Hear Benjamin Oliver, Professor of Composition, speaking to Voice FM's Andrew Lumsden
Tonight's the night Benjamin Oliver , Professor of Composition, will find out if he was won a prestigious Ivor Novello Award as part of the Ivors Classical Awards.
A music professor at the University of Southampton, has been nominated for the Best Community and Participation Composition Award for a piece called VENT that he created with puppetry director and theatre maker Rachel Warr.
ben was recently on Voice FM's Classics at 1 with Andy Lumsden and gave a very interesting walk-through on how the music performance match each other perfectly.
VENT, written for a choir and electronics, explores themes of protest and freedom of speech, and draws on elements of ventriloquism. Professor Oliver composed the music for London-based experimental choir Musarc.
Quoted on the University of Southampton's website he said:
“VENT is in five parts, with each exploring elements of protest. For example, in the second section the choir is gradually suppressed until they are all mouthing the text stridently but silently. There are also sections with protest scenes, with placards and shouting, and more reflective sections that evoke rebuilding and the potential positive aspects of collective action.”
The Ivors Classical Award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 11 November at BFI Southbank, London.
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