Composer Spotlight-Gabrielle Cadenhead

Get to Know...Gabrielle Cadenhead

We love the surprise of learning about the composers at the end of the blind evaluation and voting process; we have the opportunity to encounter composers of all ages, male and female, from all around the world. Some are flutist/composers, while others appreciate the instrument, a few wrote the piece on commission, and (just once) a composer who wrote for a piece for solo flute, an instrument he was not particularly fond of so as to learn more about it, and produced one of the most popular works we’ve encountered in the composition contest!
Gabrielle Cadenhead, honorable mention in the solo flute category in 2018 for Echo, is one of several flutist-composers who have found success in the competition. Their understanding the instrument often contributes to their skill in writing pieces that are really musically effective. Gabrielle is among our youngest honored composers, she was just 20 when her piece was selected, and the second Australian (randomly, the winner of the solo flute category last year was Australian.)
We really love Echo, it is a refreshing departure from the aesthetic of many solo flute works. Although we certainly love virtuosic displays and challenging extended techniques, Echo is virtuosic in a different way, this contemplative solo requires great control and musicality as the musical line is often quite static. The extended techniques (mostly singing and playing and harmonics) feel very organic. After learning about Gabrielle’s influences we see Echo as a representation of her compositional style; she composed a poem for the work, which is inspired by her experiences in church and her faith, and is intended to be performed in a space like a church where the reverberations will fill the space with sound.

Q&A with Gabrielle…
What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
As both composer and performer, the flute presents a coalescence of my skills, which makes composing and performing new music for the flute a great joy as I am simultaneously in the mind of both roles
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
Difficult choice, but Amanda Cole's chamber works always possess a real conceptual integrity and wonderful sound world. Jennifer Jolley's works generally impress me with their boldness and unapologetic confrontation of contemporary politics. And Emily Doolittle's animal transcription music is a fascinating study in the relationship between humanity and the environment.
 
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like our friends and followers to know about?
I am currently working on a solo flute EP where I am both composer and performer, to be released later this year, on which 'Echo' will feature alongside four other works by me. Blending words, notation and improvisation. Stay up to date by following me on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook.
 
What advice can you give to flutists about approaching new music in practice?
The flute is incredibly versatile and can do much more than what is contained in conventional classical repertoire. Open your mind to composers' ideas and experiment with your own - workshopping new pieces with composers is a fantastic creative opportunity for both parties.
 
More About Gabrielle...
Gabrielle Cadenhead (b. 1998) is an emerging writer, composer and flautist who blurs the line between music and poetry. She is currently studying English and Composition at the University of Sydney and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Gabrielle's music is inspired by literature, social justice, faith and the natural world, and has been performed by youth orchestras and professional musicians alike. She is most interested in the intersection between her artforms - the rhythms of poetry, and the ability of music to tell compelling stories. She performs regularly as Principal Flute of Sydney Youth Orchestras' Symphonic Wind Orchestra, and has performed solo as part of Extended Play New Music Festival at Sydney's City Recital Hall. She is a founding member of Konzertprojekt, a collective of composers and performers passionate about presenting new and old music in fresh contexts, and her writing often bleeds into her musical practices. Learn more: https://gabriellecadenhead.wixsite.com

​If You Liked Echo…
Articulate  
Instrumentation: solo flute
Date of Composition: 2017
Duration: 7:30
 
Echo
Instrumentation: poetry and solo flute
Date of Composition: 2018
Duration: 8:00
Score available for download
 
Luminosa
Instrumentation: flute, piano, vibraphone and string quintet
Date of Composition: 2018
Duration: 6:32
 
Morning Song
Instrumentation: soprano, flute, viola and piano
Date of Composition: 2017
Duration: 7:32
 
Something Elvish
Instrumentation: flute, violin and cello
Date of Composition: 2016
Duration: 5:11
 
If you would like to access the scores/parts for any of these works, please email [email protected]

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