City Songs

from 2013 CODI Programme Book

St. Columb’s Hall

CITY SONGS ERIKS EŠENVALDS FEATURING IMOGEN HEAP

Friday 25th October, St. Columb’s Hall, 8pm Presented by Mark Patterson

City Songs is the second performance of a newly commissioned work by Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds, Australian poet Emma Jones and British artist Imogen Heap.

The piece features six choirs - the Holst Singers, Codetta, the Roundhouse Choir, Encore Contemporary Choir, Colmcille Ladies and the Music Promise Junior Choir - and the Orchestra of Ireland. It is narrated by Grammy award-winning singer Imogen Heap.

Three of the above-mentioned choirs also featured in the work’s premiere at the Voices Now Festival in the Roundhouse, London on 23rd June 2013.

The City Songs concert will open with an introductory programme by Latvian Voices featuring works by Ēriks Ešenvalds.

LATVIAN VOICES PROGRAMME

Rūtoj Saule - Traditional Latvian Folk Song, arr. N. Vītiņa Dindaru Dandaru - L. Jēkabsone Es gulu, gulu - Traditional Latvian Folk Song, arr. N. Vītiņa Ej, saulīte drīz pie Dieva - Traditional Latvian Folk Song, arr. L. Jēkabsone Mēnestiņis nakti brauca - L. Jēkabsone Gloria - L. Jēkabsone Sanctus - L. Jēkabsone Lullaby - L. Timmermann, arr. L. Jēkabsone Oh, Danny boy, Traditional Irish Folk Song, arr. Ē. Ešenvalds O Salutaris Hostia - Ēriks Ešenvalds

INTERVAL

Ešenvalds said of the concept behind City Songs that ‘We (Ešenvalds, Jones and Heap) were all born in the same year, 1977, and our creative brainstorms were very special. Returning to one’s native place is always a pilgrimage with lots of memories and emotions’.

SYNOPSIS

A traveller enters a city at dawn, listening to the radio (1. ‘The Radio’) and looking for her childhood home. As dawn breaks, the city sings to her of its own childhood as a village (2. ‘The City’) and as the morning passes she encounters workers and commuters (3. ‘Workers’) and a group of pedestrians whom she asks for directions (4. ‘Pedestrians’). They lead her to some buskers, who relate how they came to sing on the street (5. ‘Buskers’).

The clock strikes noon. The city and the traveller sing about memory (6. ‘Voices’) and the traveller follows the familiar tune of an ice cream truck (7. ‘Customers’). Nearing home, in the mid-afternoon, she asks a passer-by the way, not knowing that he is a former friend (8. ‘Traveller in the Afternoon’).

The work day ends, happy workers spill out into the street (9. ‘Commuters’) and the city sings of the traveller as night falls (10. ‘The City’). The traveller ruminates on homecoming (11. ‘Road Motet’) and concludes that journeys are better than arrivals. Seeing her house down the crest of a hill, she joins a passing joyful street parade (12. ‘Parade’), which nally leads her home (13. ‘Finale’).

1. The Radio (All choirs) 2. The City (Music Promise Junior Choir) 3. Workers (Roundhouse Choir) 4. Pedestrians (Holst Singers) 5. Buskers (Colmcille Ladies) 6. Voices (Codetta) 7. Customers (Codetta) 8. Traveller in the Afternoon (Roundhouse Choir) 9. Commuters (Holst Singers) 10. The City (Night) (Music Promise Junior Choir) 11. Road Motet (Encore) 12. Parade (All choirs) 13. Finale (All choirs)

ERIKS EŠENVALDS, COMPOSER

Eriks Ešenvalds has won multiple awards for his work, including the Latvian Great Music Prize, an Honourable Mention Diploma at the International Clarinet Association’s competition in Miami for Impressions of Saaremaa, First Place at the International Rostrum for Composers for his work Legend of a Walled-in Woman as well as a British Composer Awards Nomination.

Ēriks was ‘The Year’s New-Composer Discovery’ of the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2010, and received a Composition Teaching Achievement Award from the Riga Dome Choir School in the same year. His music has been performed at numerous international festivals in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan, South Africa, China, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Italy and Latvia. Until 30th September 2013 he held the position of Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK.

EMMA JONES, POET

Emma Jones is an Australian poet. Her rst poetry collection, The Striped World, was published by Faber & Faber in 2009. She studied at MLC School (Burwood, Sydney), then worked and travelled abroad, returning to Australia to study English at the University of Sydney, graduating with the University Medal in 2001. She entered Cambridge in 2002 and received a PhD in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge. Jones was poet-in-residence at the Wordsworth Trust in Grasmere, Cumbria from 2009 to 2010.

IMOGEN HEAP, NARRATOR

Imogen Heap is an eclectic, eccentric and innovative British musician, considered by some to be the epitome of a digital diva. Her talent spans the craft of songwriting to elaborate live multi-instrumental improvisations, building on a unique voice, classical training and unusual tech-savviness. Self-produced, independent and engaged, she blurs the boundaries between pure art forms and creative entrepreneurship, and uses her knowledge of the web and social networking to communicate and collaborate with her loyal following in pioneering ways.

She is an accomplished performer, having toured the world with 4 albums, including the 2009 Ellipse, which earned her a Grammy and an Ivor Novello award. Her graceful tunes, such as signature track ‘Hide & Seek’, have populated movies and TV shows, dance and theatre performances, and more recently Heap is being sampled by a whole new generation of young rappers and producers. Now in demand and at the peak of 15 years of diversi ed career experiences, she is enjoying exploring how her ‘musical ecosystem’ can have a positive impact by getting involved in creative projects that think big and outside the box.

STEPHEN LAYTON, CONDUCTOR

Stephen Layton is the Director of Music at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. He also guest conducts with many other renowned ensembles, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the London Sinfonietta, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Ulster Orchestra , Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Academy of Ancient Music, and with English, Scottish, Irish and Australian chamber orchestras. Stephen founded Polyphony in 1986 whilst organ scholar of King’s College Cambridge. He is Chief Guest Conductor of the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and Musical Director of the Holst Singers, and in 2006 he was made a Fellow and Director of Music of Trinity College, Cambridge.

HOLST SINGERS

The Holst Singers are one of Britain’s foremost choirs, described by the BBC as ‘a leading chorus on the international stage’. Based in London, in addition to their busy concert diary they regularly record for leading classical labels. With the support of their President, James Bowman, and Musical Director, Stephen Layton, the choir has developed an interest in exploring new and neglected works as well as core choral repertoire. In concert the choir is renowned for dramatic and engaging performances, described by The Times as ‘interactive concert-going at its most revelatory’.

Recent concert highlights include the Scott Centenary Concert Tour with the City of London Sinfonia; performances celebrating Gabrieli’s 400th anniversary at Temple Church and Trinity College, Cambridge; a collaboration with Imogen Heap on her highly acclaimed soundtrack to The Seashell and the Clergyman; and performances in the CLoSer concert series at Village Underground and the Reverb Festival at the Roundhouse. Recent touring includes Santiago de Compostela with the Hilliard Ensemble in Easter 2011 and Estonia in 2009.

ROUNDHOUSE CHOIR

Formed in September 2009 (and currently celebrating their 5th season), the Roundhouse Choir is rapidly establishing itself as one of the most exciting young emerging choirs in London and has consistently impressed audiences with its energy, enthusiasm and fascinating repertoire. Together with Director Osnat Schmool and Assistant Director Rathi Kumar, the choir has developed a far-reaching repertoire, including music from South Africa, Namibia, AfroCuban Orishas, pop, spirituals and original scores. It regularly performs at the Roundhouse as well as venues such as Southbank, Olympic Stadium and the Royal Albert Hall. It has collaborated with the likes of Meta Meta, Amandla Esandla, The Magnets, Mark Ronson, Boy George, Filament Theatre Company and Eliza Doolittle, and has featured on the latest Spiritualized album.

COLMCILLE LADIES

Founded in 1970, the Colmcille Ladies have competed in many of Ireland’s premier choral competitions as well as competitions in Barcelona, Salzburg, Riva del Garda and Prague. They have performed at numerous notable events including a private St. Patrick’s Day dinner for President Clinton and a performance for Pope John Paul II in his private chapel in the Vatican.

ENCORE CONTEMPORARY CHOIR

Encore was founded in 2011 by four singers who shared a love for music and wanted to establish an ensemble that focused on contemporary music and promoted a strong social bond amongst its members. Musical Director Emmet Doherty has guided the choir in performances at the Waterside Theatre and Clipper Quay, as well as performances for the Dalai Lama at Culture of Compassion, Culture Night in Guildhall Square, Derry City Council Summer Animation Festival in the Craft Village and the Amazing Grace Festival in Buncrana.

MUSIC PROMISE JUNIOR CHOIR

The Music Promise is a major part of the UK City of Culture 2013, putting children and young people’s music-making at the very heart of the year-long programme. Two choirs were formed as part of this scheme - Junior and Youth - with the members representing 22 schools in the Derry City Council area. They have already participated in such notable events as the premieres of At Sixes and Sevens by Mark-Anthony Turnage and The Conquest of Happiness directed by Haris Pašović and are delighted to add City Songs by Ēriks Ešenvalds to this prestigious list.