STOP PRESS: The Conference Schedule has been updated

Birmingham Conservatoire, the University of Sheffield and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama are pleased to announce an international conference to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen and provide an opportunity for scholars interested in his music to share their knowledge and deepen their understanding of all aspects of Messiaen, his music and his influence. The conference will be held at Birmingham Conservatoire, in the heart of Birmingham, on 20-24 June 2008.*

Booking for Messiaen 2008 is now open.  Although aimed primarily at scholars, the conference is open to all.

The Keynote Speakers are:

• Hugh Macdonald (Washington University, St Louis), giving a long perspective on Messiaen's French cultural heritage
• François-Bernard Mâche (composer and former Messiaen student) speaking about Messiaen's use of nature within a broader 20th century context
• Claude Samuel, reflecting on working with Messiaen in a variety of capacities from record and radio producer to festival organiser and, of course, interviewer.

Other speakers include Julian Anderson, Vincent Benitez, Jean Boivin, Stephen Broad, Siglind Bruhn, Christopher Dingle, Robert Fallon, Peter Hill, Roger Nichols, Rebecca Rischin, Andrew Shenton, Robert Sholl, Nigel Simeone and Philip Weller.

Abstracts and the full conference schedule will be published early in 2008.

Concerts will feature orchestral, vocal, chamber, piano and organ works, with some genuine rareties, while soloists include Dame Gillian Weir, Peter Hill and German soprano Sigune von Osten.
 

If you would like to receive further information about the conference, please send an email to: messiaen@bcu.ac.uk


The conference committee comprises:
Jean Boivin (Université de Sherbrooke)
Stephen Broad (Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama)
Christopher Dingle (Birmingham Conservatoire)
Peter Hill (University of Sheffield)
Nigel Simeone (University of Sheffield)