Herts students’ compositions get the full orchestra treatment

Alfie Loxdale and Josef Krista, who are both studying BSc (Hons) Music Composition and Sound for Film and Games, will hear their music played in public by the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra (dPHO) this Sunday 10 May.

Alfie’s work, titled Spring, was originally composed to accompany a short animation about wonder, dread and peace, and Josef’s The Last Day for a Flock of Birds (Movement I) depicts the awakening of birds in a meadow at sunrise.

Alfie, 22, who comes from Peterborough, describes the feeling of hearing his composition played by a full orchestra as “breathtaking” and says: “For most composers having their work played by a large ensemble like this is a life-long goal so having the opportunity now, as a student at Herts, is a surreal feeling.”

The opening of Josef’s short piece mimics conversational birdsong, first between bassoon and piccolo, then joined by other wind instruments. This is the first movement from a larger work, featuring an upbeat tempo, a merry time signature, and uplifting pastoral themes.

Josef, also 22 and from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, echoes Alfie’s sentiment, saying: “It’s amazing to hear a piece that started as a solo project suddenly become a collaboration between so many talented musicians. There are parts that sound far better than I’d ever imagined because of the way players bring their own experience, interpretation and instinct to the written music.”

Their works form part of a range of concerts presented by UH Arts + Culture, a public-facing part of the University’s School of Creative Arts that encompasses live music and cultural events for both the University and wider community.

Herts BSc (Hons) Music Composition and Sound for Film and Games is one of the few such courses in the UK, with students’ employment prospects enhanced by course recognition from accredited industry bodies. Herts alumni work in organisations like Netflix, the BBC and professional music studios.

Alfie says the classical workshops make a big difference to them.

“The workshop was a busy evening but hearing the players sight read my work made me appreciate how different the live and electronic environments are,” he said.

“The players and conductor were helpful with all their feedback they made us think about small details that can be easily missed when scoring for real instrumentalists.”

Josef echoed that sentiment, adding: “It was great to be able to hear things that only came to light when listening to the live rehearsals. Additionally, getting such valuable feedback from the players was useful in helping me to bring my piece to a professional standard.”

Joseph says the course at Herts was his ideal choice.

“I grew up on the Isle of Wight, I studied music there until Sixth Form, when I applied for a few music courses at different universities. Herts was my first choice because of the campus and the course material. I haven’t regretted it for a second!”

Rob Wright, Head of Music at Herts, says, “We’ve run this workshop initiative - an exciting collaboration between our University's resident orchestra, and it's Music Department in the School of Creative Arts - for three years.

“It is very special, giving some of our final year music students an opportunity to not only compose for orchestra, but also to have their work rehearsed and critiqued by the musicians and the conductor.

“The course is very distinctive because of its unique blend of compositional work and technical aspects, unusually leading to a BSc (Hons) award. Students may be learning orchestration techniques in one class and in the next, computer programming principles in order design and control adaptive soundtracks for games and sound installations.”

Herts pioneered one of the UK’s first technologically-centred music courses in the early 1990s ("BSc Electronic Music").

You can hear the students’ compositions as part of this coming weekend’s concert themed around classical jazz.

At the heart of the performance is George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue which remains one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable works in the repertoire. The orchestra is thrilled to welcome back pianist Jamie Cochrane to perform it. Other works include Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Tahiti Trot.

Find out more about studying music at Herts here.

This event will take place on Sunday 10 May at 16:00 in the 450-seater Weston Auditorium on the de Havilland campus at the University of Hertfordshire.

Tickets are available between £18–£8 (FREE for carers and UH students) – from the website: www.uharts.co.uk or by calling the Box Office 01707 281 127 (open Mon-Fri 10:00-12:00).

Book tickets HERE. Parking is FREE on Sundays.