Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Scholarship 2015 and RMA conference performance

I am delighted to announce that I have been selected by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation for their 2015 Daiwa Scholar programme, enabling me to study and work in Tokyo for the next 19 months! I, along with 5 other young professionals in diverse fields, will be studying Japanese at Naganuma school, an international school for the study of Japanese for 1 year, followed by a month homestay and a 6 month work placement in our chosen fields. The aim of the scholarship is to "offer young and talented UK citizens with strong leadership potential, the opportunity to acquire Japanese language skills, and to access expertise and knowledge relevant to their career goals." 

Since I have had a strong interest in (particularly traditional) Japanese culture for many years and have been influenced by certain aspects of Japanese literature, music and aesthetics in my own compositions, I felt it was about time I spent a significant amount of time in the country, learning the language and engaging with the culture. I am determined to learn at least one traditional Japanese instrument (shakuhachi and biwa are high up my list!) and will spend my work placement in the fields of composition and music in a community and theraputic setting. Excited doesn't even cover it! I shall document my experiences in a separate blog: FRANJAPAN - the link can be found above.

In other news, Gavin Osborn shall be performing my piece 'Far From Arcadia' for flute and fixed media at the RMA Conference, University of Birmingham, Eldar Concert Hall, Wednesday 9th September as part of the Trio Atem concert. Looking forward to it!