Michael Spencer (composer)

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Michael Spencer ( Mic Spencer ; * 1975 in Bellshill / Lanarkshire ) is a Scottish composer and music teacher.

Spencer studied music with Graham Hair at the University of Glasgow , where he obtained a master's degree in music and Scottish literature. From 1997 to 2002 he studied composition with Geoff Poole at Manchester University . In 2003 he received a scholarship to take part in the International Summer Course for Composers at Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, where he worked with Chaya Czernowin , Steve Takasugi and Richard Barrett . He also took part in master classes by Brian Ferneyhough , Mathias Spahlinger and Pierluigi Billone .

In 1999 he founded Polaroid with Tiernan Kelly and Freya Mitchell , a series of events for new and experimental music, at which John Cages Muyoce II , Luigi Nono's Canti Per Tredici , works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and young British composers had their Scottish premieres. Following their example, the Arches' Instal Festival was founded in 2001 , for which Spencer worked as a musical consultant from 2001-02. Also in 1999 he organized performances of music by the Uruguayan composer Graciela Paraskevaida at Manchester University, where he taught live electronic music, musical analysis and semiotics for seven years. In 2003 he gave lectures at the University of Glasgow and a composition master class at the Junior Department of Trinity College of Music . At the University of Leeds he directs the ensemble for new music LST , which he founded , with whom he works by Karlheinz Stockhausen ( Kreuzspiel ), Edgar Varèse ( Intégrales and Ionisation ), Helmut Lachenmann ( … two feelings…, music with Leonardo ), Gérard Grisey ( Vortex Temporum ), Pierre Boulez ( Le marteau sans maître ), Chaya Czernowin ( Afatsim ), James MacMillan ( … as others see us… ), Beat Furrer ( Gaspra ), Gerhard Stäbler ( mirages - a game for seven ) and others performed.

Since the early 2000s, Spencer's works have been performed at various music festivals in Great Britain, at the Darmstadt Summer Courses and at the universities of Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds. The BBC Philharmonic played in 2001 under the direction of James MacMillan Toxic Knuckle Bones in the program Hear and Now on BBC Radio 3 . In addition to chamber music works (including Underground (after Boehme) IV), he also composed works for solo instruments such as Displacement from Abolition for Cello (WP Andrej Gal ). A work in progress is Intervolve , a triptych with the parts Intervolve for accordion and double bass, Heterotopia for three improvisation musicians and three non-improvisation musicians and L'Ordre du Discourse for bass flute, harp and double bass. Spencer composed other works for musicians such as the Ensemble SurPlus , Richard Casey , the Trio Atem , Christophe de Bezenac , Adam Starkie , Geoff Poole , Seth Woods and Ian Pace . In collaboration with Scott McLaughlin and clarinetist Heather Roche , the piece Palmyra for clarinet was created, which Roche premiered in 2016.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Spencer at britishpostgraduatemusicology.org
personal data
SURNAME Spencer, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Spencer, Mic
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish composer and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Bellshill