short biography

Born 1969 in South Wales, UK.
Childhood studies in violin and piano, and first experiments in composition.
Studied Philosophy at Swansea University, then BMus at Cardiff (1998-2001), with courses in harmony, counterpoint, fugue, analysis, orchestration and composition.
PhD in Composition under composer Anthony Powers at Cardiff (2001-2006).
Composition workshops with eminent UK composers Anthony Payne, John Pickard, Michael Berkeley.
Associate lecturer in harmony, counterpoint and composition at Cardiff.

Outside of the musical world I have also worked as a software developer, most recently for a US text analytics company, building their REST API and cloud infrastructure. From 2015-19 I was employed as a researcher at the University of Huddersfield, working on the AHRC-funded John Cage Concert for Piano and Orchestra project. Since November 2019 I have worked as a Research Software Engineer at RNCM PRiSM (RNCM Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music).

about my music

Melody, and particularly new melody, is central to my music. By ‘new’ melody, I mean what the composer Claude Vivier meant: bold melody that isn’t derivative of any past style, but seeks out fresh shapes and contours. More than this, however, I find melody is important in providing a clue as to the structure of a piece, since it represents a unity of both material and form.

I employ the total chromatic but my music is not strictly atonal (I regard that term as meaningless anyway). I never begin with vertical structures, but always find myself involved with counterpoint and other textures which in some way elaborate or enrich a line. I would describe myself as a ‘top down’ rather than a ‘bottom up’ composer; the whole, in a way, precedes the parts. In fact I often begin with just a title, and work down from that.

I seek a balance between systematic and intuitive composition. Pieces often begin with an improvised idea, and if the idea interests me I inevitably find within it meaningful structures and potential material to further develop and explore. Recently this exploration has at least partly been through the use of computer-based techniques and tools, such as IRCAM’s OpenMusic software.

At the risk of exceeding the bounds of taste, here is a list (neither exhaustive, nor in any particular order) of some composers I particularly admire, and who have influenced my own work:

Jean Sibelius
Igor Stravinsky
Claude Vivier
Anton Bruckner
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Harrison Birtwistle
Arvo Part
John Cage
Guillaume Dufay
Leos Janacek
Anton Webern
Johannes Brahms
Gyorgy Ligeti
Witold Lutoslawski
Magnus Lindberg

writing, software, and other projects

I am the author of the chapter 'Six Metal Fugue' in vol.2 of The OM Composer’s Book, which discusses the use of IRCAM’s OpenMusic software in my piece of the same name.

Currently working on an article on aspects of the music of the composer Claude Vivier.

I have also developed two libraries for OpenMusic – OMFuzzy, which integrates Fuzzy Logic programming into OM, and OMContour, a contour analysis module (both will shortly be available for download on this site).

mirror movement disorder

I have a condition (I hesitate to say 'I suffer from' it) called Mirror Movement Disorder. This is a rare congenital neurological condition characterised by involuntary mirroring of movement on one side of the body by the other, most commonly affecting the hands. Basically, my hands copy each other. The copied movement is of less intensity, but it is completely unconscious and automatic. Needless to say, this has had a considerable affect on my life as a musicain - I began playing the violin at age 7, and throughout my childhood although I was aware of it I sort of assumed that everyone had it, so I never brought it up. It wasn't until I was about 20 that I reported the condition to my GP, and was sent for an MRI scan of my brain - to look for a tumour (they didn't find one!). The genetic basis for the condition has since been established, as far as seems possible, but even though it runs in families no other member of my family (that I know of, at least) has it.

In additon to affecting my violin playing the condition also has had an indirect deleterious psychological impact - I spent a lot of time during my teenage years playing in youth orchestras, but as the condition affected my ability to sight read, as well as making playing at speed very difficult, I found it hard to enjoy the experience, feeling inferior to my peers. As a result I became increasingly shy and withdrawn - things I'm glad to say I've now very much overcome. Earning a living as a musician was pretty much ruled out, however, and I now rarely play the violin.

To my knowledge I've never met anyone else with Mirror Movement Disorder, so if you have it please get in touch! I'd be particularly interested to hear how it has affected you if you are a musician who plays an instrument using their hands.