Another year, another Christmas blog post! In fact, due to a busy festive period last year I didn’t write one for the first time in twelve years – the outrage on the streets and social media was palpable! Anyhow, this year is much quieter (despite my workplace trying its best to implode…) so I find myself with a little time to put forward some festive musings. And this year is quite interesting for me as these are the first words I’m writing on my next (planned) book project, an hors d'oeuvre if you like for the main course that should arrive in three to four years (not the quickest service in this food-based metaphor). The first dipping of my authorly toe in the biographical water before throwing myself in wholeheartedly in the new year. A try-before-you-buy…you get the picture. Anyhow, I’ve been immersed in the life and music of John Tavener for the past few months, so I thought it only fitting to discuss one of his numerous seasonal pieces and chose God is with us.

The highlight of November is three premieres in Kent, Suffolk and Aberdeen. It begins with longstanding collaborators Caritas Chamber Choir giving the long-awaited premiere of Missa Sancti Albanus (2017) in Hythe, Kent on the 18th. This is followed a day later by Matthew McVey giving the first performance of my recent organ Recessional (2023) in the patronal festival at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. It finishes with Siglo de Oro and the Spinacino Consort giving the premiere of my rustic new Hodie Christus Natus Est (2023) in Aberdeen on the 27th.

October begins a busy Autumn of performances and recordings with the opportunity for me to attend a few things. The weekend of the 7/8 sees Caritas Chamber Choir give two launch concerts for their new recording All Shall Be Amen in London and Kent, featuring my 2022 motet Ubi Caritas. At the same time I will be in Ayrshire for the Cumnock Tryst Festival where the festival chorus and Eamonn Dougan will perform my much-delayed Gloria for baritone, choir, two pianos and two percussion. Whilst at the festival, I’ll be interviewing James MacMillan and poet Michael Symmons Roberts about their creative processes and collaboration.

It’s been a busy summer of performances and recordings that began close to home with a performance of The World on Fire (2015) by my university choir in Perth in June. This was followed by the Svanholm Singers recording The Shadow Calls (2022) in Sweden for release later this year. July has seen performances of Christus Resurgens (2023) in London, Kent and France and August finds Voces Boreales performing The World on Fire in Quebec, and Aurora Nova performing my Te Deum (2010) in St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

It was really exciting to hear that my recent piano recording Transfiguration will be the focus of a programme on Austrian Radio Ö1 this Thursday (04 May) entitled ‘Folksongs im zeitgenössischen Klavierklang’. Several works will be featured including Folksongs and Songs of Morning and Night. Along with recent performances in Germany, Spain, Sweden and Belgium it is fantastic to see my music finding an audience in continental Europe.

April and May are full of performances and premieres around the world. It begins with the wonderful Caritas Chamber Choir continue their support of my music with a recording of three motets (Ubi Caritas, Nunc dimittis and Locus Iste) before a concert performance of the first two. The Svanholm Singers will give two further performances of The Shadow Calls in Copenhagen (Danish premiere) and Lund, before giving the Spanish premiere in Madrid in late May.

February sees a flurry of performances, mainly in Scotland and mainly for the piano. The 16th is the launch of the new CD Transfiguration: Piano Music by Phillip Cooke at the University of Aberdeen where pianist Duncan Honeybourne will perform the Theme and Transfigurations (2022) and Impromptus (2022).

After two difficult years of very little, 2022 always promised to be offer much more and I’m glad to report that it did. It has been a wonderful year with travel, premieres, recordings, broadcasts and much more. There were performances and premieres in the USA, Canada, Portugal, Poland, France, Netherlands and Sweden as well as many more closer to home.