PERFORMANCE IN LONDON'S TETE-A-TETE OPERA FESTIVAL
Richard conducts his Songs For Our Age (Doors in the Hills) - an operatic song-cycle created with Welsh National Opera, writer Karen Hayes and the community of Tredegar.
Saturday 15th August, 8.30pm at Riverside Studios, London W6 9RL
www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/TAT/
www.riversidestudios.co.uk
NEW COMMISSION AND MAGAZINE FEATURES
2009 brings exciting things...
Richard has been commissioned to compose an 80-voice choral piece. It will be one of the main events, alongside works by Andy Sheppard and Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley, at the high-profile re-launch night of the Colston Hall on September 18th 2009.
The piece will be Richard's most ambitious work so far to utilise his 'human birdsong' technique, combining electronics and live performance. Groups of singers will perform on different levels in the large foyer space.
Richard's Wind Quintet Routes from Here, through Hear is to be featured on Venue Magazine's free CD representing the cream of Bristol's emerging music talent across all genres. www.venue.co.uk
'OTTO' LONDON PERFORMANCES
Richard's music theatre piece 'Otto' is performed at Lauderdale House, London
Thursday 26th and Friday 27th March 2009
Defoe Trio with actor Kevin West. Tickets: £10
www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk
Highgate Hill, Waterlow Park, London N6 5HG
Tel: 020 8348 8716
See Compositions - Mixed Media section for piece details.
LISTEN TO 'METAL BIRDS' BY RICHARD BARNARD
A collaboration with Bell-ringers from Holy Trinity Church, Westbury-on-Trym
Written for and first performed at Elektrostatic 'After the End of Time', Colston Hall Bar.
ELEKTROSTATIC 30/10/2008 "AFTER THE END OF TIME"
another event curated by Richard with the Emerald Enesemble....
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- after the end of time - an Elektrostatic event at the Colston Hall Bar 30.10.08 8.00 featuring the Emerald Ensemble and special guests...
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the evening will include performances and re-interpretations of Messiaen's classic Quartet for the End of Time including Jazz improvisations from Jim Blomfield, Tom Bugs' electronic wizardry, Richard Barnard's latest birdsong-inspired work and new pieces combining live playing and electronics.
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LIVE RECORDING: "ROUTES FROM HERE THROUGH HEAR" - EMERALD ENSEMBLE @ COLSTON HALL
Spatialised Wind Quintet composed by combining
a Purcell score and a Bristol city centre map.
Also features Video by Kathy Hinde visually
tracking the routes taken.
TIMES FEATURE PICKS OUT RICHARD'S 'BIRDSONG' PIECE
A three-page article in The Times picks out Richard's 'Birdsong Brings Relief' - performed at Gabriel Prokofiev's nonclassical night at The Macbeth - as an example of music in a new scene of 'classical club nights'. Read the article at...
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4121930.ece
NB The pictured artist Mikhail is collaborating with Richard on a new work for Elektrostatic 2 - 27.11.08: Colston Hall Bar
ELEKTROSTATIC 2 - REVITALISING BRISTOL'S NEW-CLASSICAL MUSIC SCENE
Following the success of Richard Barnard and Roger Huckle's ELEKTROSTATIC Series at the Colston Hall Bar, there will be two more events on October 30th and November 27th 2008.
These will feature Richard's music, collaborating with internationally renowned London-based vocalist Mikhail - www.mikhailkarikis.com, Jazz pianist Jim Blomfield, the Bristol University Loudspeaker Orchestra and musicians from the Emerald Ensemble.
RICHARD CONDUCTS THE BBC SINGERS AND BRISTOL STUDENTS PERFORMING 'AT THE BORDER'
A hugely successful performance of 'At the Border' on the 24th July 2008 marked the culmination of an 8 month project, generously sponsored by the Colston Society, with St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Horfield Primary, writer Peter Spafford, BBC Singers and Zimbabwean musicians Cecilia Ndlovu and Sibusiso Mhlamga. Richard and Peter led workshops with students and used the students' ideas, words and musical material to compose a 50 minute oratorio for choir, soloists and orchestra as a 'sequel' to Tippett's A Child of Our Time focussing on the themes of migration, persecution, political oppression and the refugee.
The final piece received a standing ovation and hugely positive feedback from students, parents, teachers, performers and an audience including the Lord Mayor of Bristol.
BBC Singers learning manager Garth MacArthur described 'At the Border' as "a triumph. The audience loved it and it sounded so fabulous"
JUICE VOCAL TRIO PERFORMS 'BIRDSONG BRINGS RELIEF' ACROSS THE UK
Here is a sound clip from a live performance at The Macbeth, London - June 2008.
see Performances and Compositions [choral / vocal]
PERFORMANCE OF 'VISIONS' WITH 'A CHILD OF OUR TIME'
RIchard's piece 'Visions in Confinement' will be performed alongside Tippett's 'A Child of Our Time'
performed by the choirs and orchestra from St Mary Redcliffe School.
Saturday April 26th 7.30pm, St Alban's Church (Coldharbour Road, Westbury Park, Bristol)
The evening will feature a talk by Richard and composer Phil Dixon who has a new commission performed in the concert.
Please come along!
ELEKTROSTATIC SERIES AT COLSTON HALL BAR
Richard is helping to devise and organise ELEKTROSTATIC -
a series of new music concerts with Roger Huckle, the Emerald Ensemble and guests in May.
Two concerts will feature his own work:
WEDS MAY 14th 8pm
OFFLOAD featuring The Emerald Ensemble
See http://www.colstonhall.org/boxoffice/whatson/Event695
Featuring Richard's reinterpretation of a Purcell vocal piece for Wind Quintet using route maps to create the music.
WEDS MAY 21st 8pm
JUICE with the Emerald Ensemble
See http://www.colstonhall.org/boxoffice/whatson/Event696
Featuring Richard's Birdsong Brings Relief (already performed in Cardiff and Liverpool) for vocals and electronics.
Other ELEKTROSTATIC concerts in the series are on May 1st and May 7th
See http://www.colstonhall.org/boxoffice/whatson
LECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Richard delivered a Post-graduate Seminar at the University of Bristol based on the research for his piece OTTO entitled:
Seeking Otto: Uncovering the life of a professional musician in Edwardian Bath
through musicological research and original composition.
Go to Compositions - Mixed Media for details on the piece.
PERFORMANCE - ILLUMINATIONS FOR STRING QUARTET AND ELECTRONICS 16.1.08 VICTORIA ROOMS
Members of the Emerald Ensemble will perform Richard's 'Illuminations' as part of Bristol University's lunchtime concert series.
Weds 16th Jan 2008, 1.15pm. Victoria Rooms, Queens Road, Bristol.
Go to the COMPOSITIONS - MIXED MEDIA section for details of the piece...
BBC SINGERS PROJECT
Richard has set up a project with the BBC Singers at St Mary Redcliffe School in Bristol, culminating in a performance of a new Oratorio inspired by Tippett's 'A Child of Our Time'. The Oratorio will be created by the students in collaboration with Richard and writer Peter Spafford. It will be performed at the end of June by the students performing alongside the BBC Singers.
BIRDSONG BRINGS RELIEF - FIRST PERFORMANCE
PREMIERE of Richard's new piece 'Birdsong Brings Relief' for vocal trio and electronics.
27th November 7.30pm Cardiff University Concert Hall
(Pre-concert talk: 6.30 featuring the composer and performers).
Setting a poem by Rumi, the piece is composed using samples of blackbird song slowed down and transcribed for female voices. The piece gradually transforms the human vocal melodies higher and higher until they reach the original pitch and speed of the blackbird's song, becoming a complex and emotive duet between human and avian.
More details: www.juicevocalensemble.net/gigs
NEW ITV SHORT FILM SCORE
Richard has composed an original score to Matt Savage's short film The Bone Orchard. The film is part of ITV Wales' 'It's My Shout' project http://www.itsmyshout.com The score uses the vocal talents of the marvellous Juice, a female vocal trio from London. It's due to be televised in November 2007.
