DESMOND CLARKE, 27
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Desmond Clarke is a composer and oboist based in the north of England. His music has been performed extensively around the UK, particularly in Yorkshire, as well as in Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. In 2015 he won the RPS Composition Prize, and was selected as one of the RSNO's inaugural young composers in residence.
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His compositional interests include the use of algorithmic and stochastic processes, microtonality, spectral techniques and just intonation. These tools, coupled with a lifelong passion for art music of every period, lead to works which embody a contemporary aesthetic, but which, for better or worse, never fully escape from a classical sensibility.
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CATHERINE ROBSON, 21 ​
Catherine Robson is composer of contemporary concert music and music for film and game. She is currently in her final year of BA music at the University of York, and is a committee member of the Chimera Ensemble, one of the largest student run contemporary music ensembles in the UK
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In 2016 she was awarded the Chimera undergraduate commision which was performed on the 18th November 2016. Her work 'Images of a Memory for Piano and Violin' was published by Bedlam Music Publishing.
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As well as writing concert music, Catherine has written for several films and games including The Kings Curse which was awarded best audio in York Global GameJam.
CARLOS ZAMORA​, 48
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Carlos Zamora gained a bachelors degree in Musical Education at Universidad de Concepción, Chile and in 2000 graduated as Master of Arts in Composition from Universidad de Chile. He is now studying for a PhD in composition at the University of York.
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He has received several awards, such as the Scholarship of Artistic Creation of Andes Foundation; Masters Scholarship at the University of Chile; First place in 1997 of the National Federation of Choirs for his work “Padre Nuestro Kunza”; First place with his “Sikuris” on New Works by Chilean Composers of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Chile; and the 2006 Award for best composer of the Modern Orchestra of Modern Music School.
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His music has been performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Berlin, National Orchestra of Ireland, Boston Youth Symphonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Medellín (Colombia) and by all professional orchestras in Chile.
ERIN ROBINSON, 22​
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Erin is a composer and violinist based in York. Growing up within a musical family, her passion for sound has been nurtured from a young age. Resolution of Sound will be the first formal concert of Erin's music, although she has spent three years composing at The University of York.
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Erin has focused mainly on sound installations, which use the SuperCollider program to create highly complex and specific code. Her most recent performance was interactive, and used dance mats to trigger impressions of birdsong and their underlying harmonies, which were affected by a second mat which controlled the computerised glitches.
MANOLIS EKMEKTSOGLOU, 31​
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Manolis Ekmektsoglou was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He has degrees in harmony, counterpoint, fugue and the piano. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of York.
His musical interests are focused on a personal composition method. One of his main goals is to avoid redundant complexity sometimes found in contemporary music. With that in mind, he has invented a process of creating musical material with the “Selective Subtraction of tone and rhythm material” method. As its name signifies, it is based on a selection process that gives a certain amount of material. This material forms the basis for an evolutionary process where finally, all these elements are combined in order to produce the final piece. This effort has recently incorporated computational methods such as the Supercollider software, and C++, to find new ways of pattern development, and thus evolution of the form.
PATRICK JOHN JONES, 27 ​
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Patrick John Jones is a British composer currently based in York. His music has been performed around the UK by artists and ensembles including members of the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Ensemble 10/10, Mahan Esfahani, Jane Chapman, and Dark Inventions. He is also an associate composer of the University of York Music Press.
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Patrick has been awarded the RPS Prize 2015, Britten Sinfonia’s OPUS2014 competition, and received commissions from Sound & Music for their Portfolio scheme and New Dots.
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After studying composition with Thomas Simaku and Roger Marsh during his BA in Music at The University of York, he continued studies to masters level at Kings College London with Rob Keeley. He is now working towards a PhD in Composition at The University of York, supervised by Thomas Simaku and funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. In 2016, he won a competition across arts and humanities departments to receive an HRC Doctoral Fellowship. Patrick is also extremely grateful for tuition and guidance from Unsuk Chin, Simon Bainbridge and Ian Gardiner.
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GABRIEL WILLIAMS, 21
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Gabriel Williams obtained scholarships from both the Purcell School for young musicians under Joseph Phibbs and the Junior Royal Academy of Music under Edmund Jollife, at the age of sixteen.
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The biggest influence upon Gabriel Williams' musical style is the Gaelic psalm singing of the out Hebrides, along with its derivative styles found in the United states. Elements of Gregorian and Byzantine chant, iso-polyphony and folk melody can be found - fused with a modern spectral sound influenced by composers like Scelsi.
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He wrote the soundtrack for the feature length film 'Once upon a time in Bolivia', winning best film in a foreign language at London independent film festival. In London he helped to organise string orchestra concerts, worked with mixed media instantiations at the Saatchi gallery and worked with the Watford Youth Sinfonia. Gabriel Williams studied at the Sibelius Academy of Music uner Veli-Matti Puumala in Helsinki, Finland Gabriel is currently finishing his studies at the University of York with Thomas Simaku.
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