Harvey Brough

Musicial Director/ Composer

Harvey Brough

For the last 30 years I have worked in an extraordinary number of musical styles, always with the best and most interesting collaborators in each discipline.

I started my musical life aged six, as a choirboy at Coventry Cathedral, singing Bach Cantatas and recording Benjamin Britten compositions by the time I was thirteen. I studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Lady Barbirolli and then at Clare College Cambridge. Since then I have worked professionally in music, as a performer, arranger, conductor, producer and composer.

Early Music

Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Ensembles, The Tallis Scholars, The English Concert, Ensemble Retrospect, Red Byrd, Tintagel.

Latterly recording with the Dufay Collective, the Harp Consort and eX.

Jazz

My own group, Harvey and the Wallbangers had great success in the late 80’s playing all major festivals and the main Concert Halls in Europe and the UK. We appeared on the Royal Variety Show and scores of other television shows including Wogan and Russell Harty. I have guested on numerous radio programmes such as Start the Week andLoose Ends on Radio 4. The Wallbangers and I recorded four albums on our own label and the Jazz CD with Simon Rattle, still available on EMI. Since then I have worked with the finest jazz musicians in the UK - Liane Carroll, Winston Clifford, Julian Siegel, James Pearson, Gerard Presencer, Mike Outram, often working with new arrivals on the scene before they have become better known - Tom Arthurs, James Maddren and others.

For fifteen years I worked closely with the Dankworth family, contributing big band and string arrangements totheir concerts, also as Musical Director of Field of Blue with Jacqui Dankworth. Over these years I had the opportunity to work side by side with John Dankworth - an education in itself. I have also arranged songs for Big Band and Orchestra for the King of Thailand, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Classical

While still at Cambridge, I sang in, and directed my own consort, whose members included many singers who are now well established names - Mark Padmore, Charles Daniels, Gerald Finley and Christopher Purves amongst them. Cambridge University Consort of Voices were invited to give a concert in King's College Chapel to mark the opening of the West Road Music Faculty Concert Hall. As producer, arranger and composer I have worked with the Brodsky, Duke and Elysian String Quartets.

Pop and Soul

For ten years I worked extensively in the pop business with top producers such as Simon Law, Jazzie B. etc - contributing string or brass arrangements to singles and albums by Soul II Soul, D Influence, Definition of Sound, Terry Hall and Salad and hundreds of others. Recently I have been working with Jerry Dammers, arranging for his Spatial AKA Orchestra.

World

From 2006-2009 I was the musical director and producer for Natacha Atlas; we toured all over the world with our half western, half arabic band - The Mazeeka Ensemble who recorded a highly acclaimed album under Harvey’s leadership. Ana Hina (Harmonia Mundi) had rave reviews all over the world for the disc and for the ensemble’s live performances.

Film and TV

For many years I co produced the majority of composer Jocelyn Pook’s music for Film and TV, including major releases - Merchant of Venice and Eyes Wide Shut, for which I co-composed the music for the orgy scene. We also collaborated on a ten-hour Series for BBC 2 In a Land of Plenty as composers and producers. I have also provided many soundtracks to TV programmes in my own right – my credits include Citizens (Radio 4), The World About Us (BBC1), the Alexi Sayle series Paris (Channel 4), Wise Up (Channel 4), The Most Beautiful Dress in the World (Bookmark BBC2), Hildegard (Omnibus BBC1), Henry Moore (Omnibus BBC1) and The Glories of Islam (Channel 5). As You Like It (Radio 3) starring Helena Bonham Carter was broadcast on Shakespeare’s birthday in 2000 and a five part series - The Bayeux Tapestry (Radio 4) was broadcast in 2001. I have also presented several radio series, a guide to vocal harmony - Doo Bop She Bop (Radio 2) and Dedications,programmes about Requiem in Blue and about Josquin’s Mille Regretz.

Theatre

Recent theatre work as Musical Director:

Olivier, National Theatre - St Joan, War Horse dir. Marianne Elliott / Tom Morris

Old Vic - the Bridge Project - Cherry Orchard and The Winter’s Tale, dir. Sam Mendes, with Rebecca Hall, Ethan Hawke, Sinead Cusack and Simon Russell-Beale

As Composer and Musical Director: Olivier, National Theatre - Her Naked Skin (2007).

The Real Lowdown

For the last 5 years I have had a close partnership with renowned baroque singer, Clara Sanabras - initially performing medieval and early music, but increasingly as a duo - Retrospect, performing ancient and modern music. Our other band Clara and the Real Lowdown has released two CD’s in the last 2 years - Clara and the Real Lowdown (2008) and Hopetown House (2009) the latter consisting of Clara’s compostitions and my arrangements and production. We launched Hopetown House with a performance in November 2009 by The Real Lowdown - at the Purcell Room, promoted by Serious in the London Jazz Festival.

It is as a composer over the last 10 years that I have made sense of all these disparate influences, writing a series of major pieces that bring together in music things which are often kept apart: jazz and classical - young and old - professional and non professional - ancient and modern - plainsong and improvisation - modern words and ancient texts. In this latter area, I have had a close partnership for many years with Lee Hall (Spoonface Steinberg, Billy Elliot, Pitman Painters).

I am passionate about working with young people and with non-professional musicians and singers - many of the works listed below reflect that passion.

Requiem in Blue (1998) - 43’

I won the first Andrew Milne prize (Arts Council England) and wrote Requiem in Blue, a piece for two choirs of all ages and my own ensemble, made up of musicians I have admired and worked with extensively. Premiered at Eye Church, Suffolk for Wingfield Arts. Requiem in Blue has been performed some 30 times all over the UK and in Europe and will finally be released on CD in 2010.

The Prophet (2002) - 45’

Commissioned by Iford Arts with funding from Southern Arts, premiered at The Wiltshire Music Centre. The Prophet is a setting of the words of Kahlil Gibran for SATB choir SSA Choir and chamber ensemble of 10 musicians.

A Song of Love (2002) - 45’

Walled Garden Suite (2002) - 15’

Two commissions from Wingfield Arts with funding from East England Arts. A Song of Love is for Contralto and Tenor voices, guitar and string quintet.

Walled Garden Suite is for SSA choir, wind trio and guitar. Settings of words by Robert Herrick, premiered by the London Mozart Players and Thomas Mills High School Choir.

Triumph of Harmony (2003) - 30’

Commissioned by Letchworth Council for the town’s 100^th anniversary. For SATB choir and Big Band. Words from Robert Browning, first performed by the Hertfordshire Youth Jazz Ensemble and the Orpheus Choir.

Valete in Pace (2004) - 21’

Commissioned for the 60^th anniversary of Dday by Portsmouth City Council and the City of Caen. World premiere D day 2004 - L’Abbaye-aux-Hommes, Caen, Normandie. British premiere Portsmouth Cathedral 25^th June 2004. For tenor solo, three SATB choirs and Orchestra.

Words written and compiled by Lee Hall, performed by Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, The Maitrise of Caen and Portsmouth Youth Chamber Choir, The London Mozart Players conducted by Andrew Parrott.

i carry your heart (2004) - 4’

A setting of E.E. Cummings’ words commissioned by the Dunedin Consort with funds from the Scottish Arts Council.

Viol Suite (2006) - 20’

Premiered by Suzanne Heinrich at the Brighton Early Music Festival.

Stumbling over Infinity (2007) - 30’

A collaboration with visual artist and librettist Roswitha Gerlitz. The first act of an opera developed by ROH II Opera Genesis project. It was chosen to be performed at the Firsts Season in the Linbury Theatre, The Royal Opera House.

The Better Man (2007) - 15’

For Tenor solo and chamber ensemble. Words by Felix Dennis, first performed on the Isle of Jersey by Mark Le Brocq.

Into the Light - the story of Thecla (2008) - 50’

Commissioned by Wantage Parish Church as part of an Arts Council funded project. Libretto by James Runcie, an Oratorio for solo voices, SATB choir, choir of children, mixed ensemble of 15 players.

A Fairy Dream (2009) - 30’

Commissioned by Sing Up (Youth Music) and Bacchus Productions - a suite after Purcell’s The Fairy Queen for SATB Soloists, SATB choir, 2 choirs of children and Baroque Orchestra.

First performance at the Barbican, London - The City Sings - June 5 2009.

My forthcoming projects over the next couple of years:

Arrangements for Youth Music Voices - a new choir formed by young people from all over the UK - an ongoing project for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

The release of Requiem in Blue CD - my debut recording as sole composer

A major Commission for Opera North 2011 with Lee Hall.

Writing a new music theatre piece based on ‘The Savage’ by David Almond for Youth Music Theatre August 2010.

Forthcoming Performance Dates

Requiem in Blue

Great St Mary’s Cambridge March 14

Clifton College Bristol March 18

St Luke’s Holloway, London March 28

Portsmouth Cathedral June 19