2006.png)
|
Issie Barratt is an internationally active composer, conductor, arranger, baritone sax player and educator, who has performed at a majority of leading concert halls, jazz clubs and festivals in Britain, Sweden, Switzerland and more recently, the East coast of Canada. Primarily known for her commitment to writing for large ensembles, her current catalogue of works includes 19 works for Big Band (including “Strange Fruit” recorded by the Bohuslän Big Band, “Nonephency” for Voice of the North, “The Dance” commissioned by the PRS Foundation and “Eva Naim, Mega Supreme” for the CUK Big Band); 3 orchestral works (including “Hoffnung” for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, “Transient Times for Double Orchestra” for the Philharmonia Orchestra and a 20 minute “Concerto for Improvised trumpet and chamber orchestra”); an hour long music theatre piece “Pandora’s Box” commissioned by the Drill Hall and various solo and chamber works including “Lullaby of Life” for the 4th Dimension String Quartet, ‘Somehow with the passage of time” recently recorded by the Delta Sax Quartet (on their ‘Dedicated to you but you weren’t listening’ CD), “Meinrad Iten Suite: A quartet’s response to 11 paintings” commissioned by Swiss Gemeinderat and Burgerkanzlei of Unterägeri and “Before Time” for solo piano.
Over the last 5 years various European performances of her works have facilitated collaborations with internationally acclaimed artists such as Anders Bergcrantz, Tomas Franck, Mark Lockheart, Joe Locke, Carl Rütti and Steve Waterman. Issie also directs her own ensemble Arrange of Space (comprising 16 of Europe’s leading jazz artists), which will be recording its debut album, produced by Mike Gibbs, in October 2007. Issie was also featured as one of the Jerwood Foundation’s Rising Stars in the Cheltenham Jazz Festival of 2001.
Never afraid to visit the full breadth of the psychological spectrum, Issie’s music invariably combines the warmth of an embrace with the full zest of a lemon!
“A great, great composer, who writes beautiful, beautiful music" Julian Joseph
“Her amazing breadth of skills - composing, conducting, rehearsing, teaching - are what the jazz/music world needs” Mike Gibbs
" When Issie’s conducting the Bohuslän Big Band it gives the music a whole new lease of life and meaning." Göran Levin
Exciting and beautiful music: written with great knowledge and depth" Anders Bergcrantz
"The eccentric element came from Issie Barratt" John Fordham, The Guardian
“.. shöpft aus einer frischen Empfindung…. Das macht sie geeignet fur knappe impressionistische Skizzen " Andreas Nievergelt, Zuger Zeitung.
Issie has always been an active and passionate educator. Having established Trinity’s Jazz Faculty (1999-2004) she now holds the position of Senior Jazz Fellow. As well as directing ensembles from TCM at leading jazz venues such as Ronnie Scotts, The Bulls Head, Festival Hall Foyer and Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Issie has also been co-directed the Conservatoires UK Big Band since 2003, performing annually at Leeds College’s International Jazz conference (along side fellow artists and educators Bob Mintzer, Tim Garland, Mike Hall, Julian Joseph, Gerard Presencer, Mike Gibbs and Mark Donlon), as well as appearing with them at the International Association of Jazz Educators’s Conference in 2008. Issie has also lead various projects at the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal College of Music, contributed to the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music’s jazz syllabi and written several research papers on jazz related topics Since September 2006 Issie has held the position of Artistic Director for Jazz Services’ National Youth Jazz Summer School funded by Youth Music. She is also an active member of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters (chairing their Jazz Committee), Jazz adjudicator for Music for Youth’s annual national festival, Trustee of the Women’s Jazz Archive and a member of the advisory panel for the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Awards.
For more information including audio examples please visit www.issiebarratt.com |
Research Papers
The history of women Jazz Musicians in the UK” commissioned by the Fondazione Adkins Chiti: Donne in Musica,
"The talented and gifted young Jazz Musicians of the C21st: their access to national and regional opportunities and recognising the deficits on a regional and national scale" commissioned by Youth Music
"Researching group assessment: Jazz in the conservatoire": published in the BJME journal by CUP. |
