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Timeline SongsIn collaboration with award-winning composer Dr Stef Conner,  Timeline Songs presents a  programme of heritage singing days, which bring together music-making and history, in some of the UK’s most beautiful ancient venues. We offer very special themed ‘come and sing’ events, in which our participants spend a day in an unusual historic building, exploring its epoch and the stories connected with it, and singing music from and inspired by the period. Previous events include “Banks and Briars: Ralph Vaughan Williams and the English Folksong”, and “Waes Hael: Yuletime Carols 800-2012″

All of the music is taught orally, to ensure that our events are accessible to all – there is no need for any previous singing experience or sight-reading ability and experienced singers will find themselves suitably challenged and inspired through our rich and varied repertoire. For more information visit the Timeline Songs website
Waes Hael! Yuletide Carols 800-2012
Waes Hael! Performance, York Dec 2012

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In January 2013 I became involved in a concert entitle “Articulate”; the first ever concert for voice and artificial voices, which was to be the culmination of a road show presenting research by the CreST Network (Creative Speech Technology). The roadshow itself marked the end of two years worth of research and collaboration by the Network involving composers, musicians, poets, scientists and engineers, and the concert premiered several new works, or excerpts of works by UK and  US composers, including Kevin Jones’s “Your Call…” The piece investigates the evolving human/machine relationship and the ways in which technology is an ever more ubiquitous presence in our lives.  A subsequent performance of an extended set of excerpts took place in June 2013 at the York Festival of Ideas.

In  early 2014 we started out fundraising, and were really honoured to be selected as a New York Foundation for Arts Project, providing us with much needed support for our fundraising efforts. In July I travelled to New York to workshop new material for  two performances at the Tête-a-Tête Opera Festival. In conjunction with the very talented choreographer Joy Kellman we worked on bringing the piece to light. We were in such good shape towards the end of the trip that we were able to give an informal performance to a specially invited audience of supporters at  NYU Tisch. A two weeks later we gave the premiere of “Your Call…” on the 7th and 8th August in King’s Place, London as part of the 2014 Tête-a-Tête Opera Festival. Kevin is now working on adapting the work into a full-length evening event.

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Check out the trailer:

 

We’re still  fundraising stage for this collaboration tax-free donations can be made at here.  For more updates of the progress of the piece please visit the website (link below)

Synthetic voice software has been provided by Cereproc Ltd. Edinburgh, technical assistance and support by Bruce Balentine, Chief Scientist, EIG Labs, Zurich, Switzerland, and multi-platform production by Harvestworks Media.

Your Call website

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Eboracum Quartet and Lisa J Coates, April 27th 2013 at the De Grey Rooms, April 2013
Lisa J Coates and the Eboracum Quartet at the De Grey Rooms 2013
Eboracum Quartet November 2013

 

The Eboracum Quartet was founded in 2007 for outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate string players studying at the University of York. Re-auditioned every year, members of the quartet perform widely showcasing a diverse range of repertoire from Mozart, Debussy, Schubert and Shostakovich to world premieres, and previous members have gone on to successful careers as professional musicians. Alumni of the quartet have been fortunate enough to participate in workshops with illustrious ensembles such as the Kreutzer Quartet, and the Wilheim Quartet with 2012-2013 members Sophie Simpson (violin), Richard Powell (violin), Bella Clifford (viola) and Kristina Craven (cello) working with the international, award winning group Quator Diotima. They were joined by mezzo-soprano Lisa J Coates for the inaugural concert at the stunning De Grey Rooms in York, a Georgian ballrooom managed by the York Theatre Royal.

The first programme in April 2013 featured Dover Beach (Barber), Along the Fields for voice and violin (Vaughan Williams), Les Nuits d’ete (Berlioz arr. Desmond Clarke) and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart). Following the success of the recital they were invited back in November the same year this time with a very different cabaret-style programme including The Juliet Letters (Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet) and songs by Debussy and Rodrigo (arr. Desmond Clarke), Gershwin (arr. William Brooks) and Tom Lehrar (arr. Rich Powell)

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New Music from Old York – The 24 and Gamelan Setkar Petak – 2012 (Boreas)

available on Amazon

Featuring works by Neil Sorrell, Stef Conner, Thomas Simaku, Jonathan Brigg,  Roger Marsh, and Christopher Leedham

All works performed by The 24 and Gamelan Sektar Petak. Directed by William Brooks and Graham Bier.

Recorded on 30th January, and 12th and 30th June 2011 in Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York and on 13th July 2010 in the Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Everilda, Everingham

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Cross-Pollination – 2011 (Touch)

Available for purchase and download on Amazon

The Bee Choir: Dylan de Buitlear, Lisa J Coates, Stef Conner, Louis Marlow, Shendie McMath

“A simply gorgeous, spectral sound…an imaginative intervention of music in a site-specific environment, and a work that succeeds totally in creating a ‘unique choral collaboration’ ” Sound Projector, UK

“a fascinating commingling of insect and human utterance that exudes a somewhat primal character (in the choir singing specifically)” Texture, USA