This is a past event
In conversation with Professor Phillip Cooke, John will reflect upon his status as a mid (possibly late) career composer who works in academia. He will explore how his work is framed within an institutional research context whilst trying to pursue an authentic musical and artistic voice grounded in lived experience.
Whilst reviewing the effectiveness of this approach, John will discuss some of his key works and share developments in his current projects as he seeks creative renewal and solutions to problems within his practice that have become increasingly apparent since he started his composing life in the early 1990s
John De Simone is a composer based in Aberdeenshire. After undergraduate music studies at Cardiff University He studied postgraduate composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal Conservatoire, The Hague where he graduated with distinction. In 2010 He was awarded a PhD in composition from the University of St Andrews and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he joined as a Lecturer from 2006. In 2020 he commenced his current position as Senior Lecturer in Composition at the University of Aberdeen.
He has enjoyed regular commissions throughout his career, writing for groups such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Edinburgh Quartet, Mondriaan Quartet, Red Note Ensemble, Aurelia Sax Quartet, Percussion Group The Hague, and Ensemble Klang. His music is regularly performed in major festivals, including Verona Risuona, BBC Tectonics, Spitalfields, Gaudeamus, and the Gothenburg GAS festival, and broadcast widely on national and international radio. From 2016-18 he was the inaugural Composer in Residence for the sound festival, Aberdeen.
He believes strongly in building community through making music and as such was a key figure in the re-emergence of new music ensembles in The Netherlands through the creation of Ensemble Muse (1999-2003) Moving to Scotland, he created Ensemble Thing, which performs throughout Scotland and beyond.
- Speaker
- Dr John De Simone
- Hosted by
- University of Aberdeen
- Venue
- King's College - KCF22/Microsoft Teams
- Contact
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Please contact Dr Christina Ballico if you would like a Microsoft Teams link for this session: christina.ballico@abdn.ac.uk.