Christmas, for me, has been a time for reflection, for planning ahead and hatching plans for the year to come: compose more, travel more, get on with a planned writing project. New Year is the time, apparently, to turn these thoughts into resolutions. I don’t think composers need New Year resolutions, however: they need lifelong resolution. To continue to do what we do in the face of public indifference and, frequently, lack of financial security takes courage and resolve. Sometimes the most talented of our number lack these characteristics and get sucked into other professions, where one can make a living at the cost of abandoning one’s dreams. We should all, however, make space for dreaming and cold-aired, clear-thinking January is the time to put these dreams into action, with planning and application.
If you’re lacking inspiration, perhaps have a look round CT’s composition and opportunities pages and resolve to enter a competition or two. Why not read some interviews with composers or listen to some showcase works by CT members? Finally, why not plan a visit to a concert or festival, either by visiting the concerts page or even, for the really forward thinking, by taking a look at this, CT’s preview of the big events to look forward to in 2014?
Whatever your plans for 2014, may yours be a successful and, verily, a Happy New Year!
January
Full summary available here.
February
2nd World première of Peter Maxwell Davies’s Symphony No. 10. Barbican, London.
7th Studio Concert: Knussen conducts Henze. BBC Maida Vale Stuidios, London.
7th-10th Peninsular Arts Contemporary Music Festival. Including computer and chamber music and the installation Light Entropy by David Strang. Held at Plymouth University.
15th Total Immersion Day with Scottish composer Thea Musgrave. Barbican, London.
22nd George Lewis world première of Memex, with works by Frith, Lewis and Mitchell. BBCSSO, Candleriggs, Glasgow.
23rd-3rd/4 A new production of Hans Werner Henze’s opera Boulevard Solitude. WNO, various venues.
23rd Event exploring Param Vir’s Sarod Concerto. BCMG, CBSO Centre, Birmingham.
March
2nd Premières of Run, Turn II, Song, Play, Sound I, Sound II and Company by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen. London Sinfonietta, Purcell Room, London.
4th-8th Hèctor Parra’s opera world première Te craindre en ton absence. Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris.
8th Total Immersion: Villa-Lobos. A celebration of the music of Villa-Lobos, an iconoclast whose raw, zestful music gave expression to a vibrant new polyglot culture. BBCSO and friends. Barbican, London.
12th London première of Simon Steen-Anderson’s Black Box Music plus works by Rune Glerup, Christian Winter Christensen and Nicolai Worssae. London Sinfonietta, Queen Elizabeth Hall.
25th Composition: Wales. A day of workshops followed by premières of composers working in Wales. BBCNOW. BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay.
April
2nd-19th/4 Thomas Adès’s opera Powder Her Face. London Coliseum.
5th John McCabe’s Fire at Durilgai, Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s Endless Parade with BBC Philharmonic. Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
5th-13th Lucerne Festival at Easter. Lucerne, Switzerland.
8th and 11th Oliver Knussen BCMG in Washington concerts. Includes world première of Mark Neikrug’s Piano Trio. BCMG, US Library of Congress, Washington.
23rd Michael Nyman Band performing various works by the composer. Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh.
24th Eclectica at the Barbican. Music by Arvo Pärt and a UK première from Dhafer Youssef. LSO conducted by Kristjan Järvi.
26th James McCarthy world première of Codebreaker, based on the story of Alan Turing. Barbican, London.
May
3rd-3rd/6 World première run of Julian Anderson’s opera Thebans. ENO, London Coliseum.
8th-17th Vale of Glamorgan Festival. In 2014 the festival remembers John Tavener, hosts a choral drama from Tarik O’Regan, and welcome back Ensemble MidtVest. Various venues in South Wales.
12th-3/6 Prague Spring International Music Festival.
16th, 20th ,25th 29th and 30th Birtwistle’s 80th birthday celebrations including: Gawain, Earth Dances, a study afternoon, a BCMG concert, Yan Tan Tethera and The Fields of Sorrow. Barbican, London.
24th-26th/7 A new production of Schoenberg’s Moses and Aron. WNO, various venues.
June
13th-29rd Aldeburgh Festival. Britten’s pacifist opera Owen Wingrave in a new production directed by Neil Bartlett. Recitals from Ian Bostridgeand Thomas Adès, Richard Goode, Mark Padmore. Featured composer Tristan Murail.
Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh.
20th-26th St Magnus International Festival. Orkney Islands, Scotland. 2014 programme available in April.
27th– 31st/7 Munich Opera Festival. Nationaltheater and other venues in Munich.
July
4th-17th Soundscape. Festival of new music with composer in residence Rand Steiger. Maccagno, Italian Alps.
11th-27st Buxton Festival. A marriage of opera, books and music, including some by contemporary composers.
5th-31st/8 Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. As yet not much information available on the website. Various venues, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
18th-13th/9 BBC Proms. Programme not currently available, but there will be guaranteed premières aplenty. Booking opens on 17th May 2014. Royal Albert Hall, London.
28th-9th/8 High Score Festival. Contemporary music festival and classes. Pavia, Italy.
Also in July (dates not yet available):
‘Aix en Provence Festival. Some information available here. As yet, no contemporary music has been announced, but this might change.
Tête à Tête Opera Festival. Rightly described as ‘our most imaginative opera laboratory’, the festival focuses entirely on new music.
August
3rd-9th Sound and Music Summer School. The Sound and Music Summer School is the only UK residential course of its kind for young composers (aged 14-18). Purcell School of Music.
8th-31st Edinburgh International Festival. Programme not yet available, but there is usually a goodly selection of new music.
21st-26th Presteigne Festival. Artistic innovation, musical discovery and, of course, new works in the Welsh Marches. Presteigne, Powys.
September
10th-20th Olso Contemporary Music Festival. 2014 is the 200th anniversary of the Norwegien Constitution, and under the theme “Nation”, the festival will focus on how a local musical identity is expressed in the context of an international, digital world.
6th-3rd/10 Beethovenfest. Some concerts available to view with the full programme available in the spring.
Also in September (date not yet available):
Warsaw International Festival of Contemporary Music. Still showing 2012 programme. Warsaw, Poland.
October
All dates not yet available:
Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea de Tres Cantos. Contemporary music festival in Madrid, Spain.
Sound. North East Scotland’s Festival of New Music. Various venues.
Wien Modern. Festival that focuses on contemporary music. Still showing 2013 programme. Vienna, Austria.
November
16th-24th Lucerne Festival at the Piano. Some details already available, though, as yet, not much focus on contemporary piano repertoire. Lucerne, Switzerland.