Threnody
Beginning my 75th year, there will be a concert on 13 January given by Musicians of All Saints at All Saints, Lewes including my ‘Threnody’ for string orchestra written 50 years ago!
Chidiock’s End
In 1586, having written his own justly famous elegy ‘My Prime of Youth’, the young Chidiock Tichborne was executed for his part in a plot against Queen Elizabeth 1. On 18 November the brilliant Brass Fusion included my ‘Chidiock’s End’ for brass quintet in a New Music Brighton concert at All Saints in Brighton. A link to a video of the first performance is in my YouTube Channel:
Period Pieces
Pianist Yoko Ono performed my Period Pieces on Saturday 28 October at St Mary de Haura, Shoreham-by-Sea in the Adur Arts Live festival. Also in the concert were Debussy’s ‘Childrens’ Corner’ and ‘Estampes’ and Chris Gander’s ‘Haiku for the Four Seasons’.
Child’s Play
In the 1960s Malcolm Williamson wrote a brilliant and popular song cycle on words from Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘A Child’s Garden of Verses’. This year I was asked by soprano Judy Mackerras to write more songs to go with the Williamson.
• The premiere will be on Sunday November 12th at 6.00 pm at St Michael’s, Lewes and the pianist will be Howard Beach.
Urizen
On 27 Aug
ust there was a wonderful performance of ‘Urizen’ played by Rachel Roberts (viola) and Chris Hopkins (piano) in a typically ingenious programme at the Presteigne Festival. ‘Urizen’ was also given a brilliant performance in Brighton by Ros Hanson (viola) and Steve Carroll-Turner on 11 June!
John Hawkins studied composition with Malcolm Williamson and Elisabeth Lutyens. He has written a wide range of chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral pieces, which have been performed worldwide.