Composer Rory Boyle on the John Armitage JAM and new Scottish music

The JAM collective, formed in memory of musician John Armitage, is following last year's sell-out concerts with performances in St Andrews, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Helen Brown spoke to composer Rory Boyle about the piece he wrote for the concerts and the flowering of new music in Scotland.

By Helen Brown
Published in the Courier : 12.10.11
Published online : 12.10.11 @ 03.01pm

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People are frightened of modern classical music, so they say — but the popularity of JAM and its concerts in Scotland seem to contradict the belief that it's difficult and difficult to listen to.

Like last year's events which garnered five-star reviews, JAM will unite a plethora of contemporary musical talent to play the work of contemporary composers — with a nice historical twist built in. Ayrshire-born, Scottish-based composer Rory Boyle was asked to create a short piece for this year's concert series and JAM will be presenting his specially-commissioned creation, Tallis's Light, alongside its original inspiration, a beautiful little four-part hymn by 16th century composer Thomas Tallis himself, O Nata Lux (Light Born of Light).

The musical mix under conductor Michael Bawtree is an interesting one — brass ensemble (the five-part Pure Brass), choral groups and organist Tom Wilkinson. The voices come from the combined forces of Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir and the University of St Andrews Chapel Choir, with soloists Claire Seaton, soprano, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, mezzo, Iain Paton, tenor and Michael de Souza, bass.

A formidably talented force, in fact, and assembled in memory of a man who loved music and was determined to give young musicians the chance to shine.

¶ JAM:sound theatricals is being performed at Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews on Thursday October 20, at St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh on Friday October 21 and on Saturday October 22 at St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen. All concerts start at 7.30pm. Tickets, free for children, range from £5-£15 from Box Office number 0800 988 7984 or jamconcert.org (link).

John Armitage had a highly successful "day job" in advertising but grew up surrounded by church and choral music through his father, a Precentor at Westminster Abbey and later the Rector of St Bride's Church, Fleet Street. John became a gifted and busy trumpeter who subsequently went on to study music as a mature student. He sadly died in 1998 at the age of only 63 but as an accomplished player who also believed in the power of music to inspire and promote achievement, before his death he talked to his son, Edward, about how to encourage unknown or living composers by commissioning, performing and recording their work.

In the summer of 2000 Edward brought together a group of like-minded musicians to pursue this goal and from there JAM was born. Each year, Jam invites composers to submit music for brass quintet, organ and choir and from these, plus a commissioned work by an established composer, a concert programme is put together. Since then, the organisation has commissioned or performed over 60 new works.

This year includes pieces by Benjamin Britten and two Scottish premieres, Two Cairns by established composer Stuart MacRae and Invocation by Phillip Cooke, one of the young composers who sent in his work on spec. The programme also features Paul Mealer's Ubi Caritas, part of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's wedding ceremony earlier this year and his setting of the Tennyson poem, Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal. Both this and Jonathan Dove's The Far Theatricals of Day are previous commissions created specially for JAM.

This year's premiere, Rory Boyle's Tallis's Light, is the product of more than a year's work but almost a lifetime of inspiration. Rory explained: "I first came across this wonderful little gem of a piece by the Elizabethan Thomas Tallis, O Nata Lux, when I was a chorister at St George's Chapel, Windsor as a little boy and it has always haunted me. It's so simple, it's almost sublime but although I had tried to do something with it some years ago, it just didn't gel somehow. So when I was asked to write something for JAM and for the wonderful and unusual combination of voices and instruments, it was a wonderful opportunity .

Continued...