BCMG's New Apprentice Composer-in-Residence - Matthew Sergeant

Matthew Sergeant, Photo: L. Goves

Nurturing emerging talent has always been at the core of BCMG's work. This is why we are delighted to announce that BCMG, in partnership with spnm (The Society for the Promotion of New Music) has appointed a new Apprentice Composer-in-Residence for 2008/09. Over the next year, spnm shortlisted composer Matthew Sergeant will work alongside BCMG musicians, conductors and composers as well as getting the chance to write a piece for the group.

Matthew Sergeant talks to BCMG Project Assistant Anna Gover about the year ahead as Apprentice Composer-in-Residence - a post funded by The Leverhulme Trust, as well as his future aspirations.

Tell us about your association with spnm and how you were appointed BCMG/spnm Apprentice Composer-in-Residence.

I've been a member of the spnm's composer shortlist since August 2006. Once selected for inclusion (a 'call for scores' is held annually), composers remain on the shortlist for three years. This is my final year, beginning September 2008. The BCMG/spnm Apprentice Composer-in-Residence was an opportunity made exclusive to those on the shortlist. I had to submit a portfolio of scores and be interviewed by a panel in order for my suitability to be assessed - and here I am.

Are there any people who have particularly influenced your work?

The problem with answering a question like this is that I'm always terrified I'll leave someone absolutely crucial out! Yes, there are many influences...

I've always been drawn to composers that make me reconsider what music 'is' and what it can be made from. This has drawn me to composers who seem to specifically tackle/explore/address/generally-mess-with the innate temporality of music. As a result, the music of Xenakis and Birtwistle is very important to me, as is that of Feldman. I'm a fan of Simon Holt and Richard Barrett's work as well, but I'm also increasingly drawn to the music of the slightly younger generation - people like Bryn Harrison and James Saunders - but there's still probably lots more!

I also tend to draw a lot from other art forms. I'm not 'inspired' in a programmatic or descriptive sense - but I often see things that trigger (usually rather abstract) musical ideas in my head. British architecture from the 60s/70s is one area of interest - architects like James Stirling, the Smithson Partnership and Owen Luders (I love their blend of hardline modernism and fantasy). The visual arts is another: I'm a big Pollock fan. More recently I've become really interested in some video artists - like Bill Viola. And then there's the written word (prose usually): Haruki Murakami's a massive influence.

Which elements of this residency are you most looking forward to?

There are so many fantastic strands to the residency and I think I'm looking forward to them all (although I appreciate that's somewhat of a cop-out answer!). The project is very holistic - and that in itself makes it more or less unique. Over the year I'm given the opportunity to oversee another composer’s commission from start to finish, as well as have an 'access all areas pass' to the whole BCMG team - so I can witness how the ensemble works from an artistic and logistic angle.

I'm also particularly looking forward to working with Peter Wiegold and Howard Skempton (my composer mentors) in preparing my pieces for the group. Wiegold's reputation in the area of improvisation (or 'creative realisation') is so legendary - and its an area that I'm just beginning to explore, so the opportunity to consult with him is quite extraordinary. I've always admired Howard Skempton's music - and he's someone that has a direct historical link to Cardew, which is just amazing.

The act of composing is full of choices. As a composer, I make a choice and then work with the consequence. I make another choice, and that presents another consequence. And on it goes. Right now, I'm interested in revisiting music from earlier in a piece, presenting it again, but changing one or more of the previous encounter's choices. Sometimes this means the music is nearly exactly the same as before, and sometimes it means that it will be forced to depart on a completely new tangent as a result of these subtle changes - kind of a mixture of circles and spirals.

But then, on top of that, I like musical opposites as well. I like extreme dissonance and extreme consonance - but not really anything in between. I like almost offensively extrovert music, and music of intense fragility - but not really anything in between. So as well as repetitive and cyclic music, I also like music with long tangential narratives and a slightly bizarre sense of logical development.

Do you already have ideas for the piece you will write for BCMG?

Yes, I do already have ideas. I'm imagining something multi-movement with an improvised element that keeps returning. It's difficult - I don't really want to commit to any more in case somebody inspires my ideas to change!

Do you think your approach to the compositional process will change as a result of the opportunities you will have to work directly with the musicians?

Absolutely. Working with the players is another bonus to this project. I'm interested in various forms of controlled improvisation, within a mostly pre-composed framework. Having said that, I'm not yet entirely certain what I mean by this or how it’s going to work logistically, but working with the players (hearing their feedback, working with their suggestions) is the only way I can see that I'll be able to articulate what I mean and what I want. If successful, the outcome of this 'research' could affect my compositional approach in the broadest possible sense.

You have been actively involved in education projects, including with BCMG. Why is this important to you?

I do care passionately about the way composition is 'taught' (if 'taught' is the right word) to people. I think it's because when I was at school (despite the best efforts of my excellent classroom teachers) nobody really knew what 'to do' with someone who wanted to be a composer.

So there's that, and then there's the fact that when I meet a lot of young musicians, they seem to be under the impression that composition is in some way inseparably linked to things like 'avoiding parallel fifths' and 'not doubling the third'. I think many people need reminding that essentially composition is about limitless creativity. And that whilst ultimately I believe that some approaches are more philosophically sound than others, all composers (and especially younger ones) should be encouraged to explore the far-reaches of their musical imaginations.

I can't really imagine a time when I'm not involved in music-education in some way, but mostly I just want to keep exploring my music and hearing it played, in whatever form that may eventually take. That and surviving the credit-crunch. It's not really a good time to be young artist at the moment!