News: January 2019
the classical style ‘to touch the heart and inspire the soul’.
Music for concert, film and recordings.
Performed and broadcast internationally, available to download, on cd, as sheet music, and produced for film and multi-media.
”...an ethereal quality with enormous breadth...the effect was of a potent lightness, calling to my mind at least a sense of mystic journey and resolution”
Jane Pearson writing for 'Women in Music Now'
”Beautiful and pure”
Jonathan Harvey, British composer.
MIRRORS OF LIGHT -
British piano music for the 21st century
Spiritual, minimalist piano music combined with a romantic, impressionistic heritage - this is piano music for the 21st century, described by audiences as pure, beautiful, profound and 'an elixir for the soul'.
CD & individual track downloads available from CD Baby:
Jay Ramsay 1958 - 2018
British poet Jay Ramsay was instantly a dear and valued friend (a ‘brother’), a wonderful champion, and I am so grateful to have shared such a marvellous chapter through collaboration of music and poetry. His prolific legacy of work shines a light on poetry as a tool for transformation, culminating with a magnus opus written with Martin Palmer, ‘The Dangerous Book’.
I first met Jay in 1990 at Burgh House, London at one of my concerts. Jay subsequently asked me to set his poetry to music and the result has been several songs, a choral work for SSATB ‘Angel Whisper’ and a piece for tenor voice and orchestra, “Canticle to the Sun” premiered at the Charnwood Arts Festival.
Jay and I worked together around the UK, putting on concerts in venues that included St James, Piccadilly, London and Leicester Cathedral. The album of our work ‘Thread of Gold’ is a collection of Jay’s poems, read by him alongside songs sung by alto Chloe Goodchild, and soprano Julie Moffat. We collaborated on a short film directed by Mark French called ‘Adam’s Song’. In September 2018, ‘Songs of the Mysterious’ (a setting of two of Jay’s poems for soprano, piano, flute and gong) was performed at the beautiful De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-sea.
Here are some extracts of my setting of his poem ‘Angel Whisper’ and Jay’s spoken introduction to the work. Jay says of writing this poem, “poems come from unexpected places ... we are surrounded by the invisible worlds all of the time, whether we know it or not. This poem is written from the point of view of angels.”
‘Angel Whisper’ Introductory talk by Jay Ramsay
Recent Broadcasts & Performances:
RADIO BROADCASTS in USA and Hong Kong
Thank you to Marvin Rosen for his recent broadcast of ‘Mirrors of Light’ on his Marathon broadcast Viva 21st century, on his radio show Classical Discoveries WPRB, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Delighted to be included in this unique show celebrating classical music of the 21sr century from around the world
'Light Falling' (for strings and harp) played by Sinfonica Aosta (conductor: Emmanuel Siffert) from the album ‘Streams’ was also featured on 'Classical Discoveries'. WPRB 103.3 FM Princeton NJ, alongside the broadcast of my piano piece ‘Prayer’.
Read more about 'Light Falling'
’Adagio’ fo
r Oboe and Piano (performed by Rosemary Curtis and Patricia Siffert on my ‘On Wings of Light’ album) received a radio broadcast in Hong Kong on Colin Touchin’s “In Touch with Music” Show on RTHK Radio 4 rthk.org.hk
Pianist Julian Hellaby, beautifully performed ‘without words, without silence’ in London and Coventry as part of his piano recital series in November.
The programme included Bach: Preludes and Fugues in F major and B-flat minor (Bk 1); Preludes and Fugues in C-sharp major and B minor (Bk 2)
Beethoven: Sonata in F major Op.10/2
Duxbury: without words without silence
Liszt: Polonaise No.2 in E.
Julian has performed as a solo and concert soloist in Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and throughout the UK including recitals in the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. He is also the author of ‘The mid-twentieth century concert pianist- an English experience’.
Read more about ‘without words, without silence’
OTHER RECENT PERFORMANCES:
International Composers Festival, Bexhill-on-sea, East Sussex, UK
“
I particularly loved your composition which was
utterly transcendental and deeply moving.“
Jenny Baird, artist
utterly transcendental and deeply moving.“
Jenny Baird, artist
It’s been a pleasure to accompany acclaimed soprano Katerina Mina and the excellent flautist Chris Lacey in the latest performance of “Songs of the Mysterious” at the Chamber concert, ‘SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL - Music To Move The Spirit’ in the beautiful De la Warr Pavilion 
Concert Hall as part of the International Composers Festival 2018. It’s been wonderful to have participated in this marvellous festival founded by composer and pianist Polo Piatti featuring the work of 40 living composers from around the world, many of whom travelled to be there in person.
https://www.composersfestival.com
Read more about “Songs of the Mysterious” and its setting of poems by English poet, Jay Ramsay.
Piano recital in NY
Many thanks to Marvin Rosen, for performing “Release” at the Piano by Nature Concert Series at Hand House, Elizabethtown, New York.
“Release” was performed as part of a recital of contemporary piano miniatures 
by women composers. Marvin is an accomplished American pianist, music educator, musicologist and host of the weekly radio program Classical Discoveries, which airs on WPRB 103.3 FM. He is best known for his work in promoting the music of living composers.
Wednesday 5 September 2018. Solihull, UK
Julia White (oboe) and Katharine Lam (senior lecturer in piano at the Royal
Birmingham Conservatoire) gave a very fine and sensitive performance of my oboe and piano piece “Adagio" in a delightful programme of French and English music alongside works by Purcell, Debussy, Saint-Saens and John Ireland. to launch this season’s St Alphege concert series in Solihull.
OTHER NEWS
Recording at Smecky Music Studio Prague
I had the recent pleasure to work with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, who recorded my latest orchestral piece “Touch of Love” (for solo violin & orchestra) at the Smecky Recording Studio. Many thanks to the team: Nic Raine, James FitzPatrick, Leigh Phillips, Vítek Král, Tim Johnson, Guy Michelmore, Bradley Jordan and violin soloist Lucie Svehlova. More details and photos to follow.
I had the recent pleasure to work with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, who recorded my latest orchestral piece “Touch of Love” (for solo violin & orchestra) at the Smecky Recording Studio. Many thanks to the team: Nic Raine, James FitzPatrick, Leigh Phillips, Vítek Král, Tim Johnson, Guy Michelmore, Bradley Jordan and violin soloist Lucie Svehlova. More details and photos to follow.
FILM Premiere
“Eyes Wide Open” Feature Film
As part of the composing team for the film ‘Eyes Wide Open’, (a spy thriller written and directed by Will Forrester) I am delighted to announce the film received its premiere on September 29th in South Korea. Congratulations to all involved!
Feature film “Ashes” is now available on Amazon to watch.
Great script and directin
g by writer and director Alan Coulson, and some very fine acting. Great team to be part of AND delighted it’s now available to share with you.
Great script and directin
Previous NEWS
Spending time with New York concert pianist Emily Wong, sharing my new piano music with her at her studio in NY. Emily has previously performed my piano so
lo ‘Streams’ in Minneapolis, and now we are looking forward to further collaborations.
Award-winning composer/pianist Emily Wong has written a large catalogue of works for piano, chamber ensemble, and orchestra and as a pianist has appeared often with such orchestras as the San Francisco Symphony, the Oakland Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Continuum, American Composers Orchestra, and the Stamford Symphony.She currently plays for the American Ballet Theatre. For more info http://emilywongmusic.com
World Premiere of ‘The Pure One’ (for unaccompanied choir) performed by Vox Luminosa for their 10th anniversary concert in Repentigny, Montreal, Canada.
Jay Ramsay, Cadu
ceus magazine, review of “Mirrors of Light”:
“(the) music is both of its time and ahead of it: it is a bringing of spirit to matter in the medium of sound that touches the highest levels of lightness and grace”
“(the) music is both of its time and ahead of it: it is a bringing of spirit to matter in the medium of sound that touches the highest levels of lightness and grace”
Jay Ramsay, poetry editor and reviewer writes,
“I always tell people that Rosemary Duxbury is the real thing. She’s a rare phenomenon: a modern, female, classically trained composer whose work is in the tradition of Elgar and Benjamin Britten, and who is also inspired by Stockhausen, Keith Jarrett and the possibilities of computer technology. She’s also deeply inspired by poetry...” Read the full review...
Download track for $0.99 here at CD Baby
or from iTunes
Streams album
I have made th
e individual tracks from the Streams album available for download for the first time. Please visit CD Baby for details. The album features “Light Falling” for Strings and harp performed by the Italian orchestra Sinfonica Aosta conducted by Emmanual Siffert (currently Principal Conductor at the San Juan Symphony Orchestra in Argentina), and piano solos performed by Swiss concert pianist Patricia Siffert.
I have made th