Stephen Beville

Stephen Beville is a composer, pianist, writer and champion of classical music.

Acclaimed as a "rising star" by the Manchester Evening News, Beville has studied with such eminent figures in the musical world as Wolfgang Rihm. As a pianist, he has performed throughout Britain and Germany, and has made recordings and given interviews for SWR (Southwest German) radio. Beville has performed at festivals including the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the 'Glories of the Keyboard', and 'American Reflections' festivals at the Royal Northern College of Music and the London New Wind Festival.

Career

Beville studied at the Junior Academy (Royal Academy of Music) from 1989-94, learning composition, piano, and conducting. Having won a Yamaha scholarship, he read Music at the Universities of York and Huddersfield. During this time, he performed much contemporary music, and studied piano with Peter Katin. In February, 1997, Katin sent a fax to Beville's father stating the following:

"... he played a Beethoven sonata here today...This guy is a genius and it's my privilege to look after him."

Beville graduated in 1998 with First Class Honours, and was awarded the Wilfrid Mellers prize and Rodwell prize.

He thereafter continued his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where his teachers included Martin Roscoe and Benjamin Frith. Beville is the recipient of the PG Diploma and MMus in Performance and Composition, and the Professional Performance Diploma with Distinction - the most prestigious accolade of the RNCM. In 2001, he won the 'Lucy Pierce Award'. He has performed with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and The New Ensemble in a range of contemporary music, not least his own work.

Beville's music has been performed in venues such as the RAM, the British Music Information Centre , and The Barbican in London, the RNCM, the Velte-Saal, Insel Theatre and renowned ZKM (Centre for Art and Media Technology) in Karlsruhe, Germany. The early "Chamber Concerto" was premiered by the Manson Ensemble, and later selected by the Society for the Promotion of New Music for a performance conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Other works that have been selected by the SPNM include the "Ballade for Eight Players", "Purgatory Pieces" for string quartet, and "Epicycle" for chamber orchestra - first performed by The New Ensemble, directed by Andre de Ridder.

In 2001, Beville won a DAAD scholarship to study with Wolfgang Rihm at the Musikhochschule, Karlsruhe in Germany, where he obtained "Konzertexamens" both in Composition and Performance - First Class. In addition, he was awarded a scholarship from the Heinrich Strobel Stiftung, Freiburg to support his studies. In Karlsruhe, he focused mainly on combining live instrumental performance with electronic facilities available at the computer-studio. This resulted in works with piano, such as "The Echoing Sky, Three Michelangelo Pieces", and "Fashionism - Scenes of Youth" for electric guitar, piano, percussion and live electronics. All have been performed to critical acclaim - the first piece in collaboration with the Badische Konservatorium to mark 400 years of keyboard music. Beville's music has been featured at international festivals of contemporary music such as "KlangrRiffe 2003" and the London New Wind Festival (2007).

In addition to his musical activities, Beville is a writer on music and culture. His articles include 'The Recognition of the Composer Today' and its companion piece, 'On the Musical Illiteracy of the British Public' (2006). He has contributed to such periodicals as SPNM Newnotes, Composition Today, and Musical Pointers.

List of Works - selected

*"Ballade for Eight Players" (1997)
*"Prologue" for string Quartet (1998)
*"Three Piano Pieces" (1998)
*"Epicycle" for chamber orchestra (1999-2000)
*"Meditations at the Cross" for large ensemble(2000)
*"The Echoing Sky" for piano and electronics (2001)
*"Three Michelangelo Pieces" for piano, electronics and tape (2002).
*"Fashionism - Scenes of Youth" for electric guitar, piano, percussion and electronics (2003).
*"Purgatory Pieces" for string quartet (2004)
*"Nocturnes" for violin and piano (2005)
*"Scenes from Dreams" - Six pieces for piano (2006).

External links

* [http://www.classicol.com/piano/stephenbeville.cfm Stephen Beville] Pianist/Composer website.

* [http://www.compositiontoday.com/forum/44_899.asp] Article - 'Luigi Nono and the British Musical Intelligentsia'.

* [http://www.compositiontoday.com/Forum/44_1036.asp] 'Spheres and Epicycles' - An SWR interview with composer, Stephen Beville.

* [http://www.compositiontoday.com/Forum/45_1429.asp] Review - 'Luigi Nono, Fragments of Venice' with Maurizio Pollini.

* [http://www.musicweb.uk.net/SandH/2000/july00/butler.htm] Review of Beville's "Epicycle" for chamber orchestra.