Archives: Info & Advice
You may not always agree with the 20 million people who get a song to the top spot, but that’s irrelevant in this craft. One man who should know is Ralph Murphy. He has written hits for decades – not top tens, not number twos but number one hits (because who ever threw a number […]
What has been the most pivotal moment in your career to date? An invitation on to the IRCAM induction course in 1981, where I learned music programming. Your work as a free vocal improviser has pushed so many boundaries – what drew you originally to the voice? Just as a baby is especially responsive to anything resembling a human face, […]
What has been the most pivotal moment in your career to date? Moving to Scotland. Being in a smaller, but vibrant, cultural scene opened up many possibilities in terms of collaborations and projects. And above all, the music and landscape were a revelation. What sparked your decision to develop a career as a composer, in addition to […]
BASCA Media Committee chair, Mark Ayres, moderated the panel with some of the biggest names across the advertising, film and TV sectors. Nick Angel Nick Angel was director of A&R for Island Records from 1990-99 where he signed PJ Harvey, Elbow and Pulp. In 1999, he became head of music for Working Title, supervising everything […]
The subconscious mind remains an unfathomable well of potential inspiration. However, you might be surprised at some of the figures that float about in Goldie’s subconscious, not least Judie Tzuch. She perhaps isn’t the first songwriter you imagine would have made much impact on him as a 13-year-old boy, kicking a ball around in Walsall. […]
The first panel featured BBC’s Tom Robinson, songwriter Carla Marie Williams, Tom Gray of Gomez and Universal Music Publishing’s Mark Gale. The second was moderated by BBC and Virgin Radio’s Georgie Rogers and featured Katie Melua, Victoria Horn, Becky Hill, and AMLOR Music Publishing’s Blair McDonald. Tom Robinson Songwriter and broadcaster Tom is a BBC […]
Shiva Feshareki likes taking risks. Her first show performing with the jazz organist Kit Downes last year was not planned, rehearsed or even discussed in detail until the night of the show, despite it being broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. While most performers might baulk at that prospect, particularly as it brought together the […]
Whether listening to her family’s LP and magnetic tape collection or attending the Plovdiv Verdi festival every summer, Dobrinka Tabakova was surrounded by music from an early age. Many of Dobrinka’s earliest and fondest memories are singing in school or chapel choirs, cocooned against the beautiful and magical backdrop of the Rhodope Mountains. As well […]
Nigel Osborne has been called a Renaissance man, and that seems no less than the truth. He has a long and distinguished career as a composer. But the BASCA award focuses on his inspiration as educator and humanitarian – his pioneering use of music to support children of conflict. I reckon uniquely for a composer […]
In the Royal Academy of Music’s David Josefowitz Recital Room, four established composers with wide-ranging backgrounds gathered to talk about how best to manage a career as a composer in the modern world. Their discussion ranged from organising performances and recordings to digital distribution, publishing and self-publishing, networking and maintaining a web presence. Dr Shirley […]
Hosted by Katie Melua, the event featured MNEK, Carla Marie Williams, William Orbit and BASCA Fellow Don Black. The songwriters discussed different processes, the craft of songwriting and its evolution throughout the years. Ivor Novello winner and FAC CEO Imogen Heap was there to introduce the panel, saying that songwriters “are the source of the […]
Wayne Hector wrote his first number one single in 1996 – when he was just 17. His list of writing credits is now so accomplished that you’d expect it to belong to a man twice his age. If you’ve listened to mainstream radio in the past 20 years, then you’re sure to have heard his […]
Simon Bainbridge has had a major influence as both composer and teacher. I begin by asking him about his influence on other composers through his teaching. “I very rarely discuss my music in detail with my students,” he comments. “However, I may attempt to illuminate some particular structural issue by making a correlation with my […]
It would not be an overstatement to describe Ludovico Einaudi as something of a phenomenon. With 132 million streams worldwide, 400,000 followers on Spotify, 11 million Vevo views and over 1.5 million records sold, his music speaks to a wide and varied audience and regularly fills concert halls. Yet to consider his work purely in […]
Edited report below. For full report please download PDF. A recent BASCA study has revealed the true extent of the problems surrounding diversity and equality in the classical music world. This new and exclusive research looks ay gender and ethnicity within the realms of classical music education and composition commissions. About the Research The research, […]
Laura Mvula would be forgiven for feeling she deserves her second Mercury Prize nomination even more so this time around. The accolade, for critically acclaimed The Dreaming Room, comes after a difficult four years. Since the release of her debut Sing To The Moon in 2012, she has divorced the man she met while studying […]
