DJs WILL mix with orchestral musicians, opera singers and poets at an exciting four-day festival to explore contemporary music and showcase computer music research at the University of Plymouth early next year. The Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival 'Voices II' will feature premieres of works by Mike Westbrook, Edward Cowie, John Matthias, Nick Ryan and Abdullah Chhadeh. The festival — between February 23 and 26 — is also pleased to welcome participating composers and performers including Sally Beamish, Darragh Morgan, Marie Vassiliou and Hywel Davies. Performances, lectures, installations and workshops will embrace new music inspired by the voices of nature, science, computers and poetry, while bringing together musicians from a wide range of disciplines including computer music, new acoustic repertoire, DJs live remix and opera. The festival directors are West Devon's Simon Ible, director of music, and Eduardo R Miranda, professor of computer music at the University of Plymouth. Simon Ible said: 'The University of Plymouth is gradually establishing a reputation for contemporary music and in particular in the areas of computer music research and its relationship to acoustic composing techniques. 'The festival aims to introduce innovative ideas to regional audiences and participants through new and contemporary art forms. 'I hate to use the cutting edge cliché, but much of what we are presenting results from the very latest computer software research as well as supporting traditional and spiritual music genres from around the world. So this is Plymouth, emerging as a major new force in the British new music scene.' Voices II follows on from last year's hugely successful Contemporary Music Festival 2005 'Voices'. The 2007 festival kicks off on Friday February 23 with Hywel Davies' Sound Installation Performance: 'Columbia livia', part of a two-site installation, Salva me, commissioned by Bath Festivals Trust and shown at the 2001 Bath International Music Festival. The free event will be held at Portland Square. This is followed by 'Old Stones, New Tales' — a session of poems recited by Richard Douglas Pendant to new music by Abdullah Chhadeh in the Upper Lecture Theatre of the Sherwell Centre. On Saturday February 24 the public is invited to three free lectures in the university's Scott Building. At 10 am Eduardo R Miranda will present 'Composing Music with Insect Calls' and, at 11 am, Nigel Morgan, Project Composer with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, will discuss 'Objects of Curiosity and the Composing Continuum'. At 12 noon, Sally Beamish will present Knotgrass Elegy, commissioned by the BBC Proms in 2001. That evening will see the premiere of Cortical Songs by John Matthias, lecturer in sonic arts at the University of Plymouth, and composer Nick Ryan, performed by the Ten Tors Orchestra at St Andrew's Church in Plymouth at 7.30 pm. Later that evening Plymouth's popular new music venue The Hub will host the festival party, an exciting melting pot of musical talent including DJs and other live music performers. Sunday February 25 will see a workshop exploration of the fascinating instrument the 'shakuhachi' — a Japanese Zen instrument — which is one of the world's instruments to most closely resemble the human voice. This will be followed by a performance. At 7.30 pm, NocOpera presents 'Cape Gloss — Mathilda's story', a new opera for solo soprano voice and piano. The performance takes place in the Upper Lecture Theatre of the Sherwell Centre. On Monday February 26 there will be a further performance of Hywel Davies' Sound Installation Performance: 'Columbia livia' from 6 pm at Portland Square. This is followed by a programme which includes the premiere of a new work, Spellchecks, by Edward Cowie inspired by the magic, spells and mystics found in the work of William Shakespeare. All Peninsula Arts Contemporary Festival tickets are available from 01752 238684 / email: [email protected]">[email protected] or on the door
