cozy you

table for two

Performance: Nordic Viola Ensemble
Instrumentation: Flute, Viola 1, Viola 2, Bassoon, Ocarinas
Artwork: Figure(Archæan) by Barbara Hepworth

Archæan, derived from the Greek word for beginning, refers to the era hosting the earliest formation of life on Earth. Taking inspiration from Hepworth's sculptural portrayal of this era, my piece explores concepts of emergence and transformation.

Archæan

Instrumentation: Solo Piano

A Portrait of Ga was written to accompany Margaret Tait’s 1952 film of the same name, as an ode to her poetic illustration of memory, place, and the enduring connections that shape our lives.

Portrait of Ga

Performance: Sholpan Miller at RCS 2024 PLUG Festival
Instrumentation: Solo Piano

Tethered Sentiment explores the notion of unhealthy attachment and its
implications of nostalgia, dependency, and constraint. In navigating the delicate balance
between inner turmoil and external appearances, the piece seeks to
illustrate the allure of familiarity and the beauty of resilience found in
moments of brokenness.

Tethered Sentiment

Performance: Mark O'Keeffe
Instrumentation: Solo Bb Trumpet

Wandering was written in collaboration with Mark O’Keeffe as part of the Red Note Solos series. The piece emulates a free-flowing thought process, unfolding organically and unrestricted by any predetermined direction or destination.

Wandering

Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet (Bb), Horn (F), Bassoon

Driftwood is inspired by a seascape, using the warm, mellow timbres of wind instruments to depict a pastoral, rural setting. As the title suggests, the piece is representative of a transformative journey, weathered and shaped by the experiences it endures. The six contrasting movements follow a narrative arc from the initial excitement of departure, through stormy periods of unrest, to the ultimate calm of returning to the safety of the shore. 

Driftwood

Performance: Garth Knox
Instrumentation: Solo Viola

This piece explores the dichotomy of solitude; the tension between its opposing qualities of independence and isolation.

Solitude

Gilded Leaves is loosely inspired by autumn; rich, warm colours of the natural landscape are celebrated in the warm blended timbres of the brass ensemble and crunchy sustained dissonance like fallen leaves. 

Gilded Leaves

Ella Cookson is a Glasgow based composer and pianist from Lancashire, currently working towards a BMus Composition degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Often influenced by nature, she aims to depict vivid, introspective portrayals of the subjects of her work.