Blogs

Matrix hosted a series of four improvisation workshops run by George Haslam.
Workshops looked at the development of musical improvisation starting from different bases and origins; including elements of music – melody, rhythm, harmony, etc. abstract interpretation and free improvisation. Each of the four sessions focused on a specific approach to improvisation, including harmonic, modal, melodic and free.

Workshop Leader:

It was our turn to host Yamaha's National Junior Original Concert in Oxfordshire this year and so the event was held at Abingdon School on Sunday 4th March.

Several students from Matrix took part and their videos are being released on the Yamaha Music School facebook account one by one:

Stefan Trnjakov, AXC Book 10, 'A Graveyard at Midnight'

The video of the whole concert is available on youtube.

Myfanwy Griffiths, aged 10, was chosen to represent the UK at Yamaha's European Junior Original Concert this year, with her ensemble 'Wolfpack'. She, co-performers Martin Ludden and Peter Fegyveres-Nagy; along with teachers and parents, all travelled to Hamburg at half-term for the event. Miffy is 10 years old, studying with Lindsay MacKenzie on Junior Advanced Course Book 8 - she is about to graduate to the Advanced Extension Course at Easter.

Yamaha produced two videos of the event:

Congratulations to Sarah on winning first prize for the senior category in the BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition 2017! She won the top prize for her piece Three Miniatures of Ynws Lawd which was then played at a special Proms composers' concert. This was broadcast on Radio 3 soon afterwards alongside an interview with Sarah.

We are expecting the recording of her composition to be added to this page during the year: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p030pblf

Click 'read more' to watch the four performers from Matrix play their compositions at this composition concert, held in the concert hall at Birmingham University.

The performers were Max Blansjaar, Kate Taylor, Eliya Dhesi and Martin Ludden, all either current students or graduates of the Junior Advanced Course. These videos represent lots of hard work not only by the students, but also the teachers involved in developing and supporting these young composers as they prepared for this concert: Lindsay MacKenzie, Antonia King, Rachel Pearmain and Rossella Rubini. Well done to all!