Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian is a British composer, singer, and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

er. She is considered one of today's leading emerging composers.

Biography

Born in Suffolk, England and of British/Armenian descent, she trained in composition at Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before gaining a first in Music from Girton College, Cambridge, where she was awarded the Rima Alamuddin Composition Prize in 2004, the Turle Scholarship for Music in 2006, and the Gamble Prize for Research in 2006. She held a scholarship at

Trinity College Of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

in London in 2006–07.

Career

Horrocks-Hopayian began working with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

in 2010–11, as a participant in their Panufnik Scheme. She wrote for the London Symphony Orchestra Community Choir in 2017. The London Symphony Orchestra also commissioned her to arrange a traditional Gamelan piece, 'Ngedas Lemah', for première at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

with the

Community Gamelan and

Strings. She is a

Soundhub Associate and has broadcast for their show on Resonance FM.

Residencies

She became Visiting Fellow Commoner at Girton College in 2020. She was inaugural composer-in-residence for the

at Khadambi Asalache's House,

575 Wandsworth Road 575 Wandsworth Road, London, was the home of Kenyan poet and civil servant Khadambi Asalache until his death in 2006. Following his death he left it to the National Trust, which opened the house as a museum for pre-booked guided tours. History ...

from 2015 to 2017. Horrocks-Hopayian's work has a strong visual and tactile element, which she calls "Eye Music", structuring rather than simply decorating her music. Horrocks-Hopayian was composer-in-residence at

Handel House Museum Handel & Hendrix in London (previously Handel House Museum) is a museum in Mayfair, London, dedicated to the lives and works of the German-born British baroque composer George Frideric Handel and the American rock singer-guitarist Jimi Hend ...

from 2012 to 2014. In February 2016, she launched

's opening of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

's flat to the public by performing original material in collaboration with

Jessica Hynes Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes (''née'' Stevenson; born 30 October 1972) is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom ''Spac ...

, bassist Calum Gourlay, guitarist Christopher Montague and artist

Maya Ramsay Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

Awards

Sound and Music (formerly spnm) awarded her their artistic director (then

Kuljit Bhamra Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus (born 1959) is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborati ...

) Project: 'Bhangra Latina', in 2007. An

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

Award enabled her to record her first (experimental pop) album, 'Big Ears', which was inspired by her experience of partial deafness. She won another

Award for her oratorio, ''The Evolution of Eve''. (2012) In 2013 she gained a PRS award for Consortium5's commission ''L'envoi'', commemorating the death of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison. ''The Evolution of Eve'' was developed in 2013 with

Sveriges Radio Sveriges Radio AB (, "Sweden's Radio") is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. Sveriges Radio is a public limited company, owned by an independent foundation, previously funded through a licensing fee, the level of which is d ...

into a broadcast, 'DJ Helga', aimed at young people,. It reached the last five at the international

Prix Marulić Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

, hosted by Croatian Radiotelevision in 2015. In 2015, Horrocks-Hopayian was commissioned to write 'Ser Սեր (Love)' for the London Jazz Festival, performed by herself alongside guitarist Christopher Montague. She developed the piece for SATB choir in 2017, which won a

BASCA The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

call for works by BAME composers. It was premièred by the BBC Singers, and recorded for

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

Trish Clowes Trish is a feminine given name, often a contraction of Patricia. It may refer to: Persons *Trish Adudu (born 1969), British freelance journalist, television presenter and DJ * Trish Bartholomew (born 1986), Grenadian sprinter *Trish Bertram, Britis ...

commissioned Horrocks-Hopayian to write 'Muted Lines' for her project "My Iris" in 2016. "Muted Lines" won the

British Composer Award in 2017. In 2018,

Melodia Women's Choir Melodia Women's Choir NYC is a women's choir in Manhattan dedicated to exploring, creating and performing classical and contemporary music composed for women's voices. An ensemble of 30 singers, Melodia performs concerts in New York City, and supp ...

of New York City commissioned ''Red Bird,'' sharing the story of Zitkala-Sa, for its Women Composers' Commissioning Award, with world premiere performances in New York City.

Nominations

She was finalist for two

British Composer Awards in 2017: "Muted Lines" was nominated for the Jazz Composition category, and "Khadambi's House" was nominated for the Chamber Ensemble category. She was finalist, with Hugh Jones, as Crewdson, in the

British Composer Awards in 2018 in the Sonic Art category for "Two Machines". This featured a new musical instrument developed by Horrocks-Hopayian and Crewdson, called the 'sonic bonnet', through which she can trigger sounds. Cevanne was featured in the New Music event at the BBC Proms 2019 with the Sonic Bonnet and her harp.Proms at … Battersea Arts Centre
''www.bbc.co.uk'', accessed 20 December 2020

Selected works

Chamber ensemble

* Khadambi's House (2017) for soprano, sinfonietta and tape (LSO commission) –

British Composer Award 2017 finalist * Bird Dance (2017) for soprano and sinfonietta * The Ladies (2017) for soprano and sinfonietta * Cave Painting I & II (2015–17) for violin and viola * Muted Lines (2017) for alto voice, tenor sax, organ, bass, drums and sinfonietta – British Composer Award winner 2017 * Ser Սեր (Love) (2015) for jazz quartet * 23 Brook Street (Jimi's Walls) (2015–2016) for guitar, harp, bass * The Extra Room (2015–2016) for alto voice, guitar, harp, bass * Petrified (2016–2017) for alto voice, guitar, harp, bass * L'Envoi (2013) for consort recorders * Ombre Spezzate (2013) for jazz ensemble * How is a World like a Window (2012) for two violins, cello, bass clarinet & hang * Turquoise Trail (2012) for harp & strings * Dark Garden (2008) for voice, trumpet, piano, bass, congas, tabla, timbales * Hunting Bow (Home is where the harp is) (2011) for harp ensemble (clarsach, kora, krar) * If I could say (2010) for lever harps (BBC Radio 3 commission) * Round 4 (2014) for violin and cello * When I Return (2014) for viol da gamba and optional voice * Jumpy One (2013 -) for jazz ensemble

Orchestra

* Ngedas Lemah (trad. arrangement) (2017) for string orchestra (LSO commission) * Love Like Salt (Amor Como Sal) (2016) for youth orchestra and electronics * A Dancing Place (2010) for symphony orchestra * Record (2008) for orchestra and electronics

Vocal

* The Swallow (2017) for soprano & string quartet * Inkwells (2016–2017) for voice & tape * House Music (2014) for soprano & keyboard * 'A Brief Description of the Excellent Virtues of that Sober and Wholesome Drink, called Coffee' (2014) for voice & accompaniment * Sari Siroon Yar (trad. arrangement) (2012) for voice and strings * From The Unseen World (2014) for voice and strings * Stars & Stars (stjärnor och stjärnor) (2012–2013) voice, chorus, hang, harp, cello * Lilith (2012–2013) voice, harp, hang, cello * Don't Fret (2012) voice, accompaniment * The Nature of Spirit (2012) voice, cello * Turing Believes Machines Think (2012) voice, cello * Time and the Crocodile (2010) voice and band with drum kit * Clever Girl (2010) voice and band with drum kit * Ad Break Tamzara (2010) chamber * Shadow (2009–2010) voice and band with drum kit * DS (2006–2007) voice with accompaniment (original: clarinet, vibraphone, harpsichord) * We're Watching You (2009–2010) voice and band with drum kit * Big Ears (2010) voice, piano, harp, cello, drum kit, tabla * Moving Country (2007) voice & accompaniment – text by

Choman Hardi Choman Hardi ( ku, چۆمان هەردی),(born 1974) is a Kurdish poet, translator and painter. Background She has published three volumes of poetry in Kurdish and two collections of English poems, ''Life for Us'' (Bloodaxe Books, 2004) and ''Co ...

Choral

* Red Bird (2018) for SSAA and string quartet * Ser Սեր (Love) (2017) for SATB a cappella * The Fence-Sitter (2017) for amateur SATB and brass quintet (LSO commission) * Round 3 (2017) for multiple voices * Cave Painter (2015) for SATB and string quartet * Vocal Shore (2009) for SATB and trumpet * City Tree (2007) for SATB a cappella

Electronics

* Two Machines (2018), for voice and found sounds * Walls & Ways (2016–2017) for clarinet and tape * Two Sisters (2016–2017) for voice and electronics * Sisa's Well (2013–2017) for voice, harp and found sounds * They Forgot (2017) for voice, harp and found sounds * OMG (2007) for voice and found sounds * 3 M'Lord (2006)

Theatre

* DJ Helga (2013) voices, hang, harp, cello for

Drama – Prix Marulic, Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) 2015 finalist * The Evolution of Eve Oratorio (2012) sop & alto voice, hang, harp, cello, xylosynth, electronics, chorus * The King-napped King (2015) narrator, alto, harp, piano * The Firebird and other Russian Tales (2011) narrator, soprano, harp, piano * Women of Trachis, Sophocles, (2005), Khorus, violin, saxophone, piano * Past/Future/Fracture (2008) ensemble and electronics for dance

Dance

* Seasons in our World (2019), Ballet with orchestra and electronics, for

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...

. Choreographed by Laura Day (Spring), Lachlan Monaghan (Summer, Autumn), Kit Holder (Winter).

Opera

* Generation (2019), Libretto Sabrina Mahfouz, commissioned by Hera Opera Company * FAKE OR STAKE! (2019),

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, Linbury Theatre, Libretto,

Jessica Walker Jessica Samantha Walker (born 24 June 1990 in Brighton) is a British sprint canoeist who has competed since the late 2000s until present. She came 7th in the London 2012 K-1 200m final and 5th in the K-4 500m final. She also competed at ...

* 1000 Songs (2019) Development Residency, Snape Maltings, with Libretto, Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian; Director Seta White * 1000 Songs (2018), Scene, with chamber orchestra and electronics, for Arcola (London

Grimeborn Grimeborn is an annual East London musical theatre and opera festival which coincides with the world famous East Sussex Glyndebourne Opera Festival. Founded by Arcola Theatre’s artistic director Mehmet Ergen in 2007, the festival is held at A ...

). Libretto, Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian. First performed by Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian (The Enchantress);

Abigail Kelly Abigail Kelly is an English soprano opera and concert singer. Early life and education Kelly was raised in Birmingham, England. She had an interest in the performing arts from a very young age, and cites her experiences at a dance school in Bir ...

Nightingale

Discography

As writer/producer and performer

* 2021 – Welcome Party – LSO, with Jon Hargreaves, conductor. Soloists: Ziazan (soprano), Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian (voice),

(Tenor Saxophone), Tim Giles (drums) Ausiàs Garrigós Morant (Clarinet and bass clarinet), Choir of Girton College Cambridge ( NMC) * 2020 – Panufnik Legacies III – LSO, with François-Xavier Roth, 'A Dancing Place (scherzo)' (London Symphony Orchestra Publications) * 2019 – BRACE – with Hugh Jones, as Crewdson and Cevanne, (Accidental Records). The album includes Two Machines, which was nominated for

British Composer Award in Sonic Art, 2018) * 2015 – The Evolution of Eve EP – from the

play DJ Helga. Performers –

Manu Delago Manu Delago (born 31 July 1984) is an Austrian Hang player, percussionist and composer based in London. Biography Delago was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol, and took music lessons as a child in accordion and piano. As a teenager he mainly played dru ...

, Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian, Gregor Riddel, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian (Phyllis Tweed Publications) * 2013 – Peekaboogie – written by

, with Maral Mohammadi, Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian, Ben Kelly, George Bird, Wayne Francis, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian (Phyllis Tweed Publications) * 2010 – Big Ears – Performers – Zoe Rahman,

, Kareem Dayes, Maral Mohammadi, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian, Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian (Phyllis Tweed Publications)

Featured

* 2017 My Iris –

– as composer for track 'Muted Lines' (winner of

British Composer Award 2017) (Basho Records) * 2013 Fable:Time

Shama Rahman Shama Sarwat Rahman ( bn, শামা সরয়াত রহমান) is a British singer-songwriter, sitarist, storyteller, performance artist, filmmaker and actor. Early life Rahman was born in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates to Bangladeshi ...

– as performer (

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

) * 2011 Galaxies not ghettos – United Vibrations – as performer- ( 12 Tone CIC) * 2008/9 Bhangra Latina –

, Alex Wilson track 'Dark Garden' – as composer & performer (KEDA Records)

References

External links

*
BBC Radio 4 Last Word (19 January 2014)DJ Helga, Radio Sweden, developed from ''The Evolution of Eve''
sverigesradio.se {{DEFAULTSORT:Horrocks-Hopayian, Cevanne Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Alumni of Trinity College of Music British classical composers British women classical composers British people of Armenian descent Deaf classical musicians Living people Musicians from Suffolk English deaf people Women in classical music Women opera composers British opera composers