Premiere - Prelude for solo violin

'Prelude after Grinling Gibbons', for solo violin, will be premiered by its dedicatee, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, at Fairfax House in York on October 30th, 2018. The Prelude is based on the carving 'King David performing a motet of Orlando di Lassus', which is in Fairfax House. Grinling Gibbons carved it as a young man in York, before he had become King Charles' 'Master Carver'.

The salon concert begin at 7pm.

'Souvenir du Petit Berger', BBC broadcast and première

James Willshire gave a beautiful performance of my new solo piano piece 'Souvenir du Petit Berger.' You can hear it here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/m000087y

This 'In Tune' Radio 3 broadcast was followed by the première on September 1st in York at the Late Music Concert Series. My short piece was part of the 'Ten New Debussys project.'

LeFanu portrait - Octandre's new video

Octandre Ensemble, who played a LeFanu portrait concert in London in March, have now released a video of its highlights. The link is here:

https://vimeo.com/281296974

It features 'Deva' for cello and ensemble (solo cellist, Corentin Chassard), interviews with myself, and extracts from The Same Day Dawns and String Quartet no2.

LeFanu interview on YouTube

Here are links to an interview,  June 2018: http://bit.ly/DonneYouTubePlaylist
http://www.drama-musica.com/ComposersofToday.html

Sophia Lecture: 'A Composer's half-century'

I gave the biennial Sophia Lecture at Newcastle University on Tuesday May 8th. 'A Composer's half-century' was the title of my reflections on some of the changes in music - in its practice and its reception - during the fifty years of my career in Britain.

Fairfax House

Peter Sheppard Skaervard's salon recital at Fairfax House in York on Monday May 7th included a performance of Pleiades for solo viola.

Dale Roberts concert: RAM 4pm April 22nd 2018



A Celebration of the music of Jeremy Dale Roberts will include Croquis (Kreutzer trio) Tombeau, Capriccio, Beautiful are the Dead (soprano Carola Darwin, piano Roderick Chadwick) and music by Rainier, Causton and LeFanu.

Royal Academy of Music, London, Sunday April 22nd, 4pm.

A Travelling Spirit - New Paths Festival

'A Travelling Spirit' for soprano and recorder will be performed at the New Paths Festival in Beverley, East Riding, on Friday April 6th, by Caroline MacPhie, soprano and Ian Wilson, treble recorder. The concert is at 8pm in St Mary's Church. The songs set two of the medieval Exeter riddles, translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland.

March 8th events - International Women's Day



The choir Aurora Nova, director Patrick Craig, gave a beautiful performance of 'Misterium Mirabile' (SSA) in a fine programme of choral music composed by women. The concert at St James's Church, Piccadilly, was in aid of the charity Refuge.

The Irish composer Ina Boyle (1889-1967) was celebrated in a lunchtime event at the Wigmore Hall. As one of the few people left who had known her, Nicola spoke of her memories of Ina Boyle.

Nicola can also be heard in the Sound and Music podcast for IWD:

Here is the link to the podcast: https://thesampler.org/podcasts/sound-music-podcast-episode-4/

Octandre concert and weblink



On March 4th 2018, Octandre Ensemble, together with the Ligeti String Quartet, gave a very fine concert of LeFanu works, plus pieces by Lumsdaine and Maconchy. The links to interviews with Nicola are here:
Part 1 (texts, titles, ‘Eastern' influences) : https://www.octandre.com/lefanu-interview-1
Part 2 (‘Women in Music’): https://www.octandre.com/lefanu-interview-2
Part 3 (‘Reflections of an established composer’): https://www.octandre.com/lefanu-interview-3