• »Bangor Home
• »School of Music

Profile of Andrew Lewis

Background

Andrew Lewis (born 1963, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire) is a composer, principally of electroacoustic music. He read music at the University of Birmingham (England), graduating in 1984, and subsequently studied composition there with Jonty Harrison, completing a doctorate in 1991. He was one of the original members of BEAST (Birmingham Electroacoustic Sound Theatre), and throughout the Eighties and early Nineties worked with them on many electroacoustic concerts and events.

In 1993 he joined the staff in the School of Music at the University of Wales Bangor, where he is Professor and Director of the Electroacoustic Music Studios. He also directs Electroacoustic WALES, which acts as a focus for the creation and dissemination of electroacoustic music in Wales an beyond.

He works in a variety of media, from electroacoustic and acousmatic music to works for conventional forces (chamber, vocal, orchestral) with or without electronics.

             

His music has won several prizes, awards and mentions (PRS, Bourges 'Euphonie d'Or', Prix Ars Electronica, Stockholm Electronic Arts, Hungarian Radio, British Arts Council Bursary, Noroit finalist, ARTS XXI Valencia, CIMESP) and is performed and broadcast in many countries. One vinyl and six CD recordings are available.

Andrew Lewis' Website

Teaching

Composition and Electroacoustic Composition, European post-war avant-garde

Responsibilities

• Studio director
• Head of Composition

Research Interests      

 

• Composition (especially electroacoustic and acousmatic music)
• Analysis of electroacoustic music
• Technical aspects of electroacoustic music creation and performance

Main publications

Musical Compositions

Danses acousmatiques, 2007, acousmatic music (36 min.)

Sona for flute and piano (c. 3 min.)

Budo Variations, 2006, for trumpet, percussion and live computer processing (c. 9 min.)

Commission: duoContour

Benllech Shells, 2003, acousmatic music (8 min.)

Llanddwyn Skies, 2003, acousmatic music (15 min.)

Penmon Point, 2003, acousmatic music (16 min.)

double (serenâd), 2002, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 basset hn, 2 bsn, 4 hn, cb (8 min.)

Commission: Ensemble Cymru

double (fragment), 2001, 2 fl, 2 ob, 2 clt (2 bcl), hn, 2 pno, 2 vln, vla, vlc, bass guit (5 min.)

Jeux d’ombres, 2000, fl, ob, cl, bsn, pno (14 min.)

Commission: Ensemble Cymru

Dawns, 2000, harp and electroacoustic sounds (8 min.)

Commission: Elinor Bennett, funds from Arts Council of Wales             

Tempo Reale, 1999 (revised 2003), string quartet (12 min.)

CHROMA – Thema, 1999, fl (alto fl), ob, hn, tb, vla and harp (2 min.)

Cable Bay, 1999 (revised 1999), acousmatic music (10 min.)

Commission: Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges

Nunc Dimittis, 1998, boys’ choir and organ (4 min.)

Cân, 1997, acousmatic music (12 min.)

Commission: Sonic Arts Network, funds from the Arts Council of England

Eclipse, 1996 (revised 1998), large orchestra (14 min.)

môr(G)wyn, 1996, acousmatic music (11 min.)

Ascent, 1994 (revised 1997), acousmatic music (12 min.)

Commission: BEAST, funds from West Midlands Arts

Scherzo, 1992 (revised 1993), acousmatic music (8 min.)

 

PulseRates, 1992, acousmatic music, composed with Jonty Harrison and Dan Roger, with

additional material by Robert Dow and Alistair MacDonald (BEAST Collective) (12 min.)

Commission: Birmingham City Council / Arts 2000

INT/ext, 1991, harpsichord and electroacoustic sounds (14 min.)

Commission: Vivienne Spiteri, funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain

Tracking, 1990, piano trio (8 min.)

Commission:  Mead Piano Trio

Changes, 1990, flute, viola and harp (11 min.)

Time and Fire, 1990, acousmatic music (14 min.)

A Cord of Three Strands... 1989, fl, cl (bass cl), vlc, pno, synth, computer and live electronics (6 min.)

Arrivals, 1987 (rev 1989), acousmatic music (13 min.)

MARanaTHA, 1987 (rev 1989 and 1991), four amplified voices and live electronics (8 min.)

Storm-song, 1987, piano and electroacoustic sounds (14 min.)

Commission: Philip Mead, funds from Northern Arts

Principles of Flight, 1986, shakuhachi and electroacoustic sounds (10 min.)

 Commission: Sonic Arts Network/Yoshikazu Iwamoto, funds from Greater London Arts

Adagio, 1985, acousmatic music (15 min.)

FM, 1985, music theatre for solo guitarist (8 min.)

 

Recordings

Sonnerie Aux Morts

‘Project One’, The Produkt Korps, (Phonodisc) PKLP 010

‘Project 91’,  Concrete, (CD) CPROD

Arrivals

‘Cultures Electroniques 4’, Le chant du monde, (CD) LDC 278049/50

Time and Fire

‘Cultures Electroniques 6’, Le chant du monde, (CD) LDC 278053/54

Ascent (original version 1994)

‘Digital Playgrounds’, ICMC 1995, (CD) PRCD 1600

Ascent (revised version 1997)

‘Cultures Electroniques 10’, Le chant du monde, (CD) LDC 278063/64

Cân

‘Prix International Noroit-Léonce Petitot’, 1997, (CD) Musidisk 247 982

Scherzo

‘Legacies: Works from BEAST’ Vol. 2, 2003, (CD) Sargasso SCD 28046

Penmon Point

CD of V CIMESP, São Paulo, 2004, (CD) Studio PANaroma, Brazil

 

Performances and broadcasts

More than 200 performances have taken place to date, in 21 countries (in Europe, North and South America, Australasia and South East Asia), including 15 in London. There have also been numerous broadcasts in the UK and internationally.

International prizes and awards

My work has received the following international prizes, awards and distinctions, in reverse date order.

2004       Awarded a ‘Euphonie d’Or’ for one of the 10 most significant works in the last 10 years of the Bourges competition, France (Ascent)

2004       Visiting composer, ‘Rien à voir’ festival, Montréal, Canada

2003       Tempo Reale (for string quartet) selected by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for performance in SPNM’s 60th year

2003       Concerts marking my 40th birthday at the Universities of Huddersfield and Bangor

2003       First Prize, Concurso Internacional de Música Eletroacústica de São Paulo, (Penmon Point)

2002       SPNM Shortlisted Composer (Tempo Reale for string quartet)

2001       First Prize, Concurso Internacional ART’S XXI, Valencia, Spain (Cable Bay)

1999       Nominated for the British Music Information Centre’s New Voices project

1999       SPNM Shortlisted Composer (Eclipse for orchestra)

1999       Cân selected for the International Computer Music Conference, Beijing, China

1998       Finalist in Noroit/Leonce Petitot Acousmatic Music Competition, Arras, France (Cân)

1997       Second Prize, EAR 97 (Hungarian National Radio Competition) (môr(G)wyn)

1997       First Prize, 24e Concours de Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges, France (Ascent)

1996       First Prize, Competition in Sound, Copenhagen, Denmark (sketch for môr(G)wyn)

1995       Ascent and Scherzo selected for the ICMC, Banff, Canada, and Ascent for the conference CD

1994       First Mention (Runner Up), Stockholm Electronic Arts Award, Sweden (Scherzo)

1993       Honourable Mention, Prix Ars Electronica, Austria (Scherzo)

1990       Time and Fire selected for the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), Glasgow

1990       Awarded British Arts Council Electroacoustic Music Bursary to work on Time and Fire

1989       Second prize, 16e Concours de Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges (Arrivals)

1988       Honourable Mention, 15e Concours de Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges (Storm-song)

1986       EMAS/PRS Prize (Adagio)

1985       Finalist, Huddersfield festival Young Composers’ Competition (FM)                        

Published articles, conference papers and seminars

2006       (In press) Chapter and graphic score for Portrait polychrome Dhomont, (INA/GRM, Paris)

2004       ‘Francis Dhomont’s Novars’ reproduced in part in Stéphane Roy, L’analyse des musiques electroacoustiques: modeles et propositions (L’Harmattan, Paris, January 2004). ISBN 2747556093

2003       ‘The Three Musics of Penmon Point’, pre-concert talk, Electric Spring, University of Huddersfield

1999       ‘Wales in the Cân’, paper given at CAWMS Conference, Bangor University

1999       ‘Cân: Ancestors and Descendants’, paper given at research seminar, Queen’s University Belfast

1998       ‘Francis Dhomont’s Novars’, Journal of New Music Research, eds. Denis Smalley & Lelio Camilleri (Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, The Netherlands, June 1998), vol. xxvii, no. 1/2. ISSN 0929–8215

1998       Leader, New Notes (SPNM, London, 1998). ISSN 1350-8989

1997       ‘Analysing Francis Dhomont’s Novars’, Research Seminar, University of Huddersfield

1997       CD Reviews: ‘Presque rien’ (Luc Ferrari), ‘Kaleidos’ (Stéphane Roy), Contact!, the journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, 11.1 (Montréal, Autumn 1997)

1996       CD Review: ‘L’ivresse de la vitesse’ (Paul Dolden), Contact!, the journal of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, 10.1 (Montréal, Autumn 1996)

1993       ‘Music as Timbre’, Third Science and Music Conference, City University

1992       ‘The Undiscovery of Electroacoustic Music’, Sonic Arts Journal, ed. Pete Stollery, (Sonic Arts Network, London, 1992). ISSN 1355-7726

1990       ‘Orpheus: A Graphical Composition Environment’, Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Glasgow (San Fransisco, 1990)                  

1989       ‘Amplitude and Frequency Slope Profiles in Denis Smalley’s Pentes’, Electroacoustic Music, the Journal of the Electroacoustic Music Association of  Great Britain, ed. Douglas Doherty, (EMAS, London, 1989), vol. iv, no 1/2

1988       ‘Motion in Electroacoustic Music: Denis Smalley’s Vortex’, Electroacoustic Music, the Journal of the Electroacoustic Music Association of  Great Britain, ed. Douglas Doherty, (EMAS, London, 1989), vol. iii, nos. 3 and 4