Tansy Davies
Tansy Davies (born 29 May 1973, Bristol) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. She won the BBC Young Composers' Competition in 1996 and has written works for ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Early life
Tansy Davies started out singing and playing guitar in a rock band. She developed an interest in composition in her teens[1] and studied composition and French horn at the Colchester Institute[2] followed by further study with Simon Bainbridge at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and with Simon Holt. Tansy Davies has been Composer-in-Residence at Royal Holloway, University of London (where she gained a PhD) and currently teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.[3] She also worked for three years as a freelance horn player and was a member of the Moon Velvet Collective.[2]
Commissions
Davies was a prize winner in the 1996 BBC Young Composers' Competition.[4] She has received a number of commissions from a number of organisations, for such works as the following:
- Iris (2004), commission from the Cheltenham Festival[5]
- Residuum (2004), commission from the Orchestra of the Swan[6]
- Spiral House (2004), commission from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
- Tilting (2005), commission from the London Symphony Orchestra[7]
- Spine (2005), commission from the Aldeburgh Festival[8]
- As With Voices And With Tears (2010), commission for The Portsmouth Grammar School[9]
- Christmas hath a darkness (2011), commission for A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, King's College Cambridge 2011.[10]
- "Between Worlds” (2015), a commission from The Barbican Centre, for The English National Opera.
Other works include Streamlines (CBSO Youth Orchestra/Paul Daniel); Contraband (Britten Sinfonia); kingpin (City of London Sinfonia), Adorned (Haugesund CO – Norway), Hinterland (Cheltenham Festival), Rift (BBC Concert Orchestra) and Elephant and Castle (a large-scale multi-media work for the 2007 Aldeburgh Festival, co-written with Warp Records DJ Mira Calix, and directed by Tim Hopkins). In February 2007, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and Thomas Adès gave the premiere of Falling Angel, a 20-minute commission for large ensemble in Birmingham, and at the Présences festival in Paris. Her first commission for The Proms, Wild Card for orchestra, received its world premiere in September 2010.[11]
Musical style
Davies' music is informed by the worlds of the classical avant-garde, funk and experimental rock. As well, her scores contain unusual directions, such as 'urban, muscular', 'seedy, low slung', 'stealthy' and 'solid, grinding'. Other influences on her compositions have included the architecture of Zaha Hadid,[4] in her trumpet concerto Spiral House.[12] She has also collaborated with the video artist Zara Matthews.[13]
Recordings
Davies has been the subject of two portrait CDs, Troubairitz (Nonclassical Recordings, 2011)[14] and Spine (NMC Recordings, 2012),[15] both of which feature music composed over the last decade. Other compositions appear in various anthologies, notably on the NMC label.[16][17][18]
Compositions
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References
- ↑ Ivan Hewett (1 February 2007). "I love to work out after a hard day composing". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- 1 2 Tom Service (18 June 2001). "She's got the funk". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ↑ "A Recital for Voice and Percussion" (Press release). Royal Holloway, University of London. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- 1 2 Femke Colborne (1 April 2005). "Tansy Davies". Musolife. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Andrew Clements (7 July 2004). "London Sinfonietta (Cheltenham Festival)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Andrew Clements (20 June 2005). "Birtwistle premiere (Aldeburgh festival)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Geoff Brown (16 June 2005). "LSO/Previn". The Times. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Rian Evans (12 November 2004). "Orchestra of the Swan (Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Stephen Pritchard (21 November 2010). "Adriana Lecouvreur; Tansy Davies – review". The Observer. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
- ↑ "Order of Service" (PDF). King's College Cambridge. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
- ↑ Ivan Hewett (9 September 2010). "Proms 2010: Prom 72: BBCSO / Belohlavek". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Rowena Smith (9 March 2006). "Davies, McPherson premieres (City Halls, Glasgow)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- 1 2 Andrew Clements (8 July 2003). "On Growth and Form (Institute of Child Health, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Andrew Clements, "Davies: Troubairitz", The Guardian, 14 April 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ Andrew Clements, "Davies: Spine", The Guardian, 23 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ↑ Andrew Clements (16 November 2001). "Mind your manners". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Andrew Clements (26 April 2002). "The next generation". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Matthew Rye (1 April 2006). "Classical CDs of the week: Foulds, Vaughan Williams and more". Telegraph. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Paul Conway (23 June 2001). "Brunel Ensemble / Philarmonia, Spitalfields / RFH, London". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Tom Service (2 April 2003). "Bergamo Ensemble (St Paul's Church, Canterbury)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Tim Ashley (21 February 2005). "Inventions 2005 (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Erica Jeal (11 December 2008). "Al Farabi Concerto (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5575
- ↑ Tim Ashley (22 July 2008). "Festival Academy/Brabbins (Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Stephen Pritchard (11 January 2009). "Complex, clever, ear-splitting at times – but always excellent". The Observer. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5577
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=5369
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6282
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6283
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6689
- ↑ Erica Jeal (9 September 2010). "BBCSO/Bělohlávek (Royal Albert Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- 1 2 http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6322
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6698
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6323
- ↑ http://www.fabermusic.com/Repertoire-Details.aspx?ID=6607
External links
- Official Tansy Davies website
- Faber Music page on Tansy Davies
- British Music Information Centre page on Tansy Davies