University of Southampton teaching fellow appointed Composer-in-Residence at Handel House Museum
John Habron, composer and Early Career Teaching Fellow in Music at the University of Southampton, has been appointed as the new Composer-In-Residence for 2007/08 at Handel House Museum in London.
John will take up the role in September and his period of residency will see him work on a variety of inventive musical and educational projects with children, students, musicians and museum visitors over the next 12 months.
Among the highlights of John's residency will be two new composition commissions for Handel House, one based around an original half-page document in Handel's own hand, which is in the Museum collection.
John will also lead a schools' project as part of the London Handel Festival; an autumn 2007 partnership with English Touring Opera (ETO) for schools, based on Handel's Teseo; and an adult education composition project.
Sarah Bardwell, Director of Handel House Museum, says: "We are very pleased to appoint John Habron to work with visitors of all ages, to increase their understanding of music and the works and life of Handel. The project is novel and has already introduced many children to live music and honed the skills of hundreds more."
John Habron adds: "It is a very exciting opportunity for me to continue my music-education work with children and amateurs, to bring new music to visitors and to compose for the museum's Ensemble-in-Residence, The Burney Players. Handel House is a great setting for all this to take place - intimate yet inspiring - and I can't wait to get started."
Notes for editors
- John Habron was born in Huddersfield in 1978. While a student at the University of Durham he conducted the University Symphony Orchestra. In 2000 he studied with Michael Finnissy at the University of Southampton and gained a distinction in his MA. In 2001 John was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 to write a piece for the Belcea String Quartet, The Sudden Walk, which was premiered in August 2002 and has been broadcast twice.
John is a keen scholar whose interests include musicology and the philosophy of music. He has recently completed a PhD at the University of Southampton and is now an Early Career Teaching Fellow in Music for the University, where he lectures in composition, orchestration, harmony and counterpoint, and late twentieth-century music. - Handel House - Number 25 Brook Street was Handel's home from 1723 until his death in 1759. Not only did he live in 25 Brook Street, but he also ran his opera company, the Royal Academy of Music from the house and most importantly composed the vast majority of his works here, including Messiah. Handel House Museum was the first UK museum to appoint a composer-in-residence.