Meet The Young Composers

On Thursday 17th March, six of Manchester’s best young composers will have their work performed by Derbyshire folk singer Bella Hardy at Manchester’s iconic music venue Band on the Wall. The evening will showcase the work of young people who have taken part in Manchester Camerata’s Composer’s Project.

In January we held a Composers’ Workshop for students studying composition in Manchester. After reviewing the submitted material, six new arrangements were chosen to be performed by Bella Hardy and the musicians of Manchester Camerata

Find out more about the Composers below.

Tom Coult’s works have earned performances at the Royal Musicological Association Postgraduate Conference, New Music North West, the RNCM, FutureEverything and the York Spring Festival, by ensembles such as Trio Atem, Vaganza, Raise Your Voice Collective, the Chimera Ensemble and numerous individual performers. He has also had pieces workshopped by the Quatuor Danel, composed a song used in the 2008 short film ‘Is This Love?’, and written a score for a 2009 production of ‘Sinbad’ at the Camden Roundhouse. Tom is studying for a Masters in Composition at the University of Manchester under Camden Reeves and Philip Grange, having been awarded numerous prizes and awards at Undergraduate level, including the Proctor-Gregg Prize for Composition, the Keith Elcombe Award for Music and the University of Manchester Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. His studies are being supported by the University of Manchester. Upcoming Manchester premieres include ‘Agape Aria’ at the Cosmo Rodewald Hallon March 18, a new work for the Anthony Burgess Foundation on March 29th, and ‘La Belle Captive for an RNCMGold Medal recital by Jack Adler-McKean in June.

Pichpiran Supatravanij is a Thai composer born on 22nd May 1988, currently studying for a Master of Music degree at the RNCM. Pichpiran plays the piano, violin and flute, and is also a competent singer. In 2004, Pichpiran moved to England, to study AS and A-levels at Moira House School, Eastbourne, where she was awarded with a music scholarship. In October 2007, Pichpiran was part of the school’s performing arts tour to Thailand and Australia. Pichpiran received a scholarship to study composition at Birmingham Conservatoire on the Bachelor of Music course. Pichpiran studied composition with Dr. Liz Johnson and British composer Howard Skempton, and studied conducting with Edwin Roxburgh In 2010, Pichpiran began studying for a Master of Music degree at the RNCM, studying composition with Gary Carpenter and Paul Patterson. During higher education, Pichpiran also benefits from tuitions and masterclasses from other visiting composers including Erollyn Wallen, Tansy Davies, Oliver Knussen Simon Bainbridge, Edward Gregson and H.K. Gruber. Pichpiran’s compositions were frequently performed by the Conservatoire’s students and other notable contemporary music groups including Icarus, Decibel, BCMG, Exaudi Vocal Ensemble and very recently, Manchester Camerata.

Michael Cutting’s interest in music began when he was very young, studying both the piano and violin from an early age. By 16, he had become more interested in composition and won numerous young composer competitions over the next two years, including Endymion Ensemble’s Next Generation competition (2004), Hampshire County Youth Orchestra’s composition competition (2006), and BBC Proms/ Guardian Young Composer Competition (2006). Michael then completed a four year undergraduate course at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with a first class honours and the Soroptimist  International Award for composers. Whilst working towards his Bachelor Degree, Michael won the RNCM’s Gold Medal competition for composers (2008) and the Lancashire Sinfonietta’s Christopher Brooks’ Memorial prize (2008), making him their young composer in residence for the 2008/09 season.

John Conway was born in London in 1992 and started his musical education aged 6, with lessons in piano and violin. He progressed well with both of them but soon decided to concentrate on his piano studies. He experienced much success in piano competitions before being awarded a place to study piano at the Purcell  School for Young Musicians, where he held a full scholarship. While at the school, he started to take lessons in composition with Simon Speare and Alison Cox and towards the end of his schooling there, decided to make composition his first study. John is now a undergraduate composition student at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he studies with Emily Howard. His compositions have been performed at venues such as Princess Alexandra Hall, Overseas House(Edinburgh), Royal Albert Hall and overseas. His piano teachers have included Tessa Nicholson, Alla Kravchenko and Chinatsu Izumikawa. He has also participated in the summer school hosted by the pianist Paul Roberts.

Stephen Hyde has been studying Composition under Dr. Jeremy Pike and Dr. Gavin Wayte at Chetham’s School of Music since September 2009. Since this time, his compositions have included a fantasy for organ, a woodwind quartet, choral works and solo pieces for piano, ‘cello and voice. Alongside his compositional interests, Stephen has played the piano for 7 years and has achieved ABRSM Grade 8. Also a keen vocalist, Stephen is a member of Chetham’s Chamber Choir and has participated in a number of musicals prior to his move to Chetham’s. Aside from music, Stephen has been involved in dramatic art for a number of years, writing and directing plays, and is also a member of the National Youth Theatre. He currently lives in Cumbria and hopes to take up a choral scholarship next year at Merton College, Oxford.

David Futers was born in Darlington in 1989 and began composing aged 17. David’s first published work was performed last year by the London Chamber Orchestra, and he has since had his music performed by the D’Arcy Quartet in the RNCM’s Friedrich Cerha festival and by EXAUDI vocal ensemble. He is currently studying under Larry Goves at the RNCM having previously studied under Mary Bellamy.

In addition to the new folk song arrangements, Bella Hardy will perform a straight folk set, and RNCM student Rebecca Lea will sing Berio Folk Songs.

More on this concert and find out how to book