...soprano Steve Halfyard adding virtuoso irony, proved a tour de force of musical theatre... Birmingham Post, March 2003
The composer I have worked with most regularly in recent years is Ed Bennett, who studied with Brian Irvine in Bangor. Ed is currently pursuing a PhD at Bimringham Conservatoire. In 2003 his formed his own ensemble, Decibel, with an international line-up of performers and half a dozen composers writing for us in addition to Ed himself. Solo pieces Ed has written for me include You're always right (2000) and I need this (2001-2).
One of the other composers who's put a lot of work my way over the years is Joseph Hyde, with whom I was a postgraduate student at Birmingham University in the 1990s. Work with Jo includes In Sunlight (1992), Vox Mecanix (1996) and Nekyia (1999).
More recently, I have been working with Simon Hall, a colleague at Birmingham Conservatoire who was also a student with me at Birmingham University (it's a small world!). We have performed his piece GSOH for soprano, tape and electronics both in the UK and the US.
Steve Halfyard performing Simon Hall’s GSOH in Florida, 2005.
Recordings
Joseph Hyde
In Sunlight, on the CD Mixed issued by Sonic Arts Network on the NMC label (NMC D036).
Vox Mecanix (which uses a 1994 recording of me improvising around Schwitter's Ursonate as it's source material), on the CD Legacies: works from BEAST volume 2 issued by Sargasso (SDC28046).
Both of these CDs are also available from Sonic Arts Network or from links in the images below.
Steve Halfyard: Selected performances
14th Annual Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, Gainesville, April 2005.
SEA03 conference, Scarborough. July 2003
Music Xtra Festival, Birmingham Conservatoire. March 2003
- GSOH (Simon Hall, 2003) for voice, tape and electronics
- Sentences (Simon Emmerson, 1991) for voice and electronics
- Ursonate (Kurt Schwitters)
- Sentences (Simon Emmerson, 1991)
- Spiritus (Paul Wilson, 2001) (world premiere)
- Ursonate (Kurt Schwitters)
- Nekyia (Joseph Hyde/ Alaric Sumner, 1999)
Music Xtra Festival, Birmingham Conservatoire. March 2002
- Sentences (Simon Emmerson, 1991) for voice and electronics
- I need this (Edmond Bennett, 2000) electroacoustic composition for tape and soprano (world premier)
- You're always right (Edmond Bennett, 2000) electroacoustic composition for tape and soprano.
- You're always right (Edmond Bennett, 2000) electroacoustic composition for tape and soprano.
- Nekyia (Joseph Hyde/ Alaric Sumner, 1999) for actor, soprano, tape and video
- Nekyia (Joseph Hyde/ Alaric Sumner, 1999) for actor, soprano, tape and video
- In Sunlight (Joseph Hyde, 1992) for soprano, tape and elctronics
- Ursonate (Kurt Scwhitters)