LAURENCE ARMSTRONG
HUGHES - COMPOSER
CURRICULUM VITAE
1972-75 B.A. (Music & Theatre)
University of York
1979-81 M.Mus. (Composition) King's
College, London. with Nicola LeFanu
Part-time courses in Conducting (Morley
College), Electronic Music & Studio Techniques (City
University)
1983-85 studied with Peter Wiegold with
funds from the RVW Trust
1988 founder of Objective Music, a group
of composers and performers promoting concerts of 20th century
music from Britain and abroad
1989 onwards active as a freelance
writer and broadcaster on music, writing for The Independent,
Tempo, BBC Music Magazine, etc., and broadcasting for BBC
Radio 3 and the World Service.
Recent projects have included commissions for
children's music groups in Russia and the U.K.; a commission from
Ronald Corp and the New London Collegium for the Purcell
Tercentenary at St. John's, Smith Square; a concertino for Camden
School for Girls, London; a commission for a Requiem for
performance in Brighton, Sussex; music for BBC2 films Freak
Out, Remember Me, The Disabled Century and Modern
Times: 'Mystics'; 'World's Wildfire', for Sacred Music in
Cardiff; a commission for the Highgate Choral Society, a new
anthem commissioned for the Queen's Golden Jubilee by St. Giles'
Church, Oxford.
- 1980 1st perf. Three Twentieth
Century Lyrics; Jane Ginsborg (mezzo); cond. Nicola
LeFanu
- 1981 April; 1st perf. Three
Piano Pieces; British Music Information Centre,
London; David Carhart (piano)
- June; 1st perf. Mountain Summit Music;
King's College Ensemble; cond. Nicola LeFanu
- 1983 Workshop performance of
sections from opera Phoenixologies; John Potter
(ten), Gemini; cond. Roger Wright; SPNM Forum, RNCM,
Manchester
- 1984 soundtrack for film The
Venus Tape; director Marion Urch; Royal College of
Art, London
- May; 1st perf. Fire Sermon II;
Donwyn Duo; Purcell Room, London
- 1986 May 6th; 1st perf. Variations
on a Scottish Air; David Carhart (piano); Purcell
Room, London
- June; 1st perf. Modal Study No. 1;
David Solomon (vn); Diorama, London
- June; 1st perf. Mobile; Objective
Music Ensemble (Laurence Hughes David Strong Praveera)
with 4 screen film projection by Steve Farrer
- 1987 July; workshop perf. Everything
Changes; English Chamber Choir; cond. Guy Protheroe;
Central Hall, Westminster
- May; organised concert at St. James's
Church, Clerkenwell, London; incl. 1st perf. Invocations
- Jackie Horner (mezzo) Sonya Slany (vn); Meditation
on a Bach Chorale - Jussi Turunen (vla) Peter Dyke
(org)
- 1988 October; organised concert at
Conway Hall, London; incl.1st perf. Alchimie du Verbe
- Rebecca Lodge (sop) Robert Goodman (flt) Alan Mills
(pno) Audrey Riley ('cello); A Flame of Wrath -
Stephen Gutman (pno)
- 1989 organised concert at Queen's
College, Cambridge; incl. 1st perf. Passacaglia - Peter
Dyke (org); concert repeated at St. Stephen Walbrook
Church, London.
- organiser of 'A Passionate Reason' - a
series of concerts at the Conway Hall, London incl. 1st
perf. String Quartet No. 1 - Diorama Quartet, Emily
Dickinson Songs - Rebecca Lodge (sop) Natalia Koval
(pno) and Intermezzo
- attended the Leningrad International Music
Festival; 1st perf. Elegy - Leningrad State
Chamber Orchestra; cond. R. Martinov; Philharmonic Hall,
3rd Nov.
- 1990 concert at Burgh House London;
retrospective 1980 - 1990; incl. 1st perf.'s
Meditation on a Bach Chorale (ob/pno) 6 Greek
Lyrics; Pipe Music; Two Popular Songs - Stuart van
Dijk (b. bar.) Paul Goodey (ob/pno) Tony Gray (pno)
- 1991 perf.'s of A Flame of Wrath
; Sorin Petrescu (pno) 25th Mar. Timosoara; 27th Apr.
Bacau (Romania); 18th pr. Szeged (Hungary)
- 19th Dec. concert at Burgh House, London;
incl. 1st perf. 3 Bach Fantasies, Christmas Music,
Rain is not rain; Tony Gray (pno) Jackie Horner
(mezzo)
- 1992 23rd May; 1st perf. of anthem My
Beloved Spake ; commissioned by Carolyn Walton for
her wedding at St. Etheldreda's Chapel, Ely Place, London
- June; attended 'White Nights' Festival,
St. Petersburg, Russia; perf. of Elegy ; St.
Petersburg Camerata, cond. Vadim Afanasiev; made feature
for BBC Radio - broadcast in 'Kaleidoscope' Radio 4, 20th
July
- 1993 20-28th July attended 4th
International Festival of Children's Music, St.
Petersburg, Russia for 1st perf. of ballad opera for
children, A Soldier's Life
- 28th August; 1st perf. Two Partsongs
(commissioned by Ronald Corp & the New London
Children's Choir), at their summer school, Danehill,
Sussex.
- perf. 'Weathers' (Two Partsongs);
NLCC, cond. Ronald Corp, St. James's, Piccadilly, London
- 1st perf. A Valediction; Seven Poems of
Wilfred Owen; Colin Judson (ten), Tony Gray (pno);
Gateway Arts Centre, Shrewsbury, 5th Nov.; as part of the
events marking the 75th anniversary of the poet's death
- 14th Nov. Wilfred Owen concert repeated,
Burgh House, Hampstead, London.
- 13th Dec. 1st perf. Two Czech Carols;
New London Barbers, Guildhall, City of London
- 16th Dec. perf. Shepherds Awake (Two
Czech Carols); Radio 3 Christmas Party, BBC
Broadcasting House, London
- 1994 1st May; UK premiere of
children's ballad opera A Soldier's Life;
- New London Children's Choir, cond. Ronald
Corp; Muswell Hill, London
- 3rd May; A Valediction; Tony Gray
(pno), BMIC, London
- 29th June; A Soldier's Life; NLCC,
cond. Ronald Corp; St. Luke's Church, Chelsea
- 25th Nov. broadcast of Two Partsongs;
NLCC, cond. Ronald Corp; BBC Radio3, as part of Children
in Need Day
- 1995 May; perf. at the Brighton
Festival of A Soldier's Life; Harmony Children's
Music Group, from St. Petersburg, Russia
- June; Belgium; touring performances of A
Soldier's Life by group from Camden School for Girls,
London
- July; commission for choral work from the
Sacred Music in Cardiff festival
- 2nd August; 1st broadcast of BBC2 film Freak
Out; music by Laurence Hughes; director David Hevey
- 14th October; 1st perf. of The Power of
Music - ode for choir, 2 tpts and strings, at St.
John's Smith Square, London; commissioned by the New
London Collegium, New London Orchestra; in celebration of
the Tercentenary of Henry Purcell; dedicated to Sir
Michael Tippett for his 90th birthday
- 23rd Oct. ; 1st perf. Chimes and
Interludes; Gabriela Szendzielorz, as part of the
50th anniversary celebrations of the Silesian Composers'
Union, Poland.
- 1996 1st Feb. Introit for
organ; Sacred Music in Cardiff festival
- 18th Mar. 1st perf. Concertino Grosso;
musicians of Camden School for Girls, London
- 22nd June; 1st perf. Requiem; Ruth
Fleming (sop), Timothy Bond (org), instrumental soloists,
Key Voices; cond. Simon Bowler; St. Peter's Church,
Brighton
- 14th July; 1st perf. Permission;
Graeme Craig-Smith; WASP Studios, Edinburgh
- 26th August; 1st perf. A.E. Housman
collection, The Wood of Dreams; James Hutchinson
(ten), Alan Colquhoun (pno); St. Cecilia's Hall,
Edinburgh
- 17th Sept. 1st broadcast BBC2 film Remember
Me; music Laurence Hughes; director David Hevey
- 12th Oct; 1st perf. Fanfare for the
Angels; William Phillips Winds; Greyfriar's Kirk,
Edinburgh
- 3rd Nov. 1st perf. March City of London;
CLS Concert Band; cond. Martyn Clements; City of London
School
- 1997 24th Jan; 1st perf. Three
Pieces for Choir; BBC Singers cond. Simon Joly; BBC
Maida Vale Studios, London; broadcast 28th Feb, on 'Hear
and Now', BBC Radio 3
- 28th Sept. 1st perf. Festive Voluntary;
plus Introit; Michael Bonaventure (org); St.
Peter's Church, Edinburgh
- 10th Dec. ; 1st perf. Prelude on a
Norwegian Folk Carol for organ; John March; chapel of
Highgate School, London
- 18th Dec. 1st perf. Sussex Carol
arrangement; Highgate Choral Society; cond. Ronald Corp;
St. Michael's Church, Highgate, London
- 1998 4th Mar. 1st perf. Evensong;
Tom Jackman (alto), Alex Wells (pno); University College
School, London
- 26th Aug. 1st perf. Prelude, Air &
Fugue for Ronald Stevenson's 70th birthday; Neil
McPherson (pno); St. Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh
- 3rd Nov. Seven Poems of Wilfred Owen;
Wills Morgan (ten), Richard Black (pno); BMIC, London
- 16th Dec. Sussex Carol; London
Choral Society; cond. Ronald Corp; Guildhall, London
- 17th Dec; 1st perf. The Virgin
Unspotted; Highgate Choral Society; cond. Ronald
Corp; St. Michael's Church, Highgate
- 27th May/3rd June/10th June; 1st
broadcasts of three part series The Disabled Century;
BBC2 TV; music Laurence Hughes; director David Hevey
- 1999 21st Feb; 1st perf. Two
Hopkins Songs; Gabriel Gottlieb (ctr-ten), John Reid
(pno); chapel of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
- 4th May; 1st broadcast Mystics;
film for BBC2 'Modern Times' series; music Laurence
Hughes; director David Hevey
- 27th May/3rd June/10th June; 1st broadcast
of BBC2 series The Disabled Century; music
Laurence Hughes; director David Hevey
- 2000-2004 Further BBC
film projects with David Hevey; 1st perf. Two Blake
Songs by the Arcadian Singers of Oxford University
cond. Matthew O'Sullivan; 1st perf. of Edward Thomas
Songs by Gabriel Gottlieb at Magdalen College,
Oxford; commission and first perf. of new anthem by St.
Giles Church, Oxford for the Queen's Golden Jubilee God,
Most High, Most Great (also broadcast on BBC Radio
Oxford); continued training close-harmony group for New
London Children's Choir; continuing music reviewing for
The Independent newspaper; numerous works published on
the SibeliusMusic.com website and purchased and performed
by various groups, particularly in North America; the
organising of concerts at Magdalen College and the
Jacqueline du Pre Building, Oxford, in 2001 and 2002,
featuring the Arcadian Singers and the Artsong Collective
in programmes of 20th century British music.
- Laurence Hughes also spent 3 months in Sri
Lanka at the beginning of 2004 doing voluntary English
Language teaching at a rural education centre, and is
currently pursuing a Certificate in TEFL with a view to
further voluntary teaching.