The International Composers Festival is a regular event comprising a series of concerts, lectures and networking opportunities created with the purpose to promote and showcase classical music that is tuneful, universally appealing and created solely by living composers attending the concerts. The festival was founded in 2012 by composer, concert pianist and artistic director Polo Piatti [1] and the festival patrons are composers Nigel Hess and Debbie Wiseman OBE. The first festival took place on 24-25 August 2012 and subsequent festivals took place in 2013, 2015 and 2018 always in Hastings and Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, UK. The repertoire encompasses works especially selected from submissions from all over the world and includes big orchestral compositions, film scores, computer gaming music, televisions themes, chamber and dance music usually performed in six concerts over a long weekend.
A strong element in the festival is the opportunity for composers from different parts of the world to come together and network with colleagues and organisations in the United Kingdom. Principal festival conductors include Stephen Ellery (Wales), Derek Carden (UK), Irish Endo (Japan) and John Andrews (UK) [2] and composers in residence include Simon Proctor, Nobuya Monta, Ash Madni. [3] The current composer in residence is Paul Lewis [4] and youth ambassador is Oliver Poole. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
In addition to the Composers in residence, the 2018 festival included;
Hastings is a seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, 24 mi (39 km) east of Lewes and 53 mi (85 km) south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place 8 mi (13 km) to the north-west at Senlac Hill in 1066. It later became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. In the 19th century, it was a popular seaside resort, as the railway allowed tourists and visitors to reach the town. Today, Hastings is a fishing port with the UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet. It has an estimated population of 91,100 as of 2021.
The Hastings Embroidery was commissioned by Group Captain Ralph Ward and made by the Royal School of Needlework in 1965 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings the following year.
Bexhill-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish in the Rother District in the county of East Sussex in South East England. It is located along the Sussex Coast and between the towns of Hastings and Eastbourne.
The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Peacehaven, Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye, and Folkestone.
The De La Warr Pavilion is a grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, on the south coast of England.
Peasmarsh is a village and civil parish in the Rother district, in the county of East Sussex in England. It is located on the A268 road between Rye and Beckley, some 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Rye.
East Sussex College or East Sussex College Group is the largest higher education college in East Sussex, providing education and training from foundation to degree level. The college educates almost half of the county's young people and over 8,000 adults each year at campuses in Lewes, Eastbourne, Hastings and Newhaven, and in the workplace.
Bexhill United is a football club based in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. The club was formed in 2002 through the merger of Bexhill Town and Bexhill Amateur Athletic Club, though the latter split from the club in 2006. Affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association, they are currently members of the Southern Combination Premier Division and play at the Polegrove.
Henry Ward ARIBA was a British architect who designed many large public buildings in and around Hastings, East Sussex, some of which are listed buildings.
The Hastings trolleybus system once served the town of Hastings, East Sussex, England. Opened on 1 April 1928, it gradually replaced the Hastings tramway network, with the first route to be converted that from the Fishmarket to Hollington, East Sussex and the last, the circular route. Tram replacement cost £1,383 per mile, but increased average speed from 7.5 to over 10 mph and cut costs from 13d to 10d per mile.
The historic county of Sussex in southern England has a rich musical heritage that encompasses the genres of folk, classical and rock and popular music amongst others. With the unbroken survival of its indigenous music, Sussex was at the forefront of the English folk music revivals of the 19th and 20th centuries. Many classical composers have found inspiration in Sussex, and the county continues to have a thriving musical scene across the musical genres. In Sussex by the Sea, the county has its own unofficial anthem.
Anna Sigríður Þorvaldsdóttir is an Icelandic composer. She has been called "one of Iceland's most celebrated composers", and was the 2012 winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize. Her music is frequently performed in Europe and in the United States, and is often influenced by landscapes and nature.
Matthew Curtis is a British classical composer.
Oliver Poole is a British pianist and composer.
Polo Osvaldo Ernesto Piatti is an Argentine neo-romantic composer, concert pianist and conductor based in the United Kingdom. He is one of very few high-profile international musicians concentrating exclusively on the creation, performance and promotion of melodic, universally appealing classical music. His compositions are performed all over the world for their evocative and passionate character. Considered a pioneer performer of classical piano improvisations since his youth, he toured Europe, Asia, North and South America premiering his own works as a soloist, performing with international orchestras. Piatti is a member of the Royal Society Of Musicians Of Great Britain, the Ivors Academy and the British Music Society among others.
Danni Nicholls is a multi award nominated British Americana singer-songwriter. Her song, First Cuckoo of Spring, was featured in the TV series Sons of Anarchy. Nicholls has also toured and opened for artists such as Shakin' Stevens, Lucinda Williams and The Secret Sisters.
The Opus Theatre was founded by British-Argentine composer and concert pianist Polo Piatti and officially opened on 7 July 2017 in Hastings, in the United Kingdom.
The Hastings Sinfonia is an orchestra formed by local professional and experienced amateur musicians, based in Hastings, East Sussex, in the United Kingdom. The orchestra was founded in 2012 by British-Argentine composer and artistic director Polo Piatti, is conducted by Derek Carden and led by violinist Adrian Charlesworth.
Leia Zhengying Zhu is a British violinist. In 2019, she became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott and is a Young Artist-in-Residence with the London Mozart Players.