Leading contemporary classical musician Heather Roche says she is still grateful for the experiences she gained during her PhD at the University of Huddersfield.
Heather was at the University from 2007 to 2011, but has maintained strong links and is the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival's (HCMF) Artist of the Month for May 2021.
A clarinetist, Heather appeared at Tectonics in Glasgow on BBC Radio 3 earlier in the month, performing the world premiere of 'Natura Nocturna' written by Scott McLaughlin. The pair have known each other since both studied for their PhDs at Huddersfield over a decade ago, with Heather now consulting on Scott's current research project the Garden of Forking Paths.
Heather Roche introduces her Gardens of Forking Paths performance, recorded in April 2021.
"I learned a lot and it still has a lasting impact on what I do now," says Heather reflecting on her time at Huddersfield. "I am freelance musician, and the reviews editor for the journal 'Tempo' from Cambridge University Press so I still have a toe back in academia. The research skills I developed at Huddersfield had a big impact on how I worked from then onwards.
"It was a golden time for me when I lived there. The postgrad community in the music department was very active and we were putting on a lot of concerts. My supervisors Philip Thomas and Liz Dobson were the most amazing and supportive figures."
The HCMF has played a key role for Heather, who has also collaborated with a wide range of artists including the Swedish ensemble Mimitabu. She also recorded an album with German accordionist Eva Zöllner called "Mechanics of Breath" just before the first lockdown of 2020.
Festival plays key role
"My first big solo concert was at HCMF in 2009, when I played with other staff and students with clarinet and other electronic instruments. That was a really important moment for me, as it led to a whole bunch of other opportunities."
Originally from the west coast of Canada, Heather is now based in London following several years living in Cologne. The University of Huddersfield's Professor of Composition and Improvisation Pierre Alexandre Tremblay and the group Apartment House are among the other key figures for Heather as she continues on her musical journey.
"One of the terms we often use is 'experimental music'. If you take that literally, we ask questions like 'what if we try it like this?'
"I trained to play classical music, but one of the things I really like about what I do now is that the composers whose music I play are all alive. I can have a direct working experience with them. It often ends up as a nice combination between the musical and research. You are investigating new musical ideas, sounds and ways of using my instrument. That kind of collaboration I wrote about in my PhD, in what feels like a million years ago, still feels important to me."
