Nick Sackman
Encyclopedia
Dr Nicholas Sackman, is an English
classical composer
, completed his MA at the University of Leeds
with the composer
Alexander Goehr
in 1974, and was subsequently awarded a Doctorate of Music from the University of Nottingham in 1996.
and further afield with Ensembles and Cadenzas performed at the BBC Young Composers Forum and the Gaudeamus Festival, A Pair of Wings at the Bath Music Fest and the 1974 ISCM Festival, Paraphrase, premiered by the London Sinfonietta
, the String Quartet no. 2 and his Piano Sonata, written for Peter Lawson.
Following his study he became a Head of Music in secondary schools in London and then Hertfordshire, which led to a number of commissions for amateur orchestral players including Mosaic for the Nottingham Youth Orchestra
, Cecilia dances for the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra, and sets of pieces for young performers entitled Folios.
, premiered at the 1993 Proms
, and released by NMC Recordings
, Vivace for Sinfonia Viva
, Meld for Philip Mead and the RNCM Brass Ensemble, a percussion quartet entitled Puppets for Drumstruck, and more recently Concerto in Black for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
. He was commissioned, along with 100 other British composers, to write the song Maiden in the Moor for the recently released NMC Songbook (winner of a 2009 Gramophone award), and many recordings of his works appear on the Metier label.
His works have been performed across the UK, including at the Leeds Festival
, the Bath Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall
, Purcell Room, St John's Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall
, and the Edinburgh Festival
, as well as in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sweden and America.
A recording of his recent Concertino for violin and orchestra will shortly be released on the Parma label, and his first Violin Sonata, written for Ruth Palmer
was premiered in March 2010.
idiom to the extent that the quotation appears inevitable.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
classical composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Education
Sackman studied composition at the University of NottinghamUniversity of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, completed his MA at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
with the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr
Alexander Goehr is an English composer and academic.Goehr was born in Berlin in 1932, the son of the conductor and Schoenberg pupil Walter Goehr. In his early twenties he emerged as a central figure in the Manchester School of post-war British composers. In 1955–56 he joined Oliver Messiaen's...
in 1974, and was subsequently awarded a Doctorate of Music from the University of Nottingham in 1996.
Early Performances
During this time he had many performances both in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and further afield with Ensembles and Cadenzas performed at the BBC Young Composers Forum and the Gaudeamus Festival, A Pair of Wings at the Bath Music Fest and the 1974 ISCM Festival, Paraphrase, premiered by the London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
, the String Quartet no. 2 and his Piano Sonata, written for Peter Lawson.
Following his study he became a Head of Music in secondary schools in London and then Hertfordshire, which led to a number of commissions for amateur orchestral players including Mosaic for the Nottingham Youth Orchestra
Nottingham Youth Orchestra
Nottingham Youth Orchestra is an orchestra based in Nottingham for young instrumentalists selected by audition. The orchestra was founded in 1985 by the late Stephen Fairlie and Derek Williams who is the orchestra's musical director to this day....
, Cecilia dances for the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra, and sets of pieces for young performers entitled Folios.
University of Nottingham
In 1990 he was awarded a composition lectureship at the University of Nottingham. Following his appointment Sackman has received numerous commissions including his magnus orchestral work Hawthorn commissioned by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, premiered at the 1993 Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, and released by NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.-History:The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended...
, Vivace for Sinfonia Viva
Sinfonia ViVA
Sinfonia ViVA is a British orchestra based in Derby, United Kingdom, a professional orchestra in the East Midlands. Sinfonia ViVA gives concerts in a number of cities and venues, including the following:* Cleethorpes * Derby...
, Meld for Philip Mead and the RNCM Brass Ensemble, a percussion quartet entitled Puppets for Drumstruck, and more recently Concerto in Black for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is a chamber orchestra based in Birmingham, England. BCMG specialises in the performance of new and contemporary music. BCMG performs regularly at the CBSO Centre and Symphony Hall in Birmingham...
. He was commissioned, along with 100 other British composers, to write the song Maiden in the Moor for the recently released NMC Songbook (winner of a 2009 Gramophone award), and many recordings of his works appear on the Metier label.
His works have been performed across the UK, including at the Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival may refer to:*Reading and Leeds Festivals , a rock music festival in Leeds , West Yorkshire, England*Leeds Festival , European classical music festival in Leeds...
, the Bath Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
, Purcell Room, St John's Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, and the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, as well as in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Sweden and America.
A recording of his recent Concertino for violin and orchestra will shortly be released on the Parma label, and his first Violin Sonata, written for Ruth Palmer
Ruth Palmer
Ruth Palmer is an acclaimed young British violinist, an exponent of music ranging from Bach to Shostakovich and beyond, who was named "Young Classical Performer of the Year" at the Classical BRITs in 2007.-Career:...
was premiered in March 2010.
Reputation
Sackman has asserted a "direct and uncompromising musical voice - one in which cogent argument and powerful fantasy are realized in strikingly memorable forms." Similarly, when reworking pre-existing music he adapts it into his own highly individualistic contemporaryContemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
idiom to the extent that the quotation appears inevitable.