Hugh Nankivell

Hugh’s work as a freelance musician combines performance, composition, community and education work in a wide range of creative and performance situations. He has composed hundreds of pieces and songs for many different groups and contexts.

Hugh has toured with many different groups nationally and internationally, most recently with the puppet company 'Faulty Optic' in France, November 2009. He also works with dancers and choreographers and composed and performed the music for american choreographer Stephan Koplowitz's site specific 'Liquid Landscapes' in South Devon (summer 2009). He has a long working relationship with Opera North in Leeds and is currently finishing a song-cycle for them, with poet Ian McMillan, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the end of the miners strike, to be performed in Leeds in March 2010.

Hugh has been developing a working relationship with poet Peter Oswald that has resulted in 'Catherine' a site-specific pilgrimage performance in Plymouth, a poem/song cycle 'Birdsongs' and a new commission for solo voice and four instrumentalists called 'Solitary'.

During the last five years Hugh has been working with the Japanese composer Makoto Nomura which has resulted in Whaletone Opera a new score and approach to music-making developed with communities in Japan and England. There will be a UK premiere this autumn in the NE and SW of England in conjunction with SWMS. They have also been  creating a dance and music project called 'Keyboard Choreography Collection', which is a collaboration between dancers and keyboard players aged 3-80.