Work
About
Since leaving Cardiff University with an M.Mus. in composition, under the guidance of Alun Hoddinott CBE, and an early stint as a session musician & arranger for Dave Stewart’s Anxious Records in London, John has subsequently worked as a freelance composer for concert platform, theatre, and film, whilst also pursuing his own interests in sound installation, and sound-art.
Selected Projects
2010: Conducted John Cale's first live performance in Wales of the album Paris 1919. Commissioned by Soundtrack Film Festival. Performed in The Coal Exchange, Cardiff.
2012: Original score and sound design for theatre production 'To Live, To Love, To Be' – Sherman Theatre. Director: Phillip MacKenzie.
2012: 'Jerry The Troublesome Tyke: Composed and conducted live performances of original orchestral scores to picture for this 1920's animated film series by Cardiff animator Sid Griffiths. Swansea Festival of Arts.
2012-13: Creative Wales Award research grant to develop the multi-disciplinary work Atgyfodi. The Arts Council of Wales.
2013: Crowds & Power: Sherman Theatre – Original Music and Sound Design. Director: Phillip Mackenzie.
2013: Maudie's Rooms - Original music and sound design for site-specific theatre work in Cardiff’s Exchange building. Director: Louise Osborn.
2014: Bedazzled – A Welshman In New York – Composition, and sound desing based on field recordings for an installation & performance work. Co-devised with David Drake, Ben Gwalchmai, and Ffotogallery. A Dylan Thomas 100 commission.
2014: Song Cycle Commission Bore Oes: A collaboration with poet Mererid Hopwood. Commissioned by Pontio, and premiered by Elin Manahan Thomas and Jeffrey Howard. A Dylan Thomas 100 commission.
2014: Music and sound design for The Institute, a performance/physical theatre feature film by choreographer Sean Tuan John.
2015: Original music for BAFTA nominated documentary feature film Fog Of Sex, a film investigation into sex workers in Education. Directed by Chris Morris.
2015: Musical Director, and composer for Ar Waith, Ar Daith in collaboration with The Wales Millennium Centre, and theatre/events producyion company Walk The Plank.
2016: 'The Phoenix In The Stone': Original music for projection mapping event for Leeds Light Night, commissioned by Rob & Matt Vale of Illuminos.
2017: Concrète – An immersive sound installation and performance work celebrating the introduction of noise into music by Luigi Russolo and the Futurists. A collaboration with Ffotogallery, as part of Diffusion Festival, 2017.
2018: Atgyfodi - Creation of a large scale installation and multi-media performance piece, in collaboration with the St Fagans National Museum of History’s sound and photographic archives, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Performed site-specific in the Museum in October, 2018. Production grant from the Arts Council of Wales, The PRS Foundation, and Ty Cerdd.
2018: Chapter Readings: Ambient surround-sound design and music for Chapter Readings, featuring authors reading original work. Chapter Arts Centre Peilot Scheme. Directed by Phillip MacKenzie.
2018-2019: My Grandfather, The Spy: Original score for drama documentary feature film. Shoot From The Hip Films. Directors: Dave Evans, and Martin Scanlan.
2018-2019: PARADE: A multi-disciplinary installation, and digital work, commissioned by Maindee Library’s Finding Maindee, part of the Arts Council of Wales’ Ideas, People, Places community based initiative.
2019: Y Brain/Kalgalar - Original music and sound design for theatre production based on the writings of Meltem Arikan for Be Aware Productions. Director: Memet Ali Alabora.
2019: Y Tywysog a'r Bomiwr/The Prince and the Bomber - Original score for documentary, commissioned by BBC/S4C. Director: Marc Evans.
2019: Atgyfodi screened as part of the Green Man Festival.
2020: 'The Matthew Purnell Show': Original score for short film featuring a cast of 31 learning-disabled and/or autistic actors. Commissioned by inclusive theatre company Hijinx. Directed by Dan MacGowan.
2020: Creation of original soundscapes for a series of observational audio journals in collaboration with writer Sarah Featherstone for online streaming, a response to the Coronavirus crisis. Self Published & streamed as part of The Wales Arts Review 'Digithon' online festival.
2020: Beyond The Label: Creation of soundscapes/musical responses to poetry and prose recorded by people with lived experience of mental health conditions. Breathe Creative & Ty Canna.
2020-2021: | təʊl |: Research and development of an immersive soundscape and performance project in collabroation with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. The Arts Council of Wales.
2021: Creation of original sound and music for Influence; a film by Supercharger-Blown Collective & Nástio Mosquito. Shown as part of the Spielart 2021 in Munich. Directed by Ric Bower.
2021-2022: Parc Gwyllt: research and development for an immersive audio visual work in collaboration with Parc Prison, Bridgend.
2021-2022: Stones and Dust and Glitch: original music for two short films. Directed by Daniel McGowan for Hijinx.
2021-2022: Creation of Installation work HOSPES in collaboration with the Arts for Health and Wellbeing Programme at Cardiff & Vale Health Charity, part of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary: People, Place, Future project, funded by the Arts Council of Wales through the Arts, Health and Wellbeing Lottery Fund.
2022-2023: Amleddau: a radio-art and film work based on the archives of BBC Radio Cymru, broadcast in February, and screened in The National Museum, Cardiff, in June 2023. A BBC commission to celebrate the Centenary of the first Welsh language broadcast in Cardiff in 1923.
2023-2024: Carchardai: A sound-led virtual Reality R&D funded by The Arts Council of Wales for a new installation project; an investigation of the Cymraeg and the history of incarceration. Shared in Y Bocs in The Wales Millennium Centre.
2024: Turn Up The Sun: Original orchestral score for the independent feature film, directed by Jamie Adams and featuring Jame MacAvoy. Good Pals Films.
2024: The Fight: Original score for a stage play by writer Geinor Styles about the Black boxer from Merthyr, Cuthbert Taylor, and his fight for recognition in the 1920’s to the 1940’s. Directed by Kev McCurdy. Theatr na nÓg.
2024: Perthyn: I am currently working on an Installation project investigating the Welsh Italian diaspora in the Valleys of South Wales, including the history of my own family, who were originally from Frosinone, between Rome and Naples.
2024: Raneen Festival of Art: A celebration of Omani artists and international voices in this site-specific Festival in Muscat, Oman. A commission to create an immersive sound and music work in response to artist Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon. A collaboration with Omani musician Amal Waqar. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Oman. Curator: David Drake.
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