Knowledge Exchange Violin is now back and running, in earnest!

Note – I am posting updates on this post in reverse order, so older posts will be below.

Stillwater Minnesota – 16-17th October

The ‘virtual’ setting of ‘A Chapel’ taking shape at the University of Wisconsin River Falls (Abbott Hall) 16 10 14

I arrived in the USA 48 hours ago, and the first day or so have been hectic, so now, it’s not a bad idea to take a cup of coffee, and catch up a little. First of, this trip comes had on the heels of the extraordinary few days in Sweden, with the premieres and filming of ‘A Chapel’, my response, along with a stellar group of collaborating composesrs, the wonderful ‘Merchant’s Chapel’ in the Petri Kyrka in Malmö.

In order to see more of this, go to LINK. / FILMS But in the next two weeks, I will present this concert project the Midwest and the Deep South of the USA, with performances in Wisconsin (left) tomorrow, and in Tennessee next week.

This is a new adventure for me, as not only am I bringing the wonderful music written for a wonderful place to another venue, but also going a stage further, bringing visual aspects of the place itself – photographs that I took in the chapel – projected will the music is played.

In some ways the topical translation of the project happened immediately in Sweden: the audience who came to the first performance was so large, that I played it in the main body of the church, where none of the medieval decor that the project celebrates survived. You can watch that here:

But Knowledge Exchange ideas is also about sharing ideas: my work yesterday began with a big exploration of 17th century music (and how we can relate to, work with it), to a large and inspired group of students here at the University of Wisconsin River Falls.

Knowledge Exchange Violin gets back underway in the USA. River Falls 16 10 24

TBC

Filming in Newark Parish Church, on the Jacob Rayman 1641 Viola – June 2024

Here’s the project’s YouTube playlist LINK 

I am writing this in Malmö, Sweden: here’s a little introduction to what’s going on here!

Here’s the programme I will play in the ‘Merchants Chapel’ in the church, in a few hours time.

Sadie Harrison – ‘ballare una passacaglia di ombre’*                                          

Rolf Martinsson – ‘Chapel Miniatures’ +                                                                                      

Staffan Storm – ‘Eroded Memories of Heaven and Beyond’+                               

Bent Sørensen – ‘Magdalena’+                                                                                                        

Evis Sammoutis – Etude 2  ‘???? ?????’*                                                                                     

Robert Saxton  – ‘Lament of Holger Danske’+                                                                               

Daniel Hjorth – ‘Insight (Insikt/Inblick)’+                                                                                       

David Riebe                  – ‘Horror Vacui’+                                                                      

Michael Alec Rose – St Anthony’s*     

And here is the space that inspired these pieces, new+ and selected*

The astonishing 15th century painted vault of Krämarkapellet at St. Petri kyrka

Over the summer, the wing of the project in dialogue with wonderful Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens developed and grew. I played the Bach Sonatas and Partitas over the space of three concerts, alongside performances of works written for me in the fantastic James Turrell Skyspace there.

Also in Cornwall, the project found its way to a place which is very important to me, the astonishing candlelit church of St Anthony in Meneage, on the Lizard Peninsula. This sense of place, of instruments, of music, of architecture, of environment, is what drives Knowledge Exchange violin

Two weeks ago, our project was in Manchester to on instruments and with the team at the fantastic Museum of the Royal Northern College of Music. Here’s an example: another wonderful work from Michael Alec Rose for one of the instruments in this project.

Sorry to be repetitive, but so pleased that our film about Newark Violin School has now been seen by 5500 people. It is so important that as many people as possible find out about this wonderful place, and its extraordinary community of inspired, thinking, makers. So do watch if you haven’t had a chance – and pass it on!