Journal Entries
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet 4
April 28, 2019
All-night Jesus’ Blood April 2019 The Academy of St Martin in the Fields proposed a project for a 12 hour performance of Jesus’ Blood from 8pm April 12 to 8am April 13 2019 to be performed in the Tanks at Tate Modern.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet 5
April 28, 2019
Jesus’ Blood Torino April 2019 A couple of weeks after we had done the all-night performance of Jesus’ Blood at the Tate Modern, my ensemble did a concert as part of the Torino Jazz Festival.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet 3
December 7, 2018
Handel Street Projects In December 2018 I did a performance with an ensemble of just 4 players in Fedja Klikovac’s Handel Street Gallery.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet 1
November 8, 2018
Rev Richard Carter, St Martin in the Fields Memorial service for those who died homeless in the previous year. Service is about becoming part of the orchestra of heaven. Gavin Bryars wrote asking to take part in the Annual Commemoration for those who have Died Homeless.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet 2
June 23, 2018
Jesus’ Blood – Book of Hours Dundalk, Ireland In Dundalk I directed a performance of Jesus’ Blood for Eamonn Quinn’s festival using those musicians who were already performing there.
Fuse Arts Camp
April 25, 2018
In April 2018, Gavin will lead a five-day masterclass in composition at CAMP, a residential arts facility in the high French Pyrenees.
Father John Misty (Hollywood recording)
February 21, 2017
Father John Misty’s album Pure Comedy, for which Gavin arranged two pieces, is to be released in April, followed by a tour of live performance.
Carla Bley and Big Ears Festival 2017
October 17, 2016
It was something of a shock to the system to find myself on the front page of the US Edition of Rolling Stone magazine at the beginning of October when Big Ears announced the line up for its 2017 festival.
Father John Misty
September 13, 2016
Some time ago, in March 2016, Josh Tillman got in touch with me through the pianist Thomas Bartlett. Thomas plays on most of the tracks on the new Father John Misty recording and he asked our mutual friend Iarla O’Lionaird to contact me and see if I would be interested to work on a song for him
My Pencils (Aztec Scoremaster 101)
September 12, 2016
In January and February 1982 I worked in New York on the first part of Medea, which culminated in a draft performance (though I had left just before that).
Cadman Requiem – Martin Cadman
October 28, 2015
1. Cadman Requiem at Kings Place October 24 2015 Over a year ago I planned a concert with my ensemble and David Wordsworth’s Addison Singers to be part of the yearlong festival Minimalism Unwrapped at Kings Place.
Marilyn Forever
October 6, 2015
In March this year Long Beach Opera created a new production of Marilyn Forever at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California. There had been performances earlier that month in Adelaide of the original Canadian production, though with a different cast from that of the premiere in 2013.
‘Pataphysical New Year’s Eve (September 7 2015)
October 6, 2015
I attended, for the first time, the annual ‘Pataphysical New Year’s Eve dinner in Paris this year, where along with The London Snorkelling Team, I performed a sequence of short pieces, being The Musical Illustrations to Sherlock Holmes’ Treatise On the Polyphonic Motets of Orlando di Lassus.
Etel Adnan Performance at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, October 1st 2015
October 6, 2015
Etel Adnan Event Gavin Bryars: It Never Rains (2010) for viola, cello, electric guitar, double bass Gavin Bryars: The Island Chapel (1997) for voice and ensemble
Adelaide International Festival 2015
February 27, 2015
Adelaide Festival From the end of February until March 5th I was guest composer at the Adelaide Festival where I had a very dense schedule and did 6 performances in 12 days.
Pneuma, ballet in Bordeaux
March 17, 2014
From March 10-18 I was in Bordeaux for the premiere of a new ballet, Pneuma, with choreographer Carolyn Carlson – the premiere itself was on March 17 and there were 9 performances, two of which were filmed for French Television.
Danish Composers Workshop
October 15, 2013
I spent three days – one evening, one full day, one part day – in Denmark at Engelsholm School of Music and Art, which is housed in the very beautiful Engelsholm Castle in Jutrland, South West Denmark.
Marilyn Forever (chamber opera)
October 6, 2013
Marilyn Forever – music by Gavin Bryars; libretto by Marilyn Bowering On September 13 and 14 my new opera was premiered at the MacPherson Playhouse, Victoria BC, Canada. It was produced by Aventa and conducted by Bill LInwood, Aventa’s director.
Rita Cadman’s funeral
April 6, 2013
Rita Cadman died on March 25 2013. She was the mother of Bill Cadman, my former sound engineer who was killed in the Lockerbie air crash and for whom I wrote Cadman Requiem.
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet in Africa
March 5, 2013
Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet in Zimbabwe Dec 5/6 2012 Richard Sisson has been working with BBC Radio Three presenter Petroc Trelawney to develop their music teaching in Zimbabwe and it was his task (“lucky task” is the term he used…) to draw together the threads for their concert at the Music Academy in Bulawayo, of which Jesus’ Blood was the central part.
Gavin Bryars at 70
January 17, 2013
Wednesday January 16th was my 70th birthday, which was spent quietly. Anya is in Russia working on her film, Mashka is away at university, so there was just Yuri
Gavin Bryars Ensemble Titanic Tour 2012
November 26, 2012
Prague One of the many pleasurable aspects of the tour was the way that the ensemble was able to be together socially as well as in performance. In Prague, for example, we were invited for lunch at the British Embassy by the ambassador Sian Macleod.
Mercy and Grand
March 23, 2012
A new album on GB Records Mercy and Grand is released on April 23 2012. This is one of the projects that Gavin Bryars has worked on with Opera North, through the director of Opera North Projects Dominic Gray, and JIm Holmes – who conducted Gavin’s second opera Doctor Ox’s Experiment at English National Opera and who was, until recently, Head of Music at Opera North.
Biped – last performances on Legacy Tour
January 22, 2012
I wrote Biped for Merce Cunningham in 1999 and have performed the piece live many times with the company. After Merce’s death in 2009 the company continued to perform his work up to the end of 2011 – a Legacy Tour.