This is followed by a violin solo calling out across the water and the musical response from the people of the sea.
Small/Chamber Ensemble
Arrival of the Motion Picture
For Brass Quintet
2024
Duration: 4’
Instrumentation: 1 hn., 2 tpt., 1 Tbn., 1 Tba.
Commissioner: Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) and Screen Scotland
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard (Grade 8)
About this Work
Written as a celebratory piece for the recent achievements in Scottish cinema, ‘Arrival of the Motion Picture’ captures the excitement of the mobile cinema arriving in the towns and villages of the highlands and islands. What seems simply as a lorry traveling around the vast wilderness of Scotland, is often regarded as the highlight of the year for many in rural Scotland when it arrives. This not only shows the significance cinema has within the community but also how cinema is deeply engrained within Scottish culture and continues to inspire the next generation.
Premiered in the Scottish Parliament 2024
Kirk Burn
For Brass Trio
2024
Duration: 5’ 30”
Instrumentation: 1 hn., 1 tpt., 1 Tbn.
Commissioner: Eala Brass Trio
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard (Grade 8)
About this Work
Written for Eala Brass and named after the Scottish word for a small river, ‘Kirk Burn’ is a contrasting work full of moments of energy in contrary to smooth and peaceful passages. Inspired by the journey of a small ‘burn’ in South Lanarkshire, the work aims to explore melodic development as the tributary river flows through different stages of its journey.
That Nothing Sees
For Piano Quartet and Voice
2024
*Winner of the Walter and Dinah Wolfe Prize for Composition
Duration: 10’
Instrumentation: 1 Soprano, 1 Vln., 1 Vla., 1 Vcl., 1 Pno.
Text: ‘Winter’ - Edwin Morgan
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Written for the Walter and Dinah Wolfe Prize for Composition, ‘That Nothing Sees’ is a tone poem based upon ‘Winter’ by the Glaswegian poet Edwin Morgan. The work paints an ever evolving a cold and bleak winters’ scene in Bingham’s Pond, where figures and thoughts emerge and disappear into the icy fog. The poem and music explore the themes of vulnerability in life and demise through text setting, timbre and orchestration. Themes of loss and decay are prevalent throughout the work, with the music reflecting this through its sparseness and dissonance. Taking inspiration from the text, the piece doesn’t follow an exact structure and instead morphs overtime to illustrate the ever-evolving scene.
Tenacious
For String Trio
2023
Duration: c. 7’
Instrumentation: 1 Vln., 1 Vla., 1 Vcl.
Commissioner: The Night With… Festival 2023 and The United Strings of Europe
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Written for The Night With... Festival 2023 and premiered by the United Strings of Europe, Tenacious is an energetic piece about the persistence of stressful events over time and the affects this has through music. Often heavy in nature, the piece regularly featuring continuous accents and dissonant harmony through a strong sense of pulse. While often dark, the piece is also quite descriptive and features moments of resolution and contrast albeit in smaller moments.
Evolve
For String Duo
2023
Duration: c. 7’ 30”
Instrumentation: 1 Vln., 1 Vcl.
Remixed edition: An electronic remix of this work is available. See the Electronic/Sonic Arts category for more details.
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
This piece is written for the GAIA Duo and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Plug Festival. This piece is about the evolution of an idea over time, with the energetic driving nature of the piece evolving through timbre, rhythm and texture over its duration. The main focus of this piece is to mimic and achieve a large ensemble sound and texture with only violin and cello. This is achieved through the use of double stops, left hand pizzicato, bow position and other playing techniques.
Being & Human
For Soprano, Flute and Bass Clarinet
2023
Duration: c. 10’
Instrumentation: 1 Soprano, 1 Fl., 1 B.Cl.
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and University of St Andrew’s
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Being & Human is a three-movement work based upon Alejandra Pizarro Choy’s PhD topic, The Geopolitical Ecology of Conservation Funding: Discourse and Power in Counter Wildlife Trafficking Programmes in Peru. This work in particular focuses on the harsh and tragic reality of illegal wildlife trafficking and the flawed system which still allows such activities to be present.
Snow Storm
- Prelude and Rondo -
For Chamber Ensemble
2021
Duration: c. 11’
Instrumentation: 1 Cl., 1 Hn., 2 Vln., 1 Vla., 1 Vcl., 1 Pno.
Commissioner: University of Glasgow
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
‘Snowstorm’ formed of two movements (Prelude and Rondo) is a piece inspired by the late 2021 January snowfall over my hometown of Cambuslang. At the start of the Prelude named ‘The Blizzard’ we hear a texture of sound which builds and varies over time at the performer’s discretion. The wind instruments and piano provide an airy delicate texture symbolising the fragile nature of snow and ice whilst the strings provide an ever changing sustained texture from the notes given and responding to the environment and players around them. This is all unified by a French horn solo where the music transitions into more standard notation. Likewise at the end of the Prelude, the music transitions back to a similar state as the beginning.
In the second movement named ‘Winter Wonderland’ we hear a playful melody with a central focus on rhythm and structure, the movement being a rondo we hear a reoccurring melody intertwined with new material. The imagery behind the movement is the idea of people enjoying the winter weather by means of the various activates associated, such as sledging and building igloos however this can also be applied to the idea of heavy snowfall with the playfulness of snowflakes falling.
Solo Works
The Night Sky
For Pipe Organ
2021
Duration: c. 7’
Instrumentation: Solo Pipe Organ
Commissioner: University of Glasgow
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
This piece reflects my own personal experience of looking into the mid-summers night sky. The texture is ever changing with the very bare layers created with the use of minimal organ stops and motifs representing the initial struggle of seeking objects in the night sky or the clouds obscuring your vision temporarily. The more dense textures and timbres are created with multiple organ stops, dense patterns and motivic passages layered together to represent the opposite, with your eyes fully adjusted to the open deepness of space and picking up all its infinite detail. Additionally to add to the overall texture, I have attempted to manipulate the rhythm through the use of odd time signatures and syncopated rhythms such as those in bars 17 to 32 and bars 79 to 84 respectively. To do this I used an algorithmic method so I could focus more on the rhythmic aspect of the music. I have also tried to incorporate the idea of colour not only with the instrument timbre’s from stops but also in the chosen harmony often sounding very dark but also sounding very grand such as the ending giving the idea of contrast throughout.
4 Studies for Trumpet
For Trumpet
2021
Duration: c. 12’
Instrumentation: Solo Trumpet
Commissioner: N/A
Difficulty: Moderate (Grade 5-8)
About this Work
During the late summer of 2021, I challenged myself to write a small collection of instrument studies aimed at the intermediate to advanced level player. Being a trumpet player myself, I wrote these 4 studies with the aim of challenging certain aspects of a trumpet player’s technique and musical ability whilst maintaining a melodic character. The player is encouraged to find their own unique way of conveying these works, some of which require great attention to expression.
Choir
A Bit of Coast
For SSATB and Marimba
2024
Duration: c. 6’
Instrumentation: SSATB, Marimba
Text: A Bit of Coast (The North Shore, ‘New Poems’) - Madison Julius Cawein
Commissioner: Sound Scotland
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
Based upon the poem of the same name by Madison Julius Cawein, ‘A Bit of Coast’ is a descriptive work describing a dark coastal scene with waves crashing onto jagged cliffs and shorelines. A stormy scene chaotically unfolds in front of the viewer, however as the sun sets the trails of water glow vivid colours and the rays of sunlight break through the clouds transforming the scene into a magnificent spectacle. The music written for Con Anima and Brodie McCash captures this transformation through two distinct musical ideas. With a focus on texture, clarity and movement, the music explores the sinister and ethereal moments within this coastal scene, capturing the beauty within the raging chaotic waters. Premiered by Con Anima and Brodie McCash for Sound festival 2024.
Electronic and Sonic Arts
Good, Occasionally Poor
For Solo Soprano and Digital Effects
2024
Duration: c. 6-7’
Instrumentation: Solo Soprano and Digital Effects (Roland Aira VT-3 Vocal Transformer)
Composers: David Ford and Connor McLean
Commissioner: Nordic Music Days (NMD) and Ung Nordisk Musik (UNM)
Difficulty: Hard (Grade 8+)
About this Work
A work commissioned and composed collaboratively as part of the Nordic Music Days (NMD) and Ung Nordisk Musik UNM Composer exchange program. Written for solo soprano and digital effects, the work explores various shipping forecasts given out by the Met Office across the North Sea regions. The work split into short movements gives an overview of a variety of forecasts selected arbitrarily over the past century to the present day. As both composers reside around countries surrounding the North Sea (Scotland and Denmark), the sea has played a crucial role in the economic and cultural development of our countries. With the threat of warming seas and more extreme weather, it is unclear what future forecast will emerge.
Premiered at the Nordic Music Days Festival 2024 in the Centre of Contemporary Arts (CCA) Glasgow, Scotland, and performed by Stephanie Lamprea.
Evolv(ed)
For Fixed Media
2023
Duration: 4’ 45”
Instrumentation: Fixed Media
Commissioner: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Set up: 2 Speakers (24 bit, 48kHz, stereo)
About this Work
This piece is fully made up of audio excerpts from my string duo piece ‘Evolve’ and uses digital effects and editing to explore and create new sonic material. The audio used was the recorded performance by the GAIA Duo as part of Plug New Music festival 2023.
Echoes of Broadcast
Digital Composition
2022
Duration: 4’ 05”
Instrumentation: Fixed Media
Commissioner: National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive
Set up: 2 Speakers (24 bit, 48kHz, stereo)
About this Work
Echoes of Broadcast is based on the idea of the nostalgic memories of early post-war films of the late 1940s. The music is often hopeful and patriotic sounding, utilising the large Romantic-era inspired orchestra and the 1943 wartime speech by Neil Beaton. People often recall this early post war period as being a time of celebration and national pride, however while this was partly true, society was also still recovering from the huge loss of life and the struggles of post war society. I wanted to reimagine this hopefulness through writing my own orchestral scores, while adding a dream like sense as we often don’t quite remember the true detail of past experiences. This is represented with the transition into the ambient sections. I also wanted to add old analogue television sounds, as if the person was tuning into a past reality, along with vinyl, filter effects and glitches to replicate the earlier technology sound was captured with. These effects also representing the gaps in people’s memories.
An Obscure Flat
Digital Composition
2022
Duration: 3’ 15”
Instrumentation: Fixed Media
Commissioner: N/A
Set up: 2 Speakers (24 bit, 48kHz, stereo)
About this Work
Inspired by a dream, this piece narrates a scene in an imaginary flat with what feels like never ending corridors and rooms. Situated above the clouds, the dream feels almost other-worldly but also obscure with no real order behind these events.
Light Within the Dark
Digital Composition
2021
Duration: 4’ 37”
Instrumentation: Fixed Media
Commissioner: N/A
Set up: 2 Speakers (24 bit, 48kHz, stereo)
About this Work
‘Light within the Dark’ is a piece which represents hope and optimism even when we are challenged during periods of anguish and struggle. I wrote this piece before the coronavirus pandemic took hold not knowing how relevant it would become in our daily fight for strength and normality.
Wind Band/
Concert Band
The First Voyage
For Concert Band
2021
Duration: 6’
Instrumentation:
Commissioner: Glasgow University Music Club (GUMC)
Concert Band Level: Grade 2.5 to 3
About this Work
This piece is about a personal voyage through the rural Scottish landscapes after many months of being stuck in city life. The piece has a sense of adventure, drive and excitement with the fanfare like melodies paired with a quick tempo. The middle section however provides a slight contrast with slower and more expressive melodies opening up the opportunity for rich colours and timbres to be expressed. This music was written for and has been dedicated to the GUMC (Glasgow University Music Club) Wind Band. It was written with the idea of providing exciting and almost ‘film score’ like music, targeted at a diverse range of player abilities and be flexible enough to accommodate a range of ensemble sizes.