Profiles

I am a composer originally from Cardiff and currently living in Leeds, I am also a harpist and have a particular interest in contemporary music for the harp and in microtonality, specifically systems not relating to equal temperament.  My compositional influences come from experimental composers such as James Tenney and Alvin Lucier who see composition as an investigation of sound an approach to music that fit in with my mathematical ideas for structuring of pieces and other pre-compositional planning.  

I came to Leeds to study for a degree in Music with Mathematics and then stayed at the university to complete a PhD in composition, studying with Dr Mic Spencer and Dr Kia Ng.  The PhD project, which was completed in 2008 explores the use of maths in compositional processes and the creation of a microtonal harp by combining a triple harp with an alternative tuning system created from a non-linear circle equation.   

I was part of the founding committee of Forum of composers and Musicians, a student society set up to promote the performance of student pieces and has received performances in their concerts as well as a piece for the Howl for Now celebrations and performances by the LUUMS chamber choir and Leeds Cathedral.   I've also given papers at the school of Music, at the 2007 Mathematics and Computation in Music conference in Berlin and in Microfest 2009.

In addition to composition, I am a keen singer and harpist and was part of the 20-harp choir to perform Cage and Parsons in the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2007.