programme note:

❝distance changes utterly when you take the world on foot. a mile becomes a long way, two miles literally considerable, ten miles whopping, fifty miles AT THE VERY LIMITS OF CONCEPTION… life takes on a neat simplicity, too. time ceases to have any meaning. when it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again you get up, and everything in between is just in between… you exist in a tranquil tedium, serenely beyond the reach of exasperation. all that is required of you is a willingness to trudge. there is no point in hurrying because you are not actually going anywhere. however far or long you plod,
you are always in the same place… it’s where you were yesterday, where you will be tomorrow… every bend in the path presents a prospect indistinguishable from every other, every glimpse into the trees the same tangled mass. for all you know, your route could describe a very large, pointless circle. in a way, it would hardly matter.❞ - Bill Bryson.

the theme of this piece is based on distance, and my personal struggles with returning to my birthplace of jersey in the channel islands, during each of the u.k. national lockdowns. because i have no access to a car, and because public transport is running so sporadically, i am practically marooned within my own home. however, once a day, i walk to the nearby coastline for a walk and look out onto the horizon to see if i can spot any of the other islands, or france. this piece describes the juxtaposition of having two places that are called ‘home’, and the yearning to travel beyond geographical and psychological horizons – back to the u.k., and back to normality.

this piece was composed in february 2021 for the daryl runswick composition competition, where it was workshopped for the finals and performed by the trinity laban contemporary music group, conducted by Gregory Rose.

• Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Kit Venables and Ben Leigh-Grosart

at the very limits of conception

at the very limits of conception — for chamber ensemble (2021)

https://youtu.be/Gp14Z2BrLXg

CORPUS is an organism created through sound and movement. The installation focuses on depicting the brain, the heart, and the lungs, and is inspired by the almost unfathomable complexity of how all living beings biologically operate. 

CORPUS creates an opportunity for the audience to become observers within the central and peripheral nervous systems of an organism created in the performance space. Players become kinetic pieces of art, taking the role of red blood cells. By walking around and passing each other by (with or without interaction), they symbolise the movement of blood supply to the organs. Without this almost constant moving state, CORPUS would cease to exist.

This installation is inspired by aleatory and stochastic processes, and the audience is invited, and strongly recommended, to explore the space both visually and aurally to decipher the puzzles presented within the music.

This work was presented as my final assessment of my MMus in Composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

This piece was premiered on Friday, 10th June 2022 at Blackheath Halls, London, by the following musicians:

Flute — Hania Woźniak
Oboe — Vivien Króner
Clarinet in Bb — Mattia Zamperoni
Bass Clarinet in Bb — Cristina Fugazzotto 
Bassoon — Georgina Taylor
Tenor Saxophone in Bb — Ashley Brand 
Horn in F — Nivanthi Karunaratne 
Trumpet in Bb — Euan Holwill
Trombone — Owain Davies-McCrorie 
Tuba in Eb — Lewis Chinn
Harp — Imogen Emmett 
Percussion 1 — Cameron Reed 
Percussion 2 — Filippo Ferruggiara 
Percussion 3 — Dominic Daggett
Violin 1 — Diego Coral Hernandez 
Violin 2 — Kornélia Nemcová 
Viola — Andrew Liddell
Cello — Rebecca Burden
Double Bass — Alexander Ferkey

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Production Team:
Crew and Stage Management — George Lewis and Daniel Gray
Spatial Recording and Filming — Benjamin Burnett, Kornélia Nemcová, Ben Leigh-Grosart and Kit Venables
Stopwatch Assistants — Shaye Poulton-Richards, Joshua Kaye, Harry Weir, Alex Cho, Martha Clayton, Rosie Brighton
Audience Recording — Sam Pugh and Franklyn Oliver
Mixing and Mastering — Sam Pugh

CORPUS: a sound sculpture — for chamber ensemble (2022)

THE ILLUSION OF WITCHCRAFT

This soundscape delves into the dark history of witchcraft on the island of Jersey, creating an unsettling atmosphere that depicts the horrific trials and torture faced by the convicted witches. Manipulating sounds from the original sculpture of the same name, designed by Mike Woods in 2006; the soundscape portrays the unsettling journey of these accused individuals, evoking emotions of fear, injustice and mystery.

"...it is therefore strictly forbidden to all the inhabitants of this island to receive any counsel or assistance in their adversities from any witches or diviners, or anyone suspected of practising sorcery, under pain of one month's imprisonment in the castle on bread and water..."
"...i cannot say there are no witches, but since the difficulty of convicting them has been recognised in the Island, they all seem to have disappeared, as though the evidence of time gone by had been but an illusion..."

THE ILLUSION OF WITCHCRAFT

Variations One and Two — Recorded 30.03.2022

Part 1: Andrew Liddell (Violin)
Part 2: Georgia Morgan Turner (Electric Guitar)
Part 3: Owain Davies-McCrorie (B♭Baritone)
Part 4: Alex Lyon (B♭Bass Clarinet)
Part 5: Tom Bradbury (E♭Alto Saxophone)
Part 6: Natacha Hansen (E♭Alto Saxophone)
Part 7: Serena Sheane (Piano)
Part 8: Dom Daggett (Marimba)
Part 9: Sam Pugh (Double Bass)
Part 10: Alex Ferkey (Double Bass)

Recorded at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Recording and Mixing by Benjamin Burnett
Mastering by Sam Pugh
Album Cover and Liner Notes by Emily de Gruchy

Variation One

BEAG (AIR BHEAG) for three double basses explores the concept of gradual development and accumulation, drawing inspiration from the Scottish Gaelic phrase meaning "little by little." The title reflects the piece's compositional approach, where musical material unfolds and evolves incrementally, akin to the process of building layer upon layer.

Through a blend of textural exploration, harmonic richness, and rhythmic interplay, BEAG (AIR BHEAG) invites listeners on a sonic journey characterised by its patience and meticulous attention to detail. Each bass line intertwines with the others, creating a tapestry of sound that ebbs and flows with subtle shifts in dynamics and intensity.

As the music progresses, motifs emerge and recombine, reflecting the organic growth inherent in the composition's structure. The interplay between the three double basses fosters a sense of dialogue and camaraderie, as they navigate through passages of tension and release, unity and divergence.

BEAG (AIR BHEAG) ultimately celebrates the beauty found in the gradual unfolding of musical ideas, mirroring the intricacies of life's journey, where each moment contributes to the rich tapestry of human experience.

Recorded at Blackheath Halls
Performed by Sam Pugh, Alex Ferkey and Max Lamprecht (Double Basses)

BEAG (AIR BHEAG) — for three double basses

Imagine if you could hear the same sounds that your ancestors from a thousand years ago heard. How would you feel? Would you feel the fear of persecution? Would you run and claim sanctuary? Would you think of devils and witches, or liberation and triumph? This work provides an opportunity to reflect on your ancestor's sonic memories, whether sacred or secular - whichever side of history they chose to take.

Emily de Gruchy has a keen interest in how Jersey's religious outlook changed depending on which geopolitical events were occurring either between England and France, or in each respective country. There were many people over hundreds of years that flocked to the Island to practise their faith free from the risk of persecution, and in tandem brought with them their musical heritage. Jersey's sacred music history is a fascinating amalgamation of political, societal and religious perspectives still engrained in the Island's culture today.

Emily's work was presented in the form of a sound installation, using a mix of field recordings she made during 2023 of church bells around Jersey and open-source sound material/ The installation takes the listener on a chronological journey through different forms of sacred and secular bellringing practices from the Island. Over the space of an hour, visitors could follow an audio timeline from the beginning of the 11th century through to the end of the 20th century, mixed with ecclesiastical soundscapes and sonic reimaginings of traditional Island folkloric tales and traditions.

“This unique and ambitious installation functions as a teleportation device through which to explore the entanglement of historical and cultural processes within the archive. At the hands of this work, we travel back and through time at the speed of ecclesiastical tonality.” - Daniel Heaven, on La Sonn’nie D’Clioches

Mixed and Mastered by Matt Norriss

La Sonn'nie D'Clioches — a sound installation

To mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation, this exhibition (“La Vie auprès la Libéthâtion: Lé c’min à l’èrgraiethie” (E: Life after Liberation: The road to recovery) exhibition from the 2 May 2025 - 31 December 2025 at the Jersey Museum and Art Gallery) examined the many challenges Jersey faced following its release from five long years of German Occupation. After the celebrations are over, how do you manage the transition from military rule to civilian administration? How do you unite a population divided by loss, separation, and suspicions of collaboration? And how do you return the Island to prosperity after five years of economic isolation and mounting war debts? The exhibition explored the years following Liberation, both the challenges, joys and opportunities, and traces the Island's long road to recovery. It also considers how we have remembered Liberation as the years have passed and asks what we can learn from this experience.

“As a little girl, my Poppa always used to recount stories about his time in occupied Jersey, the Liberation and the rebuilding of his motor business and familial life post-war. He used to tell me that the sound of cars honking their horns and bicycles chiming their bells filled the air across the Island, starting from town of course! You’ll hear both of these things, as well as many other auditory symbols of freedom - including the ringing of bells, and a subtle musical improvisation on the melody of Jersey’s (now official!) national anthem, Man Beau P’tit Jèrri. It has been an immense privilege to work with Jersey Heritage on creating this soundscape - I am extremely proud of my heritage, and I am grateful to share this joy with everyone visiting this exhibition.”
 
Composed by Emily de Gruchy
Double Bass Playing by Sam Pugh
Mixed & Mastered by Matt Norriss

La Vie Auprès La Libéthâtion - a Soundscape

Two places, one time. Germany, Jersey, and the Second World War. It seems strange to juxtapose two simultaneous histories against each other, but as the lens on our Island’s history changes, so do the perspectives of those who tell it. Who do we listen to? How do we listen to them? Why do we need to listen? These are all questions that are increasingly asked by all who celebrate the Liberation of the Channel Islands - and are becoming increasingly important as time progresses, and as the events of 1945 become more historic, and those who lived through them pass away.

‘Two Places: One Time’ is a soundscape that uses field recordings taken within the Island of Jersey, and found sounds associated with small German spa towns like Wurzach. They are knitted together, designed to be almost unrecognisable from each other apart from a few small details. Language, location, and life are designed to be obfuscated within this space, leading the listener to decide from which perspective of history they want to experience the exhibition.

‘Structures & Memory (a place called Wurzach)’ is an exhibition marking the start of Jersey’s official Liberation 80 anniversary programme. Running from Friday 2 May at ArtHouse Jersey at Capital House, the exhibition has been inspired by the memories and experiences of the Jersey deportees who were sent to a prison camp in a small town called Wurzach (now Bad Wurzach) in southern Germany during World War II. Working closely with the St Helier Bad Wurzach Partnerschaft, the exhibition more widely explores the legacy of this extraordinary story encountered by Jersey residents and connects it to enduring experiences of displacement, occupation and reconciliation, both from Jersey and internationally. Structures & Memory (a place called Wurzach) features the work of four Jersey artists - composer Emily de Gruchy, documentary photographer Shan O’Donnell, sculptural and performance artists Oliver Le Gresley and Nicole Sheppard - alongside archival materials collected by the families of deportees to Bad Wurzach during the war.

Two Places: One Time - a soundscape

📍 LONDON, UK / JERSEY, CI
💿 EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC DUO
SAMPLED EDGES is a collaborative project by composers Sam Pugh and Emily de Gruchy. This project brings together their passions for contemporary compositional techniques and electronic music production. Their music consists of soundscapes rooted in experimental nad ambient sensibilities; complemented by elements of glitch, spatialization, indeterminacy, and sampling.