Central Composers Alliance

Music from the Heart of England and beyond...

We offer you a very warm welcome to the website of the Central Composers´ Alliance. We are proud of this site and the work it does to promote the music of our members. We are sure that you´ll discover something to stimulate your musical appetite and, whether a fellow composer, performer or an avid web-surfer, we hope you will find many interesting pieces. The CCA is an ever-evolving organisation so be sure to check back regularly to see how we are doing. Our new Composer of the Month feature is worth exploring so do return to see what music our composers have decided to choose to represent their works...

Featured composer, Peter J. Witchell

CCA Composer of the Month – May 2013
CCA's Composer of the Month May 2013, Peter J Witchell, was educated at Oxford University and a Royal Academy of Music prize-winner and has had a full and varied life in music from being the Director of Music and Head of Academic Studies at Oakham School to being an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate. He writes in a wide variety of genres and this month features two very contrasted pieces. He is the sixth in the series of Central Composers' Alliance's COMPOSERS OF THE MONTH. In this feature, you will learn more about each of our composers in turn and hear music which they have chosen to represent their output. We also hope that you find out more about their composing background, influences, styles and output before concentrating on a work which is, or works which are, representative of their style. We hope you enjoy this informative feature which offers an in-depth look at what makes Peter's music unique.

Past Projects and Events

18/05/13 - St Mary's Collegiate Church Stafford
As part of Stafford Festival, works by Kerry Milan including "Sonnets from the Portuguese" Violin and piano

11/05/13 - Stafford Baptist Church, Rising Brook
As part of Stafford Festival: Stafford Choral Society - Completus setting "Keep Me as the apple of an eye"

23/03/13 - Trinity Methodist Church
World premiere performance of St John Passion by John Middleton - a new oratorio for soloists, choir and chamber

02/03/13 - St John's the Baptist
A Kingfisher Chorale concert featuring some of the finest modern choral music from Howell´s Take him earth for

02/03/13 - Holy Trinity Church
Sonata for Brass played by the University of Warwick Symphonic Brass Ensemble conducted by Mark Butcher.

Upcoming Projects and Events

THE YOUNG MAY MOON for Brass Quintet [2000]

This work for brass quintet was arranged from the original tune by D. J. Marshall and was set as a series of variations by eight members of the Central Composers' Alliance as part of the Millennium celebrations. The number after each name indicates which variation they wrote: Peter Crump [6], David Fisher [10], Kenneth Gange [8], Kerry Milan [3], Robert Ramskill [1 & 4], Frank Stiles [5], Terence Thompson [9] and Adrian Woolliscroft [Fanfare & 7].

MUSIC FOR A WHILE: the CCA CD [2001]

To commemorate the Millennium the Central Composers' Alliance collaborated with the hugely talented pianist Julian Hellaby and several other equally brilliant musicians to produce a CD which reflected the diverse composing styles of some of the members at the time. We produced the CD at ASC's studio in Macclesfield.

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett [March 26th 1936 - December 24th 2012]

The Central Composers' Alliance has been very honoured to have as its Patron, the highly respected composer, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who has been associated with our Alliance since its inception in 1995. Click on his name for an obituary of the great composer whose genres ranged from jazz to the avant-garde and film scores to symphonies.

ROMANCE, LEGEND & SONG: a CCA project & concert [2009]

ROMANCE, LEGEND & SONG was one of the Central Composers' Alliance's irregular workshops in which composers and performers come together to work on pieces in open rehearsal and performance. This project on February 28th 2009 involved the pianist Julian Hellaby with Clare-Louise Appleby [flute] and Jenny Saunders [soprano].