NEWS & UPDATES
PERFORMANCE OF O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM
The University of Aberdeen held its annual carol service in St Machar's Cathedral at the beginning of December 2023. Eleanor was singing with the Chapel Choir, who performed Masters in this Hall, In dulci jubilo, A Present for the Future (Joanna Forbes L'Estrange), Carol of the Bells, and Eleanor's first setting (2012) of the O Magnum Mysterium text.
EXCELLENCE AWARD NOMINATION
Eleanor is thrilled to be nominated for an Excellence Award in her first term as Teaching Fellow in Music. Her students have put her name forward for consideration for Best Undergraduate Lecturer. She has loved working with the incredible students and staff in her new role at the University of Aberdeen.
PREMIERE OF 'O PASTOR ANIMARUM'
Eleanor travelled to Edinburgh in November 2023 for the premiere of her piece O Pastor Animarum. This work was newly commissioned by Rory Wilson specially for the Calton Consort, who performed the piece as part of their concert in the Canongate Kirk. Thank you so much to the singers and to Rory!
NEW TEACHING FELLOW ROLE 2023/2024
Eleanor is so excited to start a new role as Teaching Fellow at the University of Aberdeen. She will be taking lectures and tutorials within the music department for undergraduate composition, harmony, performing, and analysis modules. She loves teaching and working with others and is really looking forward to the year ahead!
PODCAST INTERVIEW
In the summer of 2023, Eleanor was interviewed by Clare for her podcast series The Fireside Thesis. Eleanor spoke about her PhD research, her compositional influences, and her musical journey so far. Thank you to Clare for creating this space for postgraduate researchers to share their work!
CD RECORDING OF PETERHOUSE PARTBOOK COLLECTION
A brilliant few days in July 2023 with Peterhouse Chapel Choir recording music from the Peterhouse Partbooks collection. This music was written for use in the chapel in the 1630s/40s and some of it has not been recorded until now as it was hidden behind wooden panelling in the college's Perne Library! Looking forward to sharing the results of this exciting project.
COMPOSITION WORKSHOP WITH ERIC WHITACRE AND ANNA LAPWOOD
Composers in Cambridge! In June 2023, Eleanor attended a concert and workshop at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Anna Lapwood and Eric Whitacre hosted a weekend of music making at the new Pembroke Auditorium. The concert was beautiful - the Pembroke Choir sang some of Eric's works as well as pieces by Lucy Walker, Owain Park, Kerensa Briggs, and Caroline Shaw. On the Sunday, Eric so generously shared his composition process with the group and it was interesting to learn about how he creates an experience for the audience and the ways in which he brings his true self to communicate genuine intention through his music. So great to meet lots of lovely people over the course of the weekend!
LUCY CAVENDISH SINGERS IN CLEY
For the last concert of the 2023 season, the Lucy Cavendish Singers travelled to Cley-next-to Sea to sing in the beautiful 14th-century St. Margaret's Church.
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"Our programme is inspired by the title song, The Rose of Jericho, a desert plant native to Western Asia and the Middle East. Also known as the Resurrection Plant, it can lie dormant for up to 50 years, detach itself and tumble with the wind, then spring back into life when its roots find moisture. Themes of regeneration and renewal, journeying, hardship and hope weave through the programme of traditional songs such as Shenandoah and the hauntingly beautiful Swedish Trilo, together with contemporary pieces including Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Gorgeous classical settings of love poetry from The Song of Solomon and and Fredrik Sixten's joyous Alleluia round off the programme."
BBC RADIO 3 BROADCAST FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2023
On Friday 19th May, Eleanor's meditation work 'Exhale' accompanied a live guided meditation by Maude Hirst. This was broadcast on the Slow Moment of the Essential Classics programme on BBC Radio 3 as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. 'Exhale' was recorded by the BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra as part of the BBC Music and Meditation Podcast.
CONCERT WITH THE LUCY CAVENDISH SINGERS
Eleanor is performing with the Lucy Cavendish Singers on Sunday 21st May at Storey's Field Centre, Cambridge. They will present the programme 'Horizon' with director Katharina Megli.
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'For this Spring concert, the Singers will perform many much-loved traditional pieces including the hauntingly beautiful Swedish Trilo, the American sea shanty Shenandoah and the quintessential Nina and Frederik Listen to the ocean.
These are artfully blended with glorious classical works such as Holst’s Hymn to the Dawn, a chorus from Verdi’s Aida and more recent works by Benjamin Britten and Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.'
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Their next concert will be on Saturday 17th June 2023 at St Margaret's Church, Cley-next-the-sea
REVIEW OF 'SONG OF THE JASMINE FAIRY'
Eleanor's piece 'Song of the Jasmine Fairy' was performed by the chamber group Any Enemy on 30th March in King's Pavilion, Aberdeen. This piece was inspired by the poetry and artwork of Cicely Mary Barker.
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"I was already familiar with the music of Eleanor Haward from University vocal music concerts. When I was a very small boy, my parents used to read to me from a book by Cicely Mary Barker entitled Flower Fairies of the Trees. Some years ago I rediscovered the book in my library and thought that the pictures would provide splendid inspiration for musical pieces, but I never got down to it, even just on the piano. So I was delighted to discover the piece entitled Song of the Jasmine Fairy which Eleanor Haward has composed. She writes, ‘It tells the story of a hazy summer’s day which then cools to reveal the fragrance of jasmine flowers’. In Eleanor’s piece, sighing motifs from strings, flute and oboe, bassoon and cello were delicious. Two note rising motifs were important and Eleanor’s harmonies were seductive. Her orchestral writing was beautifully smooth and possibly a little sad. I loved the flute solo near the end."
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Review by Alan Cooper
WORKSHOP WITH THE SVANHOLM SINGERS
In March 2023, Eleanor worked with the Swedish group Svanholm Singers and their conductor, Sofia Söderberg, in a workshop for Composition PhD students at the University of Aberdeen.
They workshopped her new piece 'My Soul at Liberty', which is a setting of a poem by Emily Dickinson and was written specially for the group. This is the first piece Eleanor has written for lower voices and she enjoyed working with new textures and voicings to complement their rich sound and flawless blend.
REVIEW OF 'WILD MOUNTAIN'
Eleanor's piece 'Wild Mountain' was performed for the first time by the University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir in St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen, and later at Cowdray Hall and St Machar's Cathedral, conducted by Sam Paul. These concerts featured folk tunes reimagined by current and former students of the university.
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"...This was followed by an ingenious marriage of two popular Scottish tunes by Eleanor Haward. The tunes in question were ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and ‘Loch Lomond’. Eleanor provided hummed accompaniments for the tunes sung by female or male voices, with Wild Mountain Thyme sounding gently caressing and Loch Lomond more sturdy from the male voices..."
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Review by Alan Cooper
BBC RADIO 3 BROADCAST AND INTERVIEW ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2023
On International Women's Day (8th March), Eleanor was invited to appear on BBC Radio 3's programme 'In Tune' with Sean Rafferty. She and Maude Hirst were interviewed at the London studios about their episode of the Music and Meditation Podcast and the benefits of combining music with meditation. The podcast was produced by Charlotte Parr and the newly commissioned pieces were recorded by the BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra. An excerpt of Eleanor's piece 'Exhale' was then broadcast at drivetime.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN SPRING 2023
February 13th-17th: Teaching and tutorials at the University of Aberdeen
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February 25th-26th: First performance of 'Sicut Cervus' (written for the Chamber and Chapel Choirs of Marlborough College). Workshop with Year 11-13 students at Marlborough College, Wiltshire
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February 25th and March 2nd: First performances of 'Wild Mountain' by the University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir
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March 8th: Launch of The Music and Meditation Podcast on BBC Sounds and live interview on BBC Radio 3.
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March 12th: Concert with the Lucy Cavendish Singers at Storey's Field Centre, Cambridge
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March 15th-19th: Teaching at the University of Aberdeen. A new TTBB piece of Eleanor's will be workshopped by the Svanholm Singers
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March 30th: Première of 'Song of the Jasmine Fairy' with the ensemble Any Enemy in the King's Pavilion, Aberdeen.
RECORDING OF COMMISSION FOR BBC MUSIC AND MEDITATION PODCAST
Eleanor was recently commissioned to write a piece to accompany a guided meditation for the BBC Music and Meditation Podcast, produced by Charlotte Parr and Nick Taylor.
She travelled to London in November 2022 for the recording which featured the BBC Singers, Rebecca Turner from the BBC Concert Orchestra playing violin, Daisy Spiers Guest Principle BBC Symphony Orchestra playing viola, Miwa Rosso Co-Principal cello BBC Concert Orchestra, with David Hill conducting.
Episodes will be aired early 2023 on BBC Sounds.
NEW CHORAL MUSIC PODCAST - MAGNIFICHAT
Together with Ally Ross, Ellie has been working on a podcast this Autumn 2022. The Music List series by Magnifichat asks guests to choose the music for their fantasy Choral Evensong. The guests reveal their favourite set of Responses, Canticles, Anthem, and Organ Voluntary, whilst giving us an insight into their personal journey and the role that Evensong has played in their lives. Early episodes have featured Katherine Dienes-Williams, Philip Moore, and David Flood.
ELEANOR HAWARD -
IN ABERDEEN
Eleanor travelled to Aberdeen in March 2022 to present her research as part of the University of Aberdeen's Music Research Seminar Series. Her talk was entitled: "Words and their influence on text-setting in sacred choral music: a quantitative analysis project and original composition portfolio". Earlier in the week she was invited to give a lecture-workshop to the Masters' students studying the Words and Music module.
PRESENTING AT SYSMUS21 CONFERENCE
At the beginning of November 2021, Eleanor presented a poster, virtually, at the SysMus21 conference in Aarhus, Denmark. This hybrid conference welcomed researchers in-person and online. Her poster was entitled: "‘A Great Mystery?’: Can the Meaning of Words Influence Composers’ Text-Setting Choices in Similar Ways?".