An early clip of the Spectral Ballroom score in development.

Thursday 16th June - installation all-day; live performance 1030pm
Old Royal High, New Parliament House, 5-7 Regent Rd, Edinburgh EH7 5BL
https://hiddendoorarts.org/event/spectral-ballroom/
Buy tickets: https://www.citizenticket.co.uk/events/hidden-door/hidden-door-2022-night-8-thursday-16-june/
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Spectral Ballroom invites you to a haunted chamber of fragmented nostalgias – through winding paths of immersive audio and visual spectacles, before leading you to a finale live show of a ghostly cabaret ensemble. With visuals presented by artist Florence Richardson and an original score composed by Luci Holland, performed by the Spectral Band – with Sam Irvine, Bado Reti, and Ben Collard. Also featuring DJ sets by Mallisa and ex.sses.

The score is inspired by Vivas Schola Regia (Scholae Regiae Edinensis Carmen), the Royal High School song composed by Sir Alexander Mackenzie in 1895. The Hidden Door team came across a copy of the song in an old book while surveying the building for the festival, and it became the starting point for the Spectral Ballroom musical motifs, representing the soul of the building, the people who used it, and its life up to current times. The melody weaves it way throughout the soundscape appearing in different forms & genres, evolving & shifting as if skipping through time, before eventually dissipating.

https://luciholland.com/work/spectral-ballroom-hidden-door/

Spectral Ballroom sneak peek

I’ve really enjoyed writing new music inspired by sleep & dreaming as part of The Moon Project album (led by Jessica Henderson of Arrow to the Knee Productions), a collaborative album by women composers across Scotland!

I was particularly inspired by REMS science and wanted to create a lush, orchestral, dreamy soundscape as an exploration of new sounds for sleep – and it was a glorious chance to once again work with the wonderful Emma Donald on violin too.

Supported by Creative Scotland’s Inclusion Fund, The Moon Project brings together six female composers from Scotland to produce a 9 track album – Jessica Henderson, Joanna Gill, Andrea Possee, Emily Frances Ippolito, Caragh, and Luci Holland.

Reflexionstechnik (The Moon Project)

A dynamic composition for a collaboration with the inventive and fantastic producers Two Lines Meet, inspired by changing Scottish landscapes, as part of an interactive exhibition.

The title of the music is inspired by the Svefnthorn (Old Norse svefnþorn, “sleep thorn”), a Norse symbol that features in several of the Norse sagas and in folkloric magical formulas. Unlike most ancient Norse symbols, it doesn’t seem to have had any one definitive shape.

Featuring the exceptional Emma Donald on violin. Mix/master by Danny Herbert at Post Electric Studio.

Sleep Thorn clip

Cover/arrangement of Rei Kondoh's beautiful "A Place To Rest" as part of community/fan album project In Time's Flow.

Violin: Emma Donald (twitter.com/EmmaJDonald)
Recorders/Vocals/Arrangement/Production: Luci Holland

twitter.com/fe3hfm

Fire Emblem: Three Houses original music composed by Takeru Kanazaki, Hiroki Morishita, and Rei Kondoh

A Place To Rest (Takeru Kanazaki/Hiroki Morishita/Rei Kondoh - fan cover)

Enter a mystical world with the original award-winning soundtrack for Sayo (2020, dir. Jeremy Rubier), composed, led and directed by Luci Holland, with musical contributions from Jo Ranger and Jade Leamcharaskul who assisted with realising the music.

Sayo is a live action fantasy reimagining of a true story, starring Nagisa Chauveau, who lost her twin sister Sayo in 2018. The film is a poetic homage to Nagisa's journey, as with the help of a magical guide, she emotionally & spiritually comes to terms with her grief.

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The soundtrack composition and performance was recorded over 2019/20 during the pandemic, with an ensemble of musicians from around the world who recorded their parts remotely. The musicians come from a wide array of backgrounds, and included the contributions of classical performers, folk musicians, and sound artists from across Scotland and the UK, Japan, and the US.

It was a pleasure to collaborate with all of the wonderful musicians on this project, who were tireless in their enthusiasm, effort & professionalism, especially with the challenges of bringing everything together during such turbulent times. I am grateful to every person who joined me on this, and to Jeremy, Nagisa and the team for inviting me on to the journey. Thank you to everyone who supported this project!

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credits
releases March 1, 2022

Music & arranging by: Luci Holland
Additional music by: Jo Ranger
Addtional music by: Jade Leamcharaskul
Film/directed by: Jeremy Rubier

Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Shakuhachi, Shinobue: Gregory Orosz
Trumpet, Horn, Trombone: JohnStacy
Trombone: Jo Ranger
Piano: Mark Choi
Violin: Atsuko Hatano, Emma Donald, Rebecca Cheung
Viola: Jack Irvine
Percussion: Jade Leamcharaskul
Vocals: Luci Holland
Mix & Master: Syn.world

Luci Holland

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