May is quite often the busiest time of year for me as a composer and this May is proving to be nothing different. Performances of The World on Fire (2015) continue in it’s tenth anniversary year (Cambridge and Wisconsin) and there are Australian (O lux Beata Trinitas) and Canadian (Christus Resurgens) premieres as well as performances at this years London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. There is also a world premiere of a short new setting of God Be in My Head (2025) by the Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow and their conductor Frikki Walker. Looking further ahead are performances of earlier pieces Invocation (2010) and Three Partsongs (2012) as well as a new piece for Carlisle Cathedral. 

March has a selection of interesting performances and broadcasts taking place across the world. The brand new choir the Graduati Singers will give the premiere of my Sassoon setting ‘Everyone Sang’ (from Three Partsongs [second set]) in London in a lovely programme. The World on Fire is in Cambridge and Gloria is in Ayr (in a new chamber orchestra version, which I’ll be attending) and there are performances in the US and Belgium. ‘O Lord, Save Thy People’ (from Festival Te Deum) is to be broadcast on ABC (Australian national radio) on the programme The God Who Sings, the third time my work has been featured on this show in the past few years. Other than that, I’ll mainly be writing organ music and reading about John Tavener. PAC

2024 was a varied year for me with changes in my academic life that spilled into my creative work and ultimately led to less being productive then I would have hoped for! However, I have never had as many performances as in 2024, across the world from the USA and Canada to many different countries in Europe and further afield. I did write a few new works including a setting of Antiphon a new set of partsongs and a short song-cycle, Silver. Most of my creativity was directed towards the organ, with several new works culminating in a wonderful recording session in Blackburn Cathedral with Ed Jones in October.