Concert opened 175th anniversary – ‘The Sounds of Time’
Wed, 04 May 2016 14:20:00 BST
Music contrasting ‘then and now’ featured at a gala concert celebrating the institution’s 175th birthday
THE University’s Music Department has celebrated the University of Huddersfield’s 175th birthday with a special anniversary concert.
The concert, which took place in the St Paul’s Hall, included an array of music by ensembles, staff, current students and alumni that spanned the 175 years since the creation of the Young Men’s Mental Improvement Society in 1841, from which the University is directly descended.
Past local composers were celebrated, including Slaithwaite-born and respected violinist Haydn Wood, as well as William Sterndale Bennett from Sheffield, and the Huddersfield-born organist and future Master of the Queen’s Music to Queen Victoria, Sir Walter Parratt.
Composition students showcased their own music, including cutting-edge electronic music and contemporary works for the saxophone.
The concert was opened by the University’s Brass Band, with conductor Phillip McCann, and the programme also included selections by University’s Chamber Choir, under the baton of Professor John Bryan. The concert concluded with the combined University Orchestra and Choir performing Hubert Parry’s celebratory anthem, I Was Glad.
The concert also saw the performance of two newly-written songs from students, who were invited by their composition tutor Toby Martin to sit in Huddersfield’s Market Square and write songs inspired by what they saw.
David Milsom, Director of Performance, helped to organise the concert, along with other faculty members. “The concert offered a musical mosaic based on the sounds succeeding generations of students might have heard since 1841,” he said. “Bringing the past and present into dialogue, we attempted to celebrate the diverse musical culture of the University today.
“There was also a selection of music from the British Music Collection, of which the University is now the permanent home. We are particularly proud of our association with the BMC and we were delighted to include some of these exciting works in the programme,” he added.
