1956: I was born and brought up in Whitley Bay, a small town on the
north-eastern coast of England. It boasts some of the most beautiful beaches
in the country, usually deserted because it's also cold and wet (nowhere's
perfect..). My first musical influences were the scottish pipe-and-drum
dance bands playing in the Panama Dip next to the beach and my parents..
who were fanatical dancers. For years Count Basie, Victor Sylvester, Stan
Kenton, Henry Mancini and Duke Ellington all meant the same to me- they
could all play a canny quickstep (my mother's words..)
I went to school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I wasn't exactly born in sight
of Newcastle football ground, but still consider myself to be a Geordie.
It's a city we love to hate, if possible to escape from, but it's still
stuck in a corner of my heart..
1973-1975: involved with Spectro Arts Workshop in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Activities entailed the organization of musical "events": festivals, concerts
and the running of jazz-rock & experimental workshops.
1974-77: Student at the Newcastle School of Music, following a combined
jazz (sax) and classical (flute) course which included commercial composition
& arranging.
I wasn't a good schoolgirl- in fact I played truant for most of
my last year (the one before they kicked me out..). Instead of following
classes, I hung out with a bunch of disreputable characters (aspiring musicians,
actors- all kinds of bad influences), working in equally suspect venues
like the local arts-centre. Going to music college seemed to be the only
reasonable option, since all the nicest people seemed to be there.. My
years there clinched it for me; looking back, it seems like it was one
longparty, and a life in music became the only option.
1976-79: work as a free-lance musician/arranger in the clubs and pubs
of England. Bands include The Ivy Benson Big Band (2nd.tenor), Dave Thomas
and a wide variety of commercial and non-commercial groups and studio formations.
The next few years were spent gaining all kinds of weird and wonderful
(sometimes) experiences in the clubs'n'pubs of England... seasons in the
nightclubs, all with romantic names like Tiffany's / Romeo and Juliet's
/the Starlight Rooms.. Needless to say, the reality was less romantic..
My first experience with a 'real' bigband (ie not the local and/or
school band) was a season with Ivy Benson- incidentally, my first all-women's
band too. I learned a lot, of course, but swore I would never play in a
female band again... ah well, times change..
1979 : Moved to Holland to work as a flute teacher and workshop/orchestra
leader (pop, jazz, folk & classical) in a music school. A
musician's life in the Thatcher-period in England was becoming increasingly
difficult. I guess music is more of a luxury than food and rent (well-
it is for some people). The move to Holland provided new possibilities,
new friends and the chance to play and write my own music..
1979-84: Student at the Muziek Pedagogische Academie in Leeuwarden
(NL), following courses in teaching principles and methods, curriculum
planning, repertoire etc. Also ensemble & workshop organization; arranging,
conducting & composing for young and/or amateur groups.
Learning Dutch was a process of trial and error while teaching flute
in a music school (I now know "Jingle Bells" in 5 languages, howzat!) and
going back to school myself- to the Muziek-Pedagogisch Akademie in Leeuwarden-
to add some dutch diploma's to my english ones. I played a lot of flute
during this time (jazz-sax doesn't combine easily with a flute-embouchure),
so most of the groups and ensembles I played with were straight- notably
a long-standing duo with Annette Kruisbrink. Personal links included below..
since 1985: Employed as a lecturer in theory, history and arranging
in the jazz department of the Arnhems conservatorium. Free-lance playing
work (sax & flute) in a wide variety of styles and ensembles - usually
short-lived.
The Arnhems Conservatory is now called The Arnhem Institute for
the Arts- where I teach jazz theory, harmony, arranging, history... if
you can talk about it, I teach it! It still amazes me, really, being paid
for talking about music...
since 1992: composer and co-leader of the United Women's Orchestra.
1996: Received a commission from the Fonds voor de Scheppende Kunsten (Amsterdam) for four pieces for Big Band with additional soloists. In the same year two other pieces were performed by the violinist Michael Gustorff, together with the Guus Tangelder Big Band in Luxor in Arnhem. Three jazz-based string quartets were played in première in the City Theatre in Arnhem, by an ensemble led by Michael Gustorff and Michiel Braam (piano).
2002: I was invited to MusicOmi (New York) as one of the resident composers...
an honour and a pleasure!
Commissions in recent years have become more varied (see catalogue
for listings). I've written several pieces for the concertina-player Pauline
de Snoo, who seems to be reinventing the instrument and its repertoire
single-handedly (link included below).
2005 has been a good year: I was back in the USA in February to
take part in the intake-panel as curator for MusicOmi 2005- a joy
and a privilege. While I was there I gave some lectures about my music
and modern jazz harmony at Berklee and Harvard, and guested with Sherrie
Tucker at Columbia University. This must be the best way I can think of
to combine education and composition... The follow-up in Berklee will be
an artist-in-residence stint in October 2006.. watch this space!
After the Omi curatorship I gave a big band workshop in Seattle, working
with the Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra (SWOJO). I enjoyed it immensely,
and a full house in The Triple Door jazz club rounded off my US trip in
a suitable manner.
I wrote this about working with The United Women's Orchestra. It still applies, so it's worth repeating:
Annette Kruisbrink is a Dutch composer and guitarist, working in the 'straight' scene. Much of her work has been published. Apart from giving concerts, she is a much-invited guest at international workshops and festivals.
Pauline de Snoo Her website includes info about the concertina, repertoire and her own teaching materials.
Artez. I've been teaching here for decades now (doesn't time fly...), but the students still keep me on my toes..
Scrivere in Jazz. Perhaps a little strange to include a link to a composition competition, but this biannual event in Sardinia is a great meeting place. The selected finalists are all invited to attend the concerts. Writing music can be a lonely occupation, and this provides an opportunity to network with like-minded composers.
MusicOmi. A wonderful institution in upstate New York: an international composers' residency- highly recommended!
Componisten.pagina.nl. A dutch pagina with links to (international) composers' pages... including the living.
The Kapralova Society. Lots of links and info about women composers. Nice to know someone cares!
Sherrie Tucker.
Author of "Swing Shift" about women in jazz... among a host of other things!
Busy lady....