Ensemble Intercontemporain recently completed a residency at the University of York. During this residency, my piece 'Four Obscure Sorrows' was performed by their phenomenal clarinettist Jerome Roche.
Founded by Boulez in 1976, the ensemble shares a passion for 20th and 21st century music, and is committed to music education, hosting workshops and concerts to help students become the composers of the future.
The University of York is the first British university to have initiated collaboration with an ensemble of such caliber. Ten composition students had their new works workshopped by internationally acclaimed soloists Sophie Cherrier, Jérôme Comte, Jeanne-Marie Conquer, Éric-Maria Couturier, Dimitri Vassilakis and François Vallet on 21 November.
This was followed by a lunchtime concert on 22 November – a feast of new music showcasing new works by Jake Adams, Joe Bates, Stefano Gioffré, Fotis Kaymenakis, Helen Madden, Cameron McArthur, Yue Ming, Laura Mitchell, Freddy Viner and Roy Watkins.
The residency culminated with an evening concert on 23 November at Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall – an exciting programme, which included the classic Derive I for six players by Boulez, and the UK premiere of Professor Thomas Simaku’s Klang Inventions.
