About this project

I met British guitarist Andrew Booth and Canadian pianist Bryan Kelly as part of the 2009 SoundSCAPE festival http://soundscapefestival.org, held in Italy last summer. We had the opportunity to collaborate with participating composers and perform the world premières of chamber works written for the festival. Our passion for leading edge contemporary music and all things Italian (pizza, gelato, coffee bars and cycling on cobblestone roads) brought us together.

Now, we want to do it again!

Andy and Bryan are already based in the UK, so I'm proposing to join them from June 19th until July 3rd to rehearse for and perform a set of 3-4 concerts in and around the London area. We've already secured concerts in Aylesbury, England and at the prestigious Royal College of Music http://www.rcm.ac.uk in London during this time period.

Okay, so you've never heard of anything written for violin, guitar and piano? Neither had we. It turns out, repertoire is extremely limited unless you're willing to settle for a transcription. While we all love a good transcription, we really wanted to explore the possibilities of this instrumentation. So, we've enlisted the help of some emerging composers to write for our quirky combination. But let's be honest, with three stringed instruments - one bowed, one plucked, and one struck - what's not to love?

The composers we've elected to work with so far are:

Brian Hulse - please see our update page, and http://www.operascore.com

Philip Schuessler http://www.philipschuessler.com - A fellow 2009 SoundSCAPE-er with an existing work for violin, guitar and piano.

Donal Rafferty http://www.donalrafferty.net

Andy, Bryan and I all feel it's important to promote the performance of works by living composers. We want to be part of a generation of performers who contribute to developing the 21st century as a new era of music-making. We also wouldn't mind going down in history as a groundbreaking, world-famous violin, guitar and piano trio.

This is where you come in. I'm asking for total financial support of $2000 to cover my flight to the UK ($1000) and help cover some of my expenses while in London ($500), costs to commission composers ($250), rental costs for a recording studio and promotion costs for our concerts ($250). Our gracious composers have agreed to work for minimal fees, so any additional funds we can raise will go into supporting our composers more fully. Your generous support will allow us to make the most of this opportunity.

Thanks to everyone for reading and I appreciate your support!

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British guitarist Andrew Booth recently completed his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where he studied with Gordon Crosskey and Craig Ogden. Andrew has won awards from the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. In demand throughout the UK as a soloist and chamber musician, Andrew was recently invited to join the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme for the 2010/11 season. Following his performances in the 2009 SoundSCAPE festival, Andrew was awarded the prestigious Performer Prize for his dedication and commitment to the performance of new music.

Canadian pianist Bryan Kelly is a current fourth year student at the Royal College of Music, studying principally with Andrew Ball while at the RCM. In recent years, Bryan has performed in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada including an appearance as a soloist with the London Chamber Orchestra. He is a regular performer in RCM concerts as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist and has also participated in the Royal Overseas League and RCM’s Contemporary Piano Music competitions. His recent performances of new music include collaborations with American, British and Irish emerging composers.

Project location: London, United Kingdom

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Martha Morrison

Baltimore, MD

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Violinist Martha Morrison is an active performer in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. As a Master's degree student at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, she studied violin primarily under Herbert Greenberg. At Peabody, Martha was coached by many teachers including Michael Kannen, Maria Lambros, Christopher Theofanidis, and John Shirley-Quirk. She has also participated in masterclasses with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Cavani String Quartet, and Charles Castleman. Martha currently performs with many orchestras, including the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, and Maryland Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed in several concert series that showcase new music including the Living Music series and the Illusory Correlations series.