‘The Solar System does not play well-tempered’ was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music for the ‘200 Pieces’ celebration of the institution’s bicentenary. It was premiered by Leo Kerr on 30th Nov 2021 in the Angela Burgess Recital Hall. 

The slightly whimsical title comes from a talk given by Dr Nicole Pawellek at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, in which she looked at historical theories of ‘music of the spheres’ (the title of her talk) through the lens of modern astronomy and astrophysics. There was one particular slide that leapt out at me showing how, amazingly, densities in the asteroid belt appear to exactly match the ratios of partials in the harmonic series! This became the starting point for my piece: on one side portraying the dramatic contrasts between the cold depths of space and violent encounters with asteroids, and on the other side, using the harmonics shared between a musical instrument in one’s hand and the asteroid belt as a source of harmonic and structural inspiration!

The Solar System does not play well-tempered (MP3)

busy signal

"white wide eyes" (2014) for 23 musicians (4 ensembles), electronics, projection
- Ensemblekollektiv Berlin (Ensemble Mosaik, Sonar Quartet, Ensemble Adapter, Ensemble Apparat)
- Manuel Nawri (conductor)
premiere January 22nd 2015, Festival Ultraschall Berlin, HAU2

live recording: dradio

"white wide eyes" 2014 - for 23 musicians, electronics, projection

Song for an Aspiring Cobbler

for large ensemble, fixed media and dance

rude health festival of new music 2024

a piece about decision making

flute: mary bull
clarinet: claudia smith
trumpet: anna conroy
percussion: jeremiah beer
piano: euan mccandless
violin: joey lam
cello: katie harrison

composed/conducted: jack smith
choreo: stephanie angert
dance: stephanie angert, sadie bevan, liana-rosa dellapina

condition 1 - for large ensemble, fixed media and dance

Performed by Trinity Laban's NMRS
Conducted by Gregory Rose
Mixed and Mastered by Kit Venables

The deserter is the bio-political escape artist; the final rejector of the war-aestheticians and the scribes of mythic violence. Those they shot for cowardice are much, much braver than the shooters would ever let us imagine. This is neither an endorsement nor a criticism. Remember their blood flows, inevitably, through our veins.

the deserter (for orchestra)

Performed by Rebecca Burden (cello, soloist), Kieran Crowley (organ), Steph Clark (clarinet) and Mary Bull (flute). 
Recorded on Ava's phone (lol) in St Mary the Virgin, Lewisham for the Music for Organs, Ensembles, Electronics concert.
Huge thanks to the soloistic prowess of Rebecca Burden!

Erin (for solo cello and ensemble)

Performed by myself (vocals), Polina Savicka (piano), Morgan Key (cello) and Iris Rushbrooke (trumpet).

Recorded in a practice room in Trinity Laban (hence the occasionally practisers you can hear!)

Words:

I’m on your bed, ready to sleep. And there’s a brachiosaurus lying next 
to me, there’s Totoro on a chest of plastic drawers and Ganesha is 
watching over from atop your plywood wardrobe. There is a love and a 
sadness here, unquantifiable. It gleams off the face of trinkets and 
teddies like they’re all well-cleaned chrome. As sillyness occupies our 
every waking moment, something flocks through that frail permeable 
dot-line between sleep and sinking. A place where repetition is blaringly 
inconsistent and deviance is blurringly absent. 

Your pain is punctuated in Punjabi with torn pictures of me from your 
wall. Milk Hotels, Adriannes, Elliots, lots-of-plants, men-with-guitars, 
Tarot Cards, Cats, Trees, Moons and Stars. Your posters still up there. 
Your old guitar rusts under dust and neglect, you’re scared when the 
window’s open the wind will catch its strings and fling Oasis on its frets. 
Peering from the pier this morning the seabirds shivered, the wind was 
here. Your mum had made me tea before, and toast. The news was on 
about eightieth anniversaries, people returning to their crumpled flats. 
The cars bunged up through the roadways like my noseways were 
sniffled full of snots. 

You came up this morning from the sofa and lay with me, us scrumpling 
into the prism of a single bed. I wrapped your sleeping sick body with my 
arms as your words of response became grunts became breaths. I 
kissed your poor cheeks to a little smile from beyond the stupored land. 
Before I left to brush my teeth, we exchanged a squeezing of our hands.
 
And now, going home, I’m the water swaying Barking Riverside pier. 
Sillyness has occupied almost everything that’s here. 

Sillyness Occupies!

Fuzz Maker was written about that warm fuzzy feeling.

Commissioned by Trinity Laban Shapeshifter Ensemble (SS), London.
June 2025.

Flute: Mary Bull
Oboe: Betsy Selner (SS)
Clarinet: Vicky Churcher
Bassoon: Georgina Taylor (SS)
Horn: Jared Little (SS)
Trumpet: Iris Rushbrooke
Trombone: Danny Sampson (SS)
Piano/Percussion: Myself
Violins: Lilly Ho
Viola: Imogen Lim
Cello: Katie Harrison
Bass: Max Lamprect (SS)

Originally for string section lol x

#contemporaryclassical #orchestra #newmusic

Fuzz Maker - for sinfonietta

composed by Martin Arnold (2003)
played by:
Martin Arnold - melodica
Eric Chenaux - voice, guitar
Ryan Driver - voice, synthesizer
Doug Tielli - voice, trombone
and Arraymusic

condition 1 - for large ensemble, fixed media and dance

Jack Smith

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