I've written a piece for the opening of the Manchester Histories festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of Manchester University. 'Ryley's Ramble' for members of BBC Philharmonic – huzzah x

Happy 96th birthday to one of the great 20th Century songwriters!

Tonight!

This Thursday we’re at Wigmore Hall with Daniel Pioro

Tom Coult - O ecclesia oculi tui (after Hildegard)

Daniel Pioro - O virtus Sapientie (after Hildegard)

Nick Martin - Growth Rings

Bach - Partita No. 2 for solo violin with chorales in the Chaconne

wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/20240…

Thursday! London! Comrades! Daniel Pioro & Marian Consort are doing my 'O Ecclesia (after Hildegard)' at Wigmore Hall. Do come, you won't find a better choir or violinist x

wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/20240…

Christ-y fucking blimey - Allan Clayton and Aurora Orchestra and Nicholas Collon doing Zender’s Winterreise was incredible. Bit of a formative piece for me, I’m 🥰🥰🥰

Edward Bond wrote my son a poem when he was born. It’s hung on his bedroom wall.

I shall be there and much look forward to it. And then more of the new 'violin and choir things' come to Britten Pears Arts 75th Aldeburgh Festival in June in a Blythburgh Church concert which is already sold out. Exciting times.

Yeah comrades! Daniel and Marians are doing the first of my four new violin & choir things at Wigmore in this gorgeous programme…based on Hildegard it is. Come you must x

Virtuosic interviewee-ing from alex paxton – that kind of writing where your highlighter pen runs out of ink from the number of quotes you want to think about later

Galloway also spoke at mine in mid-00s. He berated a 16yo after a critical question…calling her ignorant, saying her parents had fed her her views etc.

John McDonnell also came, & was class personified…generous in time & tone, never patronising, pitched it perfectly.

No. 1847 in Tom's occasional attempt to get the composing establishment to value Vivaldi:

The concerto for 4 violins, one of his absolute belters, performed by Il Giardino Armonico who are probably pound for pound my favourite Vivaldi group. youtube.com/watch?v=QSs6HK…

Optima – the house font of classical music

A beautiful Valentine’s Day monologue to recite to your significant other ❤️❤️❤️

(from Cordelia Lynn’s ‘Love and Other Acts of Violence’)

We get updates from my son's nursery on an app, telling us what activities he's been doing.

They've started quoting what he says during the activities – if anyone wants to set these strange aphoristic poems to music, enquire within…

We are delighted to announce that 3 music creators to receive PRS Foundations support through #ComposersFund
Find out more about these talented artists ⬇️

prsfoundation.com/2024/02/08/3-t…

One of the great days in Test cricket history, all round. Two genuinely amazing away wins, two 7-fors for Test rookies, Pope playing one of England's greatest innings.

Phil Venables’ ‘Faggots & their Friends…’ is stunning - beautiful, inventive, funny, magical, fierce as fuck. 3 more performances at Southbank Centre - get thee to it x

NMC's first release was 40 days after I was born – lovely, comrades, to have a disc of my orchestral music coming out this year, with BBC Philharmonic

1987, genuinely: 'You’re watching Channel 4, where the season of work by Harrison Birtwistle continues now, w/‘Down by the Greenwood Side’. And just to recap days & times, you can see ‘Punch & Judy’ next Sunday, & ‘Yan Tan Tethera’ in a fortnight’s time’.

youtube.com/watch?v=9pzXc7…