Events

Selected pieces from the Orgelbuchlein Project received another performance last Monday, 14th October, in Christ Church Spitalfields. These included ‘Gott hat das Evangelium’, along with pieces by Jacques Pichard, Joris Verdin, Benoît Mernier and baritone Roderick Williams, whom Solfa previously interviewed for The Oxford Musician in 2015. Organist Tom Bell continues to perform works from the project in various concerts, championing new work and furthering the contemporary organ repertoire.

On Monday 19th August, ‘Gott hat das Evangelium’ received another performance by organist Tom Bell, at St Mary’s Church, Titchmarsh, London. The organ recital included 3 pieces from the Bach Orgelbuchlein Project, alongside works by Bridge, Vaughan Williams and others.

Dystopia for solo flute will receive another performance at the Kleiner Ehrbarsaal in Vienna, Austria, on the 22nd of April in a concert entitled ‘SETTING THE TONE: MNÁ NA HÉÍREANN‘ featuring flautist Miriam Kaczor and pianist Elaine Loebenstein. Kaczor previously performed Dystopia during lockdown in 2020, as part of a series for the Contemporary Music Centre, and continues to include it in her performance repertoire.

Solfa’s solo organ piece, ‘Gott hat das Evangelium‘, commissioned in 2018 as part of the International Orgelbüchlein composition project, will have another performance at the Main Church of St. Catherine in Hamburg on 18th June. It will be performed by organist Rainer Thomsen as part of the JS Bach marathon, along with other new pieces previously commissioned over the course of the project. More information is available here.

Solfa’s new work Storybook Land, commissioned by Music Network in 2022, will receive its premiere performance on Thursday 13th April at St Barrahane’s Church, Castletownshend, Cork. The piece will receive subsequent performances as part of an April tour by musicians Conor Linehan, Niall O’Sullivan and Claudia Boyle. As part of the concert on 13th April, Solfa will present a brief ‘composer insight’ session explaining a little about the compositional process and the inspiration behind the work. Details regarding the concert are available here.

Solfa’s piece ‘Dystopia’ will feature at the New Music Festival in Dublin, as part of a programme by contemporary music group Evlana. Also featured in the concert are new works by contemporary Irish composers, including the premiere of Jenn Kirby’s ‘Surrounding’ for flutes and electronics.

A new piece by Solfa Carlile is to be commissioned for an April 2023 concert series by Music Network with funds provided by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Music Network is Ireland’s national music touring and development organisation. It was founded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon in 1986, and has as its patron President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.

The piece will receive its premiere in April 2023 by soprano Claudia Boyle, Niall O’Sullivan on trumpet and pianist Brian Connor.

Organist Richard Moore has given several performances of ‘Edwyllm’ – a piece commissioned in 2017, including as part of a concert series in Copenhagen in August 2022. Richard Moore continues to champion new work and performs Edwyllm as part of his regular repertoire. Previously, ‘Silver Tree Fanfare’, for Trumpet and Organ, was commissioned in 2016 and premiered by Moore and Ellie Lovegrove at St Martin in the Fields. ‘Edwyllm’ received its premiere performance on 25th November 2017 at All Saints Church in Margaret St, London, and has also been performed at Guildford Cathedral where Richard Moore enjoys a residency as sub organist.

Solfa and Rob Carlile’s ‘Setanta the Brave‘ will now feature on Toronto-based Musical Theatre Radio as part of the Sampler Platter, an initiative to promote and play new, original musicals.

Tracks from the show will be broadcast regularly as part of the station’s programming, from March 2022.

Episode and musical air dates can be viewed here.

‘Rose of Jericho’ was awarded as a semi-finalist in the open category of the UK Songwriting Contest 2021.

The song was inspired by its namesake flower, which blooms in harsh weathers, and is a symbol of resilience.

It is dedicated to sufferers of baby loss, a tragedy experienced by 1 in 4 pregnant women in the UK.

The song was recorded by Adele Clarkson (voice) and Solfa Carlile (piano).