Oliver Kentish

Oliver Kentish

Oliver John Kentish (born 1954 in London, England) is a British-born cellist, tutor, and composer, living in Reykjavik, Iceland, moving there in 1977 and being granted Icelandic nationality in 1989.[1] Kentish composes orchestral, choral, vocal, and chamber music.[2]

In addition to composition, Kentish has been the Artistic Director of the Iceland Amateur Symphony Orchestra (Sinfóníuhljómsveit áhugamanna) since 2005.[3]

Kentish was commissioned by the British Government in 1993 to write the work Mitt Folk which was performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and is dedicated to Vigdís Finnbogadóttir.[1] The work commemorates the 50th anniversary of Iceland as a republic and was a gift from Britain to Iceland.

Much of Kentish's current work (2008) is for the countertenor Sverrir Guðjónsson.[1]

His work Prelude and Fugue for 10 violas was premiered in the United Kingdom at the Purcell Room in London on 30 November 2008.[4]

Selected works

  • Jakobslag, Little Duet for viola and marimba (1999)
  • Draumar og dansar (Dreams and Dances) for viola and chamber orchestra (2002)
  • Prelúdía og fúga (Prelude and Fugue) for 10 violas (2005)
  • Kvinnan fróma for viola and piano (2008)

References

  1. ^ a b c "Cadenza Musicians Directory". http://www.cadenza.org/musicians/pages.cgi?id=1047. Retrieved 2008-12-02. 
  2. ^ White, John David; Christensen, Jean (2002). New Music of the Nordic Countries. Pendragon Press. p. 361. ISBN 9781576470190. "Oliver Kentish is at his best composing to texts, primarily for solo voices" 
  3. ^ "About the Iceland Amateur Symphony Orchestra". http://www.ahugasinfonia.is/index.php?id=8. Retrieved 2008-12-02. 
  4. ^ Miller, Malcolm (30 November 2008). "Israeli Music". Jewish Music Institute. http://www.jmi.org.uk/israelimusic/reviews/britishisraelimusicaldialogues.html. Retrieved 24 January 2010. "Other premieres included Prelude and Fugue for Ten Violas, by Oliver Kentish, a British cellist based in Iceland, with solos for each viola is based on the B-A-C-H motif, performed vividly by the Viola Ensemble of Trinity College of Music." 

External links


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