Alastair Stout - CV

(publicity photographs at bottom of page)

Education (all UK):

The King’s School, Ely (1985 - 89)

Brae Junior High School, Shetland (1989 - 1991)

Loretto School, Edinburgh (1991 - 93)

(A-levels in Music, English and Geography)

The Royal College of Music (1993 - 97) BMus (First Class Honours)

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1997 - 98) MMus in Composition

Royal Holloway, University of London (1998 - 2001) PhD in Composition

Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music Grade 8 in organ (merit) and theory,

Grade 6 singing (merit) and Grade 2 double bass (distinction)

Positions held:

Chorister at Ely Cathedral (1985 - 89, Head Chorister 1989)

Organ Scholar at Loretto School (1991 - 93)

Assistant Organist at Wesley’s Chapel, London (1993 - 2001)

Teaching Assistant to second year undergraduates (harmony and counterpoint/stylistic techniques) at Royal Holloway, University of London (1999 - 2000)

Tutor at Whitgift School, Croydon, teaching GCSE and A-level music composition (2000 - 01)

Organist, Director of Music and Artist in Residence of the Coraopolis United Methodist Church, Pittsburgh (from 2002)

Composer in association with the Shetland Choral Society (from 2004)

Composer in residence with the Pittsburgh Compline Choir (from 2009)

Vocal coach and rehearsal pianist for Moon Township High School (Pittsburgh) annual musical (2006, ’07, ’08 and ’09)

Director of the Pittsburgh Compline Choir (from 2010)

Other information:

Full UK driving license with no endorsements

Full USA driving license (Pennsylvania) with no endorsements

Permanent Resident (‘Green card’ holder) in the USA since April 2005.

Musical biography:

Began organ lessons at the age of 10 with Stephen Le Prevost (recent Assistant Organist of Westminster Abbey). Studies continued with Cyril Baker (Shetland), Neil Metcalf (Edinburgh), Dr. John Birch (RCM) and Dr. Graham Elliot (GSMD)

Began composing at the age of 12 under the guidance of Dr. Arthur Wills, organist of Ely Cathedral. Composition lessons with Haflidi Halgrimson (Edinburgh), Neil Butterworth (Edinburgh), Joseph Horovitz (RCM), Dr. Robert Saxton (GSMD) and Simon Holt (Royal Holloway). Other teachers include  Petr Eben, George Benjamin, Judith Weir and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

Participated in various workshops and summer schools including the Oundle International Organ Festival (1992/93), an Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust composition workshop with James MacMillan (1996), The Scottish Chamber Orchestra/ Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Summer School for Young Composers (1996), The 1999 Dartington International Summer School with Judith Weir (Bursary funded by the Britten-Piers Foundation), an SPNM workshop at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival (1998), a workshop for piano trio at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (1998), a workshop with Piano Circus (December, 1999) and various handbell, organ and choral workshops in Pittsburgh, USA.

Commissions and Awards UK Commissions from The Royal Academy of Arts (1996), Waltham Abbey (1998), Shetland Choral Society (1999), St. Paul’s Cathedral (1999), Wesley’s Chapel (2000), Michael Galloway (2000), Composers Ensemble (2000), Fair Isle Community (2001-2), Continuum (2001), Contemporary Consort (2002), Music Past and Present (2002), the New London Children’s Choir (2002), the Flautadors (2002) the Rothko Trio (2003). USA commissions from the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2004), Sewickley UMC (2003 and 2006), David Sogg (2005), Roger Zahab (2005), Amy Stabnau (2006) the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra (2007) and the Young New Yorkers’ Chorus (2009). Awards include the Glasgow Orchestral Society’s Young Composer’s Award (1995), the Gregynog Composer’s Award of Wales (1999), the FCOCA Young Composer’s Award (1999), the William Mathias Award, Bangor New Music Festival (2005) and prizes for both composition and organ from the RCM and GSMD. Awarded a Major Scottish Studentship in 1998 to study for both MMus and PhD degrees in Composition.

His works have been performed by the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Compline Choir, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Glasgow Orchestral Society, Belmonte and Gilde String Quartets, Rothko String Trio, Brunel Ensemble, Composers’ Ensemble, Chroma, Ixion, Continuum, St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir, Waltham Abbey Choir, Harrow Choral Society, New Noise, London Brass, Rolf Hind, Sarah Walker and Melinda Maxwell in venues such as The RCM, GSMD, The Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room (all London), Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh), Sir Henry Wood Hall (Glasgow), Spitalfields Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Gregynog Festival, Hoxton New Music Days, all of the London Cathedrals, the Orkney and Shetland Islands and venues in Pittsburgh, Akron and New York City. Projects also include writing for Theatre (The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov produced by the Guildhall Drama Department, 1997), writing for Dance (collaboration with the London Contemporary Dance School 1997-98, and writing for amateurs (Between Blue Mirrors for the Shetland Choral Society in 1999 and Given Days for the Classic Fair Isle Festival in 2002). A number of his works have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, Radio Shetland and Radio Scotland and are recorded on compact disc (details below).

As an organist, recital venues include St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Ely Cathedral, St. Brides and the Temple Churches, Fleet Street, Brighton, Edinburgh, Trinity Cathedral and Heinz Chapel, Pittsburgh, St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue, New York, and other churches throughout the USA and UK. In 2007, he was invited to perform at the Morelia International Organ Festival, Mexico, where his programme of 20th century music was hailed as a highlight of the 41st festival. Recitals often include premieres of new works written for Alastair by composers such as Arthur Wills, Gordon Lawson, Stephen Wilcocks and Roger Zahab. As assistant organist at Wesley’s Chapel, the Mother Church of World Methodism in the City of London, duties included accompanying the resident and visiting choirs, giving regular organ recitals and playing for all services in the absence of the organist. He also accompanied other London based choirs and recorded organ music for the soundtrack to the BBC Omnibus programme on Sir Norman Foster. He has collaborated with local and international artists in multi-media projects, touring Expressions - the music of Jean Langlais and Naji Hakim  with artwork by the Pittsburgh artist Jered Welsh - throughout Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio in 2005, and a project exploring the music of Howells, Wills and Bach alongside contemporary sculpture in 2008 - 09. Since 2008, he has been guest organist for the monthly choral evensong service at St Andrews Episcopal Church, Highland Park Pittsburgh.

As Director of Music at Coraopolis United Methodist Church, he plays for two Sunday services, weddings and funerals and special services (Holy Week, Christmas, Community etc.). He conducts and accompanies four of the six resident choirs (encompassing adult, specialised groups, handbells, youth and praise band) and directs seasonal cantatas. The job involves the presenting of a Lenten recital series, managing other concerts throughout the year by regional and national players and leading the church choirs in community activities:

• in 2004, he conducted the Chancel Choir in Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall Christmas Festival which was later broadcast on local radio.

• in 2006 and 2007, the Chancel Choir performed a Christmas Celebration with the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra.

1. •in 2007, the Men’s Chorus performed with the Pittsburgh Pops Youth Orchestra in a concert commemorating the Civil War in the city’s prestigious Soldiers and Sailors Hall.
   

• in 2009 the Chancel Choir performed John Stainer’s The Crucifixion.

• in 2009 he developed an Evening Service of Praise and Prayer and formed the Coraopolis UMC Early Music Group.

Throughout the year he leads the Celebration youth choir (ages 5 – 13) in rehearsal for their biannual musical dramas incorporating music, art and movement.

The position also includes programming the music schedule for the year, managing the music budget, maintaining the music library, overseeing the maintenance of the handbells, pianos and pipe organ and organising a large volunteer music staff on a day to day basis. All basic church musician skills - arranging, transposition and improvisation - are essential.

The Pittsburgh Compline Choir is a mixed voice, auditioned choir of approximately 16-24 members that exists for the purpose of singing and praying the monastic office of Compline. The choir performs on Sunday evenings during term-time in Pittsburgh’s famous Heinz Chapel. As the director, Alastair selects the musical repertoire, leads rehearsals and services, and programs outreach work for the group. More information on the choir can be found here.

Discography: Produced the CDs ‘For the Fallen’, music for remembrance, sung by the choir of Waltham Abbey (Lammas Records: LAMM 113D), ‘For M is Musick’ sung by the choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Ohio USA and ‘Sounds Messiaenic’ performed by Jamie Hitel. Two other discs feature his music: Chroma (Riverrun  RVRCD56) and The Hoxton Thirteen (NMC D076). A third disk featuring his choral music is due for release in 2009.

Articles on Alastair and his music appear in various newspapers and periodicals including the Shetland Times (various), the Press and Journal (various), the Classical Music Magazine (August 2002), the Scottish Islands Explorer (January/February 2003 and July/August 2003) [article.pdf] and the New Shetlander (August 2003) [article.pdf].

Publishers:

From 1990 - 2003, 23 organ pieces and 1 choral piece were published by Oecumuse (UK).

The House on the Edge of the Tide, for violin and piano, appears in the 1996 Contemporary British Music Anthology. His organ work, Shall We Gather at the River, is included in the compilation, Marilyn Mason New Organ Music Composition Competition: Anthology of Award-Winning Compositions, published at the Region V convention of the American Guild of Organists, 2009. Alastair has extensive knowledge of the Sibelius music processing system and is very experienced in copying and arranging. He has a broad knowledge of both Apple Mac and Microsoft PC operating systems.

Other interests:

Alastair has a wide range of interests including film (especially the works of Kubrick and Lynch), art (a number of his works are based on the paintings of Francis Bacon), travel and the outdoors (he has hiked extensively throughout Southwest Pennsylvania and the surrounding states). He also sings bass in the Pittsburgh Compline Choir.

References

A list of references is available from Alastair Stout.

Publicity photographs

Please feel free to use the photographs below for publicity purposes.