For Auld Lang Syne

Errollyn Wallen writes:

Dear Lovely All,

I am sending you my warmest wishes for the coming year.

I am very grateful for my personal highlights of 2018 —which include the thrill of a private audience at Cambridge's University Library with a book belonging to J.S Bach — Elias Ammerbach’s Orgel oder Instrument Tabulatur, printed in Leipzig in 1571.

In 2018 I composed twelve new works ranging from chamber to orchestral works via choral and operatic ventures. It was a profound pleasure to hear about performances of my catalogue around the world including a performance of my Five Postcards by the Miller-Porfiris Duo in Smangus, an aboriginal village in Taiwan.

The year was mostly a composing one though I performed for Hillary Clinton at her inauguration as Honorary Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford. I composed and performed a song for the unforgettable PEN launch of The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela. Alongside Chi-chi Nwanoku (double bass) and Shalini Vijayan (violin) I performed (piano) my Concerto Grosso with conductor Anthony Parnther and Southeast Symphony in Los Angeles. The collection of songs composed this year, MAP — Songs for Children Everywhere (commissioned by Snape Music) had many international performances and I loved accompanying hundreds of schoolchildren at Snape Maltings' Big Sing in November.

I am excited about the current commissions which include a work for mezzo soprano Catriona Morison (Cardiff Singer of the World 2017) and the National Orchestra of Wales. The work is called This Frame is Part of the Painting and is a homage to the painter Howard Hodgkin. I'm much enjoying composing this at the lighthouse now.

Details of my forthcoming concerts are on my website http://www.errollynwallen.com/calendar

I'm unable to announce everything just yet but am

honoured to be named in BBC 100 Women 2018.

Thank you for your continued support —

I couldn't do it without you!

Wishing you a Happy New Year

Errollyn