Illuminate Season I with Ethel Smyth trio at Late Music York on 7th September 2019

Blair Boyd (b.1990): Undercurrent (2019) for piano trio (illuminate commission)

The largely atmospheric opening of Undercurrent comprises of dovetailed expressive lines in the violin and cello underpinned by muddled chords in the piano’s lower register. In the faster central section of the piece, the dense piano chords evolve into secco rhythmic pulsations which provide a mechanical-like current for the dialogue between the violin and cello pair. The final section of the piece is a return to the atmospheric opening as the original piano chords repeat in a pattern at a differing rate in each instrument, which is slowly augmented until the individual streams converge.
© Blair Boyd 2019

Blair Boyd Undercurrent

Dr. Angela Elizabeth Slater is a UK-based composer, whose compositional voice focuses on musically mapping aspects of the natural world into the fabric of music. Nominated for an Ivors Classical Award for her work, Through the Fading Hour, her music has been described as ‘intricate...and often ravishingly scored’ and  making ‘deft and vivid use of instrumental colour’.. Slater collaborates with performers, ensembles, and initiatives worldwide to musically explore sounds, colours, and textures.

Slater’s recent creative projects include fellowships at the Modern Music Festival, with performances of Glass dominoes for mixed ensemble and Gathering the tide for orchestra; Hong Kong Intimacy of Creativity Festival, working with the Viano Quartet on Distorted Light; Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, for a commission of Where skies aflame, written for the Flux quartet; and Creative Dialogues Festival, for the world premiere of a tulip, iron. She has previously held Composition Fellowships at Tanglewood Music Center, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Society, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Composers’ Hub, Stockholm Chamber Brass Academy, Impulse Festival, Young Composers Meeting. She is also the receipt of the Mendelssohn Scholarship Award and is an ISCM World Music Days Nominee.

Unravelling the Crimson Sky will be a featured work on the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming album, Sounds New. Additional upcoming collaborations include Arbor Concerto, a consortium for accordion and chamber orchestra led by Sanja Mlinarič, Mountains become oceans, a consortium for percussion and harp led by Rosanna Moore and Hannah Weaver, and an expansion of As the moon runs red into a trumpet concerto with wind ensemble led by Simon Debruslais. Past collaboration highlights include working with Laura Farré Rozada  and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra on piano concerto, Tautening skies and with Richard Waters and the London Philharmonic Orchestra on the world premiere of her viola concerto, Through the fading hour.

​Slater is also the Director of Illuminate Women’s Music, a chamber music concert series designed to celebrate the creativity of women composers and performers, as well as exploring the rich legacy of music written by women historically. Her works are self-published, with select works published by Composers Edition and Babel Scores. Please visit https://www.angelaslatercomposer.co.uk/ for more information.
For more information please visit: https://angelaslatercomposer.co.uk

https://linktr.ee/AngelaElizabethSlatercomposer


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4D3iXOjCeJQ?list=PL2xe_uwXdUWV9Q5EiWMCh1pWkXRAzLE9-" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I am a composer that is classically trained with broad interest and experience in world musics. MM New England Conservatory '86, BM University of Massachusetts at Amherst '76.

My compositions have won awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Reed Trio International Chamber Music Composition Competition, a Bryant Fellowship from Harvard University, and a certificate from the 21st Century Music Project Competition of the the International Center for Japanese Culture in Yokohama, Japan. My works have been performed across the United States, Europe and Japan.

As a composer, I am interested in considering commissions and collaborations. Performing scores and parts are available to all my works here on SoundCloud through Universal Edition, J. W. Pepper Music, Frank Warren Music Service, or by contacting me.

I hope you enjoy listening here.

Blair Boyd Undercurrent

Illuminate Women's Music