Steve Martland was spnm Artistic Director for the Artistic Season 2001/2002, devising the huge range of events listed below. Click here for details of our current season (2001/2002) And click here for details of Joanna MacGregor's season in 1999/2000. IN STEVE MARTLAND'S SEASON... ...spnm forges new and exciting collaborations. c4k at the South Bank 12 July 2001 Purcell Room, London 80 schoolchildren from around thebncame together to give first performances of three works written as part of spnm's ongoing Composing for Kids (c4k) project. Three works for choir and piano will be performed, setting poems from a variety of sources, including many written by the children themselves. Composers: Maud Hodson, Sally J. Davies, David Charles Martin For more information on c4k click here. c4k at the Hoxton Festival 1 July 2001 Almeida at Kings Cross, London 170 Schoolchildren from Sheffield and London came together to give first performances of three works written as part of spnm's ongoing Composing for Kids (c4k) project. The works could not be more different - a little cantata for choir and orchestra (featuring a Stopping Samba), a song cycle (featuring some Secret Messages), and a mummer's play (featuring a very large Chinese Dragon...) Composers: Mary Bellamy, Robert Broadley, Terry Mann For more information on c4k click here. Premiere Crew at the Spitalfields Festival 9 June 2001 Christ Church, Spitalfields, London This concert featured six world premieres of works by spnm composers - three works from the existing shortlist and three brand new works by spnm composers for Premiere Crew's unique line-up (2 fl, 2 b-cl, 2 pf, 2 vln, vla, vc, hn b-gtr, perc) Composers: Joseph Finlay, Alan Williams, Terry Mann, Philistin D'Aroso, Hettie Malcomson, David Charles Martin Two pianos at the Bath Festival 1 & 2 June 2001 Initial workshop: GSMD, London, January 2001 Final workshop: St Mary's Bathwick, Bath, 2 June 2001, 11am Final concert: Bath Festival, 1 June 2001 Steve Martland and piano virtuosos Nicolas Hodges and Rolf Hind presented a workshop at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in January, exploring writing for two pianos. Following this event, spnm composers and Guildhall composition students were invited to send in works for the medium. Three selected pieces were explored at a workshop at the Bath Festival, and one work was performed at a public concert given by the duo as part of the festival on the previous day. Composers: Matthew Wright (concert performance), Matthew Brooks, Patrick Harrex, Brian Newsome London Sinfonietta at State of the Nation 22 April 2001 Queen Elizabeth Hall, London The London Sinfonietta, conducted by Garry Walker and Pierre-Andre Valade, gave premiere performances of two works from the spnm shortlist. The concerts formed part of the London Sinfonietta's annual "State of the Nation" festival at the South Bank Centre, London. Composers: Marcos Vieira Lucas, Rober Burbea Arditti Quartet at State of the Nation 22 April 2001 Purcell Room, London A workshop session with this internationally highly acclaimed quartet gave selected spnm composers a chance to explore the string quartet medium. The workshop formed part of the London Sinfonietta's annual "State of the Nation" festival at the South Bank Centre, London. Composers: Andrew Melvin, David Murphy, Haris Kittos Goldberg Ensemble 23 March (RNCM, Manchester) 29 March (St Johns in the Square, Wolverhampton) 6 April 2001 (Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, University of Leeds) spnm composers were invited to submit works for 11 solo string players. Four works were selected for performance by the Manchester-based Goldberg Ensemble. At each of the three venues, one of the new pieces (two in Wolverhampton) were explored in a workshop session led by Goldberg conductor Malcolm Layfield and spnm Artistic Director Steve Martland, and then performed in an evening concert on the same day. Composers: Peter Nagle (Manchester), Hywel Davies & Robert Broadley (Wolverhampton), Frederic Maintenant (Leeds) "I watched an spnm workshop imaginatively run by this season's artistic director Steve Martland... Martland has a surgeon's eye for pinpointing any compositional weaknesses. Nonetheless he offers his comments in the spirit of sympathetic collaboration... No other country in the world has an spnm, active here since 1943. Nor is any likely to have a Steve Martland. To find both in such an unexpected place has surprised me into setting a new flag on my cultural map for the city of Wolverhampton." Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, Sunday 1 April 2001 Premiere Crew 4 December 2000, 7pm The Warehouse, London A hand-picked ensemble of top new music players performed six spnm shortlisted works. This event followed spnm's AGM, and gave spnm members a chance to meet spnm composers, staff and board members. Composers: Luke Bedford, Patrick Harrex, Camden Reeves, Philip Penington Harris, Robert Percy, Barnaby Hollington Orlando Consort at the Huddersfield Festival 23 November 2000, 1pm St Paul's Hall, Huddersfield Vocal quartet the Orlando Consort joined forces with spnm and the Huddersfield Festival for a workshop and lunchtime concert. Fragments of mediaeval works were sent out to spnm shortlisted composers, who were invited to use these as a basis for new compositions. Five of the resultant pieces were selected for performance in the concert, alongside original mediaeval works plus pieces by Gavin Bryars, Arvo Pärt and Gabriel Jackson. A workshop led by composer Christopher Fox and the singers investigated a sixth work. Composers: Alexander Levine (workshop performance), Christopher Beardsley, John Hails, Terry Mann, Nicholas Brown, Jeremy Thurlow. -------- spnm ongoing Projects: PADS (Professional Apprenticeship Development Scheme) spnm seeks to develop good practice in the education sector, as spnm composers will be invited to shadow experienced composers and educators. An initial project will run in Tower Hamlets with Alasdair Nicolson and the City of London Sinfonia, with other initiatives to be announced. PRS Adopt a Composer Five spnm composers have been paired with amateur choirs as part of the PRS Adopt a Composer Scheme in association with Making Music: the National Federation of Music Societies. They are: Nicholas Brown with the Phoenix Singers of Shrewsbury Tarik O'Regan with the Leighton Buzzard Festival Singers Tim Coker with Finchley Chamber Choir Arlene Elizabeth Sierra with the Aeolian Singers (Hertfordshire) Naomi Waltham-Smith with the Lea Singers (Bedfordshire) In addition, Christine McCombe is working with the University of Strathclyde Music Society to produce a work for choir and orchestra. The composers are being mentored on the scheme, creating new works for performance in late 2001 and early 2002. Composing for Kids Composing for Kids (c4k) is a new project creating contemporary repertoire for school children to rehearse and perform in class and out of school. spnm's c4k project gives emerging composers the opportunity to create new work in association with teachers and their pupils. In the project's second year, spnm, with support from the Alan Fluck Memorial Fund of the Musicians Benevolent Fund, John Lewis Partnership and the Britten-Pears Foundation, has paired four emerging composers with three primary schools and one resource school for deaf and partially deaf. These composers, working in collaboration with teachers and schools, are creating new contemporary repertoire for children with the guidance of established mentors in the fields of choral work and music/theatre. The project's hands-on approach enables the composer to work directly with the school’s resources and to benefit from input from teachers on the future delivery of the new works. Each piece will be performed by the school group for whom it has been written, both inside and outside the school environment. At the end of each year the new pieces will be made available to other schools and community groups along with a CD and teacher pack. This will expand the bank of contemporary repertoire for young people. c4k 2000/2001 composers mentors participating schools teachers David Charles Martin Ian McQueen Camden Primary School, Carshalton Sarah Pickering Sally Davies Ronald Corp Fleet Primary School, Camden Rob Cousins Tarik O'Regan Glyn Evans Monkfield Primary School, Cambs Sharon Brendon Maud Hodson Ian McQueen Selwyn School, Plaistow Hilary Koppel And beyond... Watch out for updates here on the spnm web site and in new notes every month. spnm gratefully acknowledges generous financial support from The Arts Council of England, London Arts Board, The Britten Pears Foundation, The Esmée Fairbairn Charitable Trust, The Eastern Arts Board, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Hinrichsen Foundation, The Holst Foundation, The Idlewild Trust, John Lewis Partnership, The Ludgate Trust administrated by the Musicians' Benevolent Fund, The Performing Right Society, The PRS Foundation, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation, The RVW Trust and the Year of Opera and Music Theatre.

Steve Martland Artistic Director 2000/2001 "spnm offers a unique and invaluable service to British music" - Steve Martland