CITYSHOWCASE.CO.UK

Sam Cave

ArtForm: CityShowcase Act/Composer

http://samcave.wordpress.com/

Sam Cave is a young English guitarist and composer who studied with Gary Ryan and Chris Stell at the Royal College of Music in London with financial assistance from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He has also studied with Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Michael Zev-Gordon, Michael Finnissy, Gilbert Biberian and Craig Ogden and graduated from the University of Southampton with a first class honours degree and the Edward Wood memorial prize in music.

Performing as both a soloist and a chamber musician with the flute and guitar ensemble ‘Duo Nuevo’ (with flautist Ruth Corney) and composer/performer ensemble ‘ACE’ (Avant-Garde Composers Ensemble), Sam has appeared in venues such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery and the Turner Sims Hall in Southampton. He has also performed as part of the London International Guitar Festival, the Cheltenham Lunchtime Concert Series and the 2009 Exhibition Road Music Day (European Day of Music).

At the ‘Leed Lieder+’ festival of contemporary art song he premiered Steven Nunes’ ‘Lost on the Dunes’ in a concert which ‘… work-shopped 8 new songs to challenge the future…’ (The Times). Early in 2010 ‘Duo Nuevo’ performed the premiere of a new work by Hossein Hadisi entitled Lullaby for a Deaf Child which was written specially for the duo. Sam appeared on BBC Radio in March 2010 performing music by Agustin Barrios and he performed three times at the groundbreaking City Showcase festival in and around the iconic O2 in Greenwich. Sam attended the 2010 SoundSCAPE festival of contemporary music in Italy performing solo and chamber works by Italian and English composers including music by Stephen Goss and Carla Rebora. As part of British Harpsichord Society weekend Sam performed at Handel House with Jane chapman, premiering Mark Wolf’s piece ‘Hype’, whilst his own work ‘Grace’ was premiered by Marie van Rhijn. Sam recently made his St John’s, Smith Square debut performing Rodrigo’s ‘Fantasia para un Gentilhombre’ with I Maestri under the baton of Jean-Louis Gosselin.

Sam’s passion for twentieth and twenty-first century repertoire shines through his work and to date he has given over 25 world premiere performances of music by Aldo Clementi, John Habron, George Holloway, Hossein Hadisi and many others. As a composer Sam’s work has received acclaim from some of the leading composers of our time. His works have been performed in England and abroad and in November 2009 he was invited to speak about his recent works on BBC Radio. He is the UK director of the International Composers Collective and he has written for Keynote+, the Gemini Ensemble, The Hola, the New Ensemble, the Achille Trio and the Swedish guitarist Johan Lofivng.

‘…Sam Cave was great; as the controller of BBC Radio 4 would say, ‘alpha’…’
Neal Sleat (BBC Radio 4 presenter)

‘…Innovative programming, real passion and commitment…’
Craig Ogden (international concert guitarist)

 “Effortless Technique”
Michael Finnissy

“The gestures contain a rare degree of energy and commitment…..Sam explores his contemporary aesthetic with real ambition and concentrated purpose”
Michael Zev Gordon

Biog as updated for City Showcase 2011