Programme Note:

This piece was composed after meetings and a workshop with Open Union. The duo wanted to explore their combined sound and I enjoy creating a situation for listening and embracing the unexpected within a set or concert. As a piece, the concept is simple, but it is also meant to be part of an ongoing development in the duo's sound and awareness when improvising or performing open scores.

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Performed by Open Union
Modular Synth: Peter Bell
Electric Guitar: Patrick Ellis

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Bio:

Christine Cornwell is a performer/composer and producer based in Rotterdam with strong links to free improvisation, collective practice, and strives to initiate projects for artists from different disciplines to work together. In her work, she works closely with performers and audience, recently at Screen Dive/Gaudeamus in Utrecht, workshops with Hackers&Designers + Questions Collective in Amsterdam, and a new series Sounding Here at Rotterdam's Batavierhuis. 

Christine has a Masters in Classical Composition from Codarts University of the Arts, and a Bachelor in Music Performance (violin) from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She currently mentors students at Codarts University of the Arts and is employed as a Creative Producer there.

More info on Christine here: https://christinecornwell.info

Christine Cornwell - Warm Ups (2022)

Six e-bow acoustic guitars, recorded at home.

Six Lines: after a song by Freda D'Souza (2024)

Open Union is an electric guitar and modular synth duo made up of composer-performers Peter Bell and Patrick Ellis. 

Described by treasured composer Howard Skempton as being, ‘sometimes subtle and unstable; sometimes rich and dense’, the duo aims to build up strong collaborative relationships to create new verbal and text based works. Their current collaborators are Christine Cornwell, Wilson Leywantono, May Chi and Paolo Griffin. 

The duo have performed at UK events Ealing Extranormal, AMOK, Birmingham Modular Organisation and CODA Festival, and in 2023, undertook a mini-tour of The Netherlands, as part of the Sounding Here concert series at Splendor in Amsterdam and Batavierhuis in Rotterdam. 

Cover photo by James McIlwrath, November 2022

Christine Cornwell - Warm Ups (2022)

Open Union

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