adopt a composer

It always surprises me how quickly a piece can become external to its composer.  What had before been an ongoing process, an open

Each year our Adopt a Composer scheme sets amateur choirs, orchestras and ensembles up with composers for a year to produce a new

It’s been great to get to know the orchestra personally, and have time to try out several drafts and sections of the piece before finalising them;

Adopt a Composer 2015, Alison Willis

My Ukulele playing hasn't developed much since last time but I have learnt enough to help refine my piece and even join the band, even if only on a few chords, when the band is playing songs.

This blog post has been a long time coming as it was put on pause while I have been finishing my PhD.

Last week I met with the orchestra again! My mentor David Horne was able to come to this rehearsal, which was very useful.

When I’m there working with the group, there’s a particular dynamic and working relationship which from the start has been very positive and enabling – but of course there’s lots going on that I don’t see, so it’s intriguing to read about how they see that relationship themselves, and how they’re experiencing the project.

It is a curious feature of Thame that if one looks upwards, there is often a surprising abundance of birds of prey meandering across the sky.