Nathan launches 8th Picture Gallery Composer-in-Residence Scheme

This is a ground-breaking residency in which student composers from Royal Holloway University of London apply for the opportunity to have their musical responses to their famous Picture Gallery and some of its wonderful paintings performed by an invited ensemble each year.

This residency is a professional development programme for music creators of the Department of Music to receive specialist, industry-standard workshop sessions and tutorials, working collaboratively with invited artists, ensembles and tutors to create new works that are premiered as part of the International Concert Series. 

These new compositions are the result of a special collaboration between the College’s Art Collection Team and Dr Nathan James Dearden, composer and Lecturer in Music Composition at Royal Holloway.

Project overview for 2024

Now in its eighth year, our six sound artists/composers/music creators, from across a range of genres, are creating music through a collaborative and immersive professional development programme exploring the relationship between live, recorded sound, DAW-produced music, and Royal Holloway's art collection. 

This year, the selected music creators are tasked to create a short work for choir and electronics inspired by our Picture Gallery and its collection. These new works will be workshopped and performed by the Choir of Royal Holloway and their Director Rupert Gough. 

Each successful applicant also receives support and guidance from Nathan, through a mixture of one-to-one mentoring sessions and catered professional development sessions. Each selected music creator will also receive mentoring sessions from composer, sound designer, and Research Scholar, Thomas Baynes.

Who’s involved?

For full information about this scheme, its legacy, and this year’s selected music creators, please visit this website (link embedded).