Profiles
David Power was born in London in 1962 but spent most of his childhood in York. His initial interest was rock music. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s he played in a number of bands and appeared on the compilation album New Belief in Old Cities in 1983. However, the electronic instrumentals on David Bowie’s albums Low and ‘Heroes’ led him to become increasingly interested in more experimental music and, in due course, he discovered the music of composers such Boulez and Stockhausen. This prompted a change in direction. He studied composition with Richard Steinitz, Steve Ingham and Roger Marsh.
His Three Chamber Pieces was premiered at the 1987 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and since then his work has been performed widely throughout the UK. He was composer-in-Residence at the Go West Festival in 1996 and has received a number of commissions over the years. In December 1995 his Seven Songs was broadcast on BBC Radio Three. Earlier that same year he co-founded the acclaimed Late Music Festival of which he remained Artistic Director until 2008.
In recent years his music has become markedly simpler and makes an increasing use of melody and tonal harmony. This has particularly manifested itself in a strong interest in writing songs - over 40 have been written in the last ten years. However, his interest in more experimental music still makes itself felt in his electronic compositions.
In 2007 he was awarded the St Hugh’s Fellowship to write two new pieces and to found a new classical music festival in NE Lincolnshire. This Festival was held at St James Church in Grimsby from Friday 26th September to Sunday 28th September 2008 and was a significant success. Consequently it has been decided to make it an annual event. The 2009 Festival ran from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th September at St James Church, Grimsby and was a great success. Artists included Ensemble Bash, The Delta Saxophone Quartet and the Yorkshire Bach Choir. A live CD of some of the highlights will be available in January 2010 and will include a recording of his Eight Miniatures for piano
He has published a number of essays and reviews over the years mainly on music in periodicals such as the New Statesman, Tempo, London Magazine and Abraxas. He has also had two substantial essays published in booklet format by Paupers’ Press – David Lindsay’s Vision (preface by Colin Wilson) in 1991 and David Bowie: A Sense of Art in 2003. A revised version of David Lindsay’s Vision was published as an e-book by Maurice Bassett publications in 2005.
His work as an artist and film maker is a much more recent development. His art has been seen in a number of exhibitions throughout the country and he is a member of the Gate Group of artists and composers whose inaugural exhibition Past Forward at the Gate Gallery in Grimsby was a significant success. His first short film, the Dominion of Light was premiered at the 2006 Meniscus film Festival and can been seen on that Festival’s You Tube site. In 2009 his music was used in two short films by Annabel McCourt - Spooky and The Identity Crisis, These can be seen on www.cutlimited.co.uk