list of works

Metropolis is about that buzz and spark you feel when living in a grand city. You are surrounded by ambition, opportunity and drive. The thematic material throughout is based around rising scalic flourishes which makes us feel like we are elevating towards a goal or purpose; Like a skyscraper piercing through the clouds.

Written for 'Psappha: Composing for Percussion' scheme, performed by Delia Stevens.

Pull the puppets’ strings and watch them dance. Cut the puppets’ strings and watch them fall. The performers can decide who is the Puppet and who is the Puppet Master…

‘Pull the Puppet’s Strings’ was first performed at the Cheltenham Music Festival: Composer’s Academy 2022, by Mahan Esfahani and Fenella Humphreys. It received its London Premiere during the Spitalfields Music Festival at VOCES8 Centre, on 11 July 2023.

There are three mini movements throughout this work where the trombone and cello work as a duo. Each instrumentalist also has a short interlude where they perform a solo. 'VESSEL' is inspired by nautical themes, with each movement having a distinct character.

Movements: I - Radar | Interlude: Siren 1, Captain Call 1 (Solo Tbn.) | II - Black Diamond | Interlude: Siren 2, Captain Call 2 (Solo Vc.) | III - Capstan Dance

'VESSEL' was first performed in the Angela Burgess Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music, on 5 May.

Four short pieces for Cello:

I - Awakening

II - Declutter

III - Cars racing on the windowsill

IV - Elegie: Midnight craving

This piano duo is inspired by Scott Joplin, otherwise known as the 'King of Ragtime.' The title comes from a stock character within the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte called 'Pantalone' ('Pantaloon' in English). He is known for being greedy, sinister and often causing mischief and mayhem towards his fellows. This piece captures Pantalone's taunting nature and his dark humour.

Struggling to reconcile two opposing images of his dad, a boy finds himself lost in the unnerving vacuum left behind.

British Short Film Awards: - Winner: 'Best Scottish Short Film' - Nominated for 'Best Composition' - Nominated for 'Best British Short Film' - Nominated for 'Best Student Short Film' Norwich Film Festival: - Nominated for 'Best Student Short Film'

Credits:

• Director: Reiff Gaskell
• Writer & Producer: Rebecca Deane
• Director of Photography: Anssi Tiusanen
• Editor: Alexis Galbrun-Thauré & Reiff Gaskell
• Composer: Crystalla Serghiou

Growing up in Cyprus, I was surrounded by traditional Cypriot folk music, irregular dance rhythms, celebratory clapping and the beauty of Byzantine chant in the Greek Orthodox Church. These are all of the elements that make up my interpretation of a ‘Kyrie’.

‘Kyrie Eleison’ (the transliteration of Greek ‘Κύριε ελέησον’) is the first part of a Mass which is used as a prayer in Christian liturgy. The phrase translates to ‘Lord have mercy.’ Being in the church and listening to the eternal drones supporting the virtuoso solos equally grounds me, but also transports me into a spiritual realm. I wanted to present this sound-world in the opening (and ending) of my piece, where solos of worship are passed around the choir. The piece later evolves into a vibrant chant of praise where the choir claps along to the irregular time signatures. The phrase ‘Lord have mercy’ is often associated with a confession of need or sin. However I wanted the phrase to be celebrated instead, where it is ok to ask for help and it is ok to not be ok. It is joyous, infectious and full of life!

‘Little Ol’ Lady Who?’ is a cross-genre, yodel-choral work for SATB Choir. This piece should feel educational, as if you are the Von Trapp family in ‘The Sound of Music’ learning ‘Do - Re - Mi’ for the first time, taught by Julie Andrews. It is playful, light-hearted with mistakes being made along the way during the learning stage. One of the first tips when learning to yodel is to say the phrase ‘Little ol’ lady who.’ Towards the middle of the piece, this phrase encourages the singers to ask ‘who is this lady we are talking about?,’ which leads us into the narrative of this old lady’s life.

Would you like to know how to be a perfect Stepford wife? Come along on a journey with Jazz Vocalist Emma Smith, while she takes on the role of the perfect, 50s housewife. Heavily inspired by ‘The Stepford Wives’ written by Ira Levin, as well as the two films, this concerto touches upon themes of misogyny, inequality, feminism and consent. Using tropes of 50s jazz, Bossa nova and boogie woogie, the orchestra reimagines this era with a contemporary twist.Throughout the work, the soloist is battling between her consciousness and her robot self, programmed by her husband. She dreams about exploring a world beyond her ‘spick and span’ home and reaching her full potential. Malfunctioning through vibrant scat improvisations, to repetitive lists of duties she must fulfil to ensure her ‘hubby’ is satisfied in life - will she be able to escape her brainwashed mindset?

Premiered by Britten Sinfonia and Emma Smith at St. Giles Cripplegate, Barbican.

A cross-genre 'popera' about online dating, using Opera, Musical Theatre and Pop vocal styles.

Ottavia has been single for too long now and is on a mission to find love - she is a hopeless romantic after all. Being a firm believer of meeting people organically in real life, Ottavia has always been hesitant to join any dating apps. As Ottavia is having no luck in the real world, she finally decides to download Tinder. It has only been 5 minutes and she is already regretting it. Ottavia wants a classic man, with good morals and values, not arrogant nor full of themselves. How hard can this be? She has multiple, questionable exchanges through the app, from awful pick-up lines to disrespectful comments. Dud after dud. No luck. But then she meets Matt. The first person to have asked her out on a real life date! He seems perfect on paper: Ambitious, handsome, funny, chivalrous and proactive. Could they be a perfect 'match'?

'How beautiful is youth, and quickly does it flee! whoever wants to be happy, let them be - for tomorrow may not come. No one feeds on tomorrow's pastures, the young and the old, women and men, everybody join the party. Everyone listen up, chase away your bad thoughts, women and young lovers, long live Bacchus and long live love! Go play, dance and sing!'

Translation of Italian Text from 'Trionfo di Bacco e Arianna' by Lorenzo de' Medici.

Premiered by Bethel Choir in Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, Florence for the Lorenzo de' Medici Choral Festival.

'Messier 45' is the scientific name of the star constellation commonly known as 'The Seven Sisters' or 'Pleiades.' In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the daughters of Titan Atlas. When Atlas was forced to carry the sky on his shoulders for eternity, he was unable to protect his seven daughters from the hunter Orion. Zeus transformed them into stars in order to protect them from Orion. Today, we can only see six stars with the naked eye. Some suggest that one of the sisters Electra comitted suicide, due to her grief for the fate of her father.

‘SALT’ is dedicated to my magical, little island; my home; Cyprus. One of my favourite experiences is hearing the evolution of a wave. From the gradual build up to the crash against the rocks; The sizzling of the salt settling afterwards; The stinging sensation of the salt on my skin; All of my senses are active. Immerse yourself into the sharp, icy sound-world of salt spray from the ocean. Towards the middle of the piece, the Mediterranean culture is very present through the lyrical and vivacious solos shared throughout the orchestra.

Premiered by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Foyle Future Firsts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, with choreography by Yun Cheng and Nina Murphy.

Would you like to know how to be a perfect Stepford wife? Come along on a journey with Jazz Vocalist Emma Smith, while she takes on the role of the perfect, 50s housewife. Heavily inspired by ‘The Stepford Wives’ written by Ira Levin, as well as the two films, this concerto touches upon themes of misogyny, inequality, feminism and consent. Using tropes of 50s jazz, Bossa nova and boogie woogie, the orchestra reimagines this era with a contemporary twist.Throughout the work, the soloist is battling between her consciousness and her robot self, programmed by her husband. She dreams about exploring a world beyond her ‘spick and span’ home and reaching her full potential. Malfunctioning through vibrant scat improvisations, to repetitive lists of duties she must fulfil to ensure her ‘hubby’ is satisfied in life - will she be able to escape her brainwashed mindset?

Premiered by Britten Sinfonia and Emma Smith at St. Giles Cripplegate, Barbican.

‘Rhapsody In Chaka’ pays homage to the ‘Queen of Funk:’ Chaka Khan. This piece should feel like you’re entering an 80s disco, where you can hear subtle quotations of Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You’ and ‘I’m Every Woman.’ From flourishing string passages, to funk bass-lines and flamboyant solos, I want to take the players and listeners back in time, capturing the vibrancy of the 80s.

‘Selini’ is the Greek word for ‘Moon.’ ‘Selene’ is also the Goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. She is known for driving her moon chariot across the heavens at night. ‘Selini’s Sway’ is inspired by summer nights by the beach in my home country Cyprus. Many a time have I watched the Moon Goddess at work, painting stars in the clear, night sky, scintillating against the ocean; Brush strokes of glitter dust as shooting stars disintegrate onto the water’s edge. There is a faint ambiance of thumping music from the beach bars, accompanied by the crisp, salty waves swaying in the humid breeze.

Premiered by Academy Symphony Orchestra in the Duke's Hall, Royal Academy of Music.

I'll give you a clue... ... I am the Distraction.

This piece portrays the nature of Procrastination. I wanted to capture the chaotic, frantic energy that comes with procrastinating and also how ridiculous it can often appear to be from a third person's perspective.

'Anthrobalisation' is about humanity's presence on Earth. More deeply, the impact we have on mother nature and the direction I feel we are headed. It portrays the menacing process of the destruction we cause: Self destruction, both in our habitat and ourselves personally. I explored these apocalyptic emotions through the music, creating an important ambiguous ending left open to interpretation. It is clear from the beginning of the piece of what is going on, where the sound world is simply existing and calm, as it slowly develops into harsher, aggressive harmony with interjecting passages from the other members of the orchestra. I wanted to create a dense, slow growth which represents humanity’s greed and consumption. Does the return, at the end, of the opening sound world suggest that we will find a way improve our behaviour, or is it too late to go back? Is this the end?

This piece was a part of a collaborative project between the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Glasgow School of Art and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The outcome was a concert called 'Last Futures' held in Tramway, Glasgow.

To hear 'Anthrobalisation', play from 42m25s: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p061qpd4

This piece is a dedication to my great grandfather, Thomas Stone, the former Pearly King of Marylebone and Paddington. He held this title over thirty years until he died in the late 50s. He had a Fruit and Veg stall in Covent Garden Market and was a well-known figure riding through the streets of London on his horse and cart making deliveries. He dedicated his life to charity work and helping the poor of London, which was the purpose of the Pearlies, whom were very well-loved by their local communities. Thomas Stone was also known for his menagerie of animals he kept from dogs, cats and chickens to horses, goats, parrots and monkeys, causing joyful mayhem in the neighbourhood.

Premiered by Britten Sinfonia at St. Andrews Hall, Norwich.

The title says it all. This piece was influenced by my love for rock bands from the 60s-80s, such as The Kinks, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. I wanted to capture the high energy of a progressive rock bands, with virtuosic guitar solos, meaty chord sequences, riffs and grooves throughout.

'She watches through the mirror' is about sleep paralysis, a sleeping condition where the mind becomes conscious before the body wakes up, making the subject paralysed. On one occasion, during a paralysis episode, I experienced something I would describe as an out-of-body experience, where I saw myself having the episode from an outsider's perspective. I wanted to create an eerie, dream-like state, with interjections of panic caused by the realisation and inability to move.

'She watches through the mirror' was first performed in the Angela Burgess Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music.

This piece dips into Scottish folklore, uncovering the myths and legends of the Hebrides. I have always found the ocean compellingly wild and enigmatic, so the waters of the Minch separating the Northern Inner Hebrides from the Outer Hebrides, and the myth of “The Blue Men” who occupy these waters, seized my attention immediately, and I knew I needed to compose a piece in their honour.

Donald Alexander Mackenzie describes the Blue Men of the Minch in his book: ‘Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend.’ They are mythical creatures who look like humans in a water form, with the power to create brutal storms; “When the wind is high they revel in the storm and swim with their heads erect, splashing the waters with mad delight”. However, when the weather is calm, they float on the surface of the water, sleeping calmly. When sailors and ships approached, the chief of the blue men would shout two lines of poetry, in which the sailor would be challenged to complete the verse.  If the sailor failed, then the blue men would cause a storm and attempt to overturn the ship and sink it. 

Finnish – Noun

Rakkaani: (Ra – kaah – nee)

= My beloved, darling

'Telos' comes from the Greek word 'τέλος' meaning “end”, “purpose”, or “goal,” both literally and philosophically. It is the root of Teleology, a study of purposiveness, aims and intentions. Are we born with intention? What journey are we fated to take? Is our journey just an excursion from the road to the end?

This piece explores the sound-world I encountered on my adventure to the Isle of Arran, where I hiked around Glen Rosa. Although beautiful, untouched and sacred, the mightiness of the winds and weather really gave ‘Rosa’ a distinct character. One in which I felt safe, but one that I feared also. The intense pizzicato, passages by the quartet, are literal sounds I experienced when docking the ferry at Arran: The wind was intense, forcing all the boats in the harbour to clink aggressively against one another, creating a percussion concerto in my ears! The pitches brought through the passageways around me were extremely haunting, like a higher power humming specific harmonies and melodies in my ears. I used this to inspired my harmonic language, especially that of the solo clarinet.