Opus 1: Getting to know… Angus Vardy-White
Meet Angus Vardy-White, a creative from Cheshire who is really looking forward to writing for Britten Sinfonia as part of this year’s Opus 1 scheme.
- What are you looking forward to about being part of Opus 1?
I’m looking forward to having great musicians turn my Musescore midi file into a living entity. I haven’t had this opportunity many times but the times I’ve workshopped my pieces have all been incredibly enlightening.
- Who has been your biggest musical influence so far?
I’ve been influenced by numerous people, but my biggest will likely be the same as many other young musicians composing today – Jacob Collier.
- What inspires you to compose?
I’m inspired by the feeling of pure fulfilment that I have when I create a sound world that I love. It’s like building a house and then living in it.
- How did you get into composition?
I have played since a young age and started using cubase when I was 17. I found composing to be a more technical and deep pursuit for me than performing.
- Why do you think creating new music is important?
I still think that interesting new realms are always to be discovered, and we have to keep experimenting to discover them.
- What is the hardest thing about being a composer?
The hardest thing about being a composer is that not only do you have to compose music you think is good, but that you also have to decide for yourself what makes a composition good.
- What’s your biggest compositional ambition?
My biggest ambition would be to write an orchestral score for a feature film.
- What 3 pieces of music would you have to have on your desert island?
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Steve Reich’s Sextet
Jon Hassell’s Blue Period
- What is the best snack?
Crackers and Cheese (The soundtrack to Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is also a personal favourite)
You can hear some of Angus’s music on his Soundcloud page.
