Front of House Young Artist of the Month
ALEX HO Composer
Congratulations on such an exciting year. What can you tell us about your approach as a composer to writing for voice and opera? Thank you. I love collaboration, which is inevitably a large part of composing opera and for voices. With this in mind, it is crucial to have a good team in the ‘creative room’, not just with the necessary skillset and imagination, but also with personalities that will work well together and enjoy learning from each other. If this is all in place, whatever story is being told will be that much more special for the creators and consequently that much more magical for audiences.
Tell us about your commissions for the Oxford International Song Festival It has been a wonderful privilege being associate composer at Oxford International Song Festival for the last two years, during which time they have commissioned two song cycles.This year, I worked with Elayce Ismail to create a new 45-minute song cycle for countertenor Hugh Cutting and pianist Dylan Perez.
As a theatre and opera director, Elayce brings a different kind of writing that I find hugely stimulating – one that feels as much visual as dramatic. Our commission, The Glass Eye, is set in a post-apocalyptic time when humans have been forced to live underground. It’s a dark tale warning us of the consequences of environmental damage through themes of greed and survival. On a brighter note, I have loved working with Hugh and Dylan. Their openness and artistry have informed this piece on multiple levels.
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What’s the most difficult part of your work? In no particular order: beginning a piece, ending a piece, and everything in between.
What’s up next for you? I am now composing a new digital installation opera, Séisme, commissioned by Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier. It’s a stage work with similar themes to The Glass Eye, this time focusing on the physical relationship between humans and the earth. Most excitingly, we will be using various digital elements to bring to life a 4D physical dimension...! ON
CELEBRATING MUSIC AND PLACE
18–24 OCTOBER 2024
The south-east corner of Sicily is blessed with many delights, among them a number of gorgeous 18thand 19th-century theatres. This festival presents five performances in a selection of these atmospheric buildings, all of which are located amid breathtakingly beautiful Baroque towns and cities. Stay throughout in historic Ortygia, one of the loveliest coastal towns in Italy.
Photo ©Ben Ealovega
Find out more: martinrandall.com +44 (0)20 8742 3355
ATOL 3622 | ABTOT 5468 | AITO 5085
6 November 2023 OperaNow www.operanow.co.uk
