In recent years Richard Hoadley has focused on the role of technology in musical composition and performance. This includes the implementation of physical interfaces along with algorithmic software to generate original compositions. He has developed a number of devices including the Digiphone (2011-2014), the Gaggle (2009) and the Metapiano (2011): bespoke systems designed to investigate and facilitate physical interactions with musically expressive algorithms for installations, performances (including dance) and therapeutic environments. These interfaces and others have been used creatively in performances such as Triggered (2009-2012). In compositions such as Calder's Violin he has developed methods for the live presentation of algorithmically generated notation, an approach he has developed further in pieces such as The Fluxus Tree (2012-13), Three Streams (2013), Quantum Canticorum (2013-2014), Semaphore (2014) and Choreograms (2016) in which the movement of dancers generates music notation which is in turn performed live by an instrumentalist. In the last four of these pieces he has acquired movement data using the Kinect depth camera.
Current projects include the composition of an extended choral work, Unthinking Things, for 16 voice choir, electronics and live, dynamic notation, based on texts by Bishop George Berkeley. He is also working on commissions involving the 'translation' of text and phonemes into musical ideas and gestures and the development of music and text compositions enacted by members of the audience moving through the performance space itself.
The Touching Sound project investigated the use of these technologies in therapeutic environments.
He primarily works with SuperCollider software and Arduino, Mbed and Kinect hardware where necessary.
He has written, published and presented about music throughout the world. A full list can be found below. He is currently working on commissions for the St Augustine's Singers, the Cambridge Sinfonia and is involved in a number of research projects investigating methods of dynamic musical communication. In 2018 he left academic work to work full-time as a freelance composer.
(2018) Music for Twine a dance film by Chris Smith music and programming by Richard Hoadley;
(2017-present) Unthinking Things, part one (stones) automatic music for 16 voice choir, electronics and live score projection
music and programming by Richard Hoadley; text by Bishop George Berkeley
- Performance: St Augustine's Church, Cambridge, 17th March 2018
(2016-17) Homage to Cervantes music, computer, violin and projections - Performance: International Conference on New Technologies for Music Notation and Representation (TENOR) 25th May 2017
(2015-6, in progress) Choreograms, a music-text-dance piece
Music and programming Richard Hoadley amongst others, dance Jane Turner, text Phil Terry
(2015-6) Edge Violations music, computer, clarinet and projections
- Performance/workshop: The Boiler House, London Metropolitan, Thursday October 15th 2015
NB This performance/workshop was cancelled. - first performance at Hoadley, Hall and Brown, Saturday April 23rd 2016, Anglia Ruskin University.
- Performance at the TENOR conference, Cambridge, May 28th 2016 - Ian Mitchell, clarinet(s)
- Performance at Electronic Visualisation and the Arts, Covent Garden, London, 12th July 2016
(2015) Semaphore/Selfies, a music-text-dance piece
Music and programming Richard Hoadley amongst others, dance Jane Turner, text Phil Terry, videography Ian Willcock
Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Saturday October 2015, Anglia Ruskin University
3pm workshop, LAB 028; 5:30pm performance, Mumford Theatre
Hoadley, R. and K. Norman (2015) How to Play the Piano in 88 Notes, a part of Piano Glyphs Piano - Philip Mead, music and programming - Richard Hoadley, words - Katharine Norman
- Performance at the INTIME Conference, Saturday 24th October, Coventry University - Performance at the Music as Process Conference, Saturday June 6th, Goldsmiths, London
- Performance at 2:15 Recital Hall, Anglia Ruskin University, 12th May 2015.
- Performance at 1pm, 8th May 2015, University of Hertfordshire, a part of the Sonic Herts - Performance in a concert of music for piano and electronics, 7:30-8:30pm, 26th February 2015
PACE 1, De Montfort University, a part of the Cultural Exchanges Festival - Performance by Philip Mead at the London International Piano Symposium, Royal College of Music, Saturday February 14th
(2014-15) Semaphore a dance, music and text performance piece Music and Programming - Richard Hoadley; dance - Jane Turner; text - Philip Terry
- Performance (Semaphore/Choreograms chimera) at AHRC Commons, York University, 21st June 2016
- Performance at Embodied Intelligence in Music - Live, Presentation and performance of Semaphore
PACE, De Montfort University, Monday 4th April 2016
- Performance of Semaphore/Selfies chimera,
Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Saturday October 2015, Anglia Ruskin University (3pm workshop, LAB 028; 5:30pm performance, Mumford Theatre)
- Performance by Gwen Jones and Ann Pidcock (dance); Jimmy Ottley ('cello); Darius Gray (clarinet)
Cardiff M.A.D.E., Thursday 9th July 2015, 7:30pm
- Performance by Gwen Jones and Ann Pidcock (dance); Cheryl Frances-Hoad ('cello); Gareth Stuart (clarinet)
Mumford Theatre, Cambridge, Friday 17th April 2015, 1:10pm
- Performance by Gwen Jones and Ann Pidcock (dance); Cheryl Frances-Hoad ('cello); Ian Mitchell (clarinet)
Drawing Towards Sound, TV Studio, University of Greenwich, Friday 20th March 2015, 6pm
- Performance byGwen Jones and Ann Pidcock (dance); Cheryl Frances-Hoad ('cello); Kate Romano (clarinet)
Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Covent Garden Theatre, Cambridge, Sunday 26 October 2014 8pm
(2013-2014) Quantum Canticorum a dance and music performance piece by Richard Hoadley and Jane Turner 2014
- Performance as a part of Quantum², with Richard Hoadley, Jane Turner, Gareth Stuart, Anne Pidcock, Gwen Jones, David Ogle, Grégoire A. Meyer, Natacha Bisarre
Liverpool Hope University, Monday October 20
- Performance as a part of Quantum², with Richard Hoadley, Jane Turner, Gareth Stuart, Gwen Jones, David Ogle, Grégoire A. Meyer, Natacha Bisarre, Laura Brera
Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain, Saturday June 7
- Performance by Richard Hoadley, Jane Turner, Gareth Stuart, Anne Pidcock
Mumford Theatre, Cambridge, 1300, Friday 4 April 4
- Performance by Richard Hoadley, Jane Turner, Gareth Stuart, Anne Pidcock
Deptford Town Hall, 1845, Wednesday April 2
as a part of the Live Algorithms for Music Symposium, Goldsmiths, April 2-5
2013
- Performance as a part of Quantum², Ruskin Gallery, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK, Sunday October 27
Cambridge Festival of Ideas - Performance by Richard Hoadley, Jane Turner, Gareth Stuart, Anne Pidcock
Deptford Town Hall, 1930, Friday October 18
as a part of Notation in Contemporary Music Symposium, Goldsmiths, October 19-21
- Performance as a part of Quantum², Sensations Festival, Chelmsford, September 28
(2011-2016) Calder's Violin automatic music for violin/flute and computer - Performance by Ming Wang of new version for flute and computer (Calder's Flute), Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC2016), Hamburg, Saturday September 3rd 2016
- Performance by George Panagiotopoulos at International Computer Music Conference 2014, Athens, Greece, September 2014
- Performance by Mifune Tsuji at INTIME 2013 Symposium, October 19-20 2013, University of Coventry, UK
- Performance by Marcus Barcham-Stevens at City University, London, 2012 SuperCollider Symposium, April 17 2012
- Performance by Mifune Tsuji at Cambridge Festival of Ideas, October 22 2011
(2012-2013) The Fluxus Tree An interactive sculpture for dancer using data from sensors to help generate notation live, which is then played by the composer and 'cellist Cheryl Frances-Hoad.
Jane Turner, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Richard Hoadley
- Performance at Musichoreography: duets for dancers and instrumentalists, Kings Place, London, April 14 2013
- Performance at INTIME 2012 Symposium, October 19-20 2012, University of Coventry, UK
- Performance at LIVE INTERFACES: Performance, Art, Music, September 7-8 2012, ICSRiM, School of Music, University of Leeds, UK
- Performance at Degrees of Synchrony: an original dance and music performance investigating the boundaries between synchronisation and simultaneity,
May 13 2012, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
(2012) Phase Transition - a dance and music performance experiment Richard Hoadley and Jane Turner
Recital Hall, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK, Sunday 28th October 2012
Cambridge Festival of Ideas
(2012) Player Piano An automatic composition for computer generated piano and piano. The pianist's music is generated live in performance.
A part of Degrees of Synchrony: an original dance and music performance investigating the boundaries between synchronisation and simultaneity.
Performance involving acoustic and electronic sound with choreographer Jane Turner and composer-performers
Tom Hall, Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Richard Hoadley.
13th May, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
(2012) Fluxus automatic music for piano and computer
Composed by Richard Hoadley, performed by Richard Hoadley, January 17th, Cambridge, UK as a part of Future Fluxus
(2009-present) Devices and Units Hardware and software interfaces for music performance, in development.
(2009-2011) Triggered Sculptural custom hardware and software interfaces and automatic composition for performers and dancers.
With Tom Hall, Jane Turner, Cheryl Frances-Hoad
- Performance at Kings Place, London, June 13 2011
- Performance for CoDE New Materialism Conference, Anglia Ruskin University,
Monday 21st June 2010
- Performance for Correspondence, a weekend of Creative Practice, London Metropolitan University,
Saturday 26th June 2010
(2011) One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Messages Crowdsourced composition and performance controlled by mobile devices.
Presented at 'Sounds Like Mobility, A Mobile Media, Sound and Music Event',
Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge, 17th May
(2010) Cage Musicircus Contribution using Wired, Gagglina and Gaggle to the performance in collaboration with Tom Hall et al., Kettles Yard,
Cambridge, 10th November 2010.
(2010) One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Haiku Automatic performance/composition with custom hardware and software.
Part of Frame-breaking including original work in collaboration
with Katharine Norman, Sam Hayden, Katy Price, Tom Hall, Kettles Yard,
Cambridge, 9th May 2010.
(2009) One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Haiku Automatic performance/composition with custom software
Commissioned for an event in collaboration with Katharine Norman and Katy Price
Kettles Yard, Cambridge, May 2009
(2008) Many Worlds Semi-automatic music (SuperCollider)
A component part of Silent Histories: soundscapes and compositions on the themes of stillness, technology and place.
Music and performances by Kerstin Bueschges, Kevin Flanagan, Richard Hoadley and Paul Rhys.
Kettles Yard, Cambridge, May 2008
(2007) Telephony MaxMSP and Telephones, concert version approx. 9:29.
Commissioned for Kettle's Yard New Music, Kettle's Yard 2007
(2006) Histrionica A melodrama for 'cello and gamelan instruments; 6:26.
First performed at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge in March 2006 by Anton Lukoszevieze
and members of the Cambridge Gamelan Society.
(2004) Hello semi-automatic live performance music for computer, 6:22.
Commissioned for Kettle's Yard New Music, February 2004
(2002) Ambience semi-automatic live performance music for computers and synthesisers (pSY).
Commissioned for Cambridge New Music Group Inaugural Concert, April 2002
(1999) The Copenhagen Interpretation automatic live performance music for computers and synthesisers (pSY), 16:30.
Commissioned for Cambridge Digital Arts Festival, June 1999.
(1998) The Continual Snowfall of Petrochemicals automatic live performance music for computers and synthesisers (pSY).
Commissioned for Cambridge Digital Arts Festival, June 1998.
(1994) Four Archetypes
for large orchestra, 16:00.
Commissioned by the Cambridge-Heidelberg-Montpelier Orchestra with funds provided by Eastern Arts, 1994.
(1992) Three Pieces for Two Pianos
for two pianos, 36:00.
Commissioned by Philip Mead and Steve Guttman, pianos, 1992
(1989, rev. 1991) Shilbottle Cobbles for wind orchestra, 17:00, recording Commissioned by the Charterhouse Wind Orchestra.
(1989, rev. 1990) In Principio for choir and organ or choir and brass quintet, 12:30.
Commissioned by the Charterhouse Choir.
(1988) Concertino for violin, clarinet, 'cello, piano, 12:00.
Written for the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
(1988) Only Connect
for orchestra, 17:00.
Written for the Durham University Orchestra,
performed on Radio Three 'Music in our Time' by the BBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Robert Zeigler.
Software
See also music
(2020) KinectV2-OSC-0.1.2.zip
Kinect to OSC
(2011-present) INScore class for SuperCollider, in preparation
Class for interfacing SuperCollider with various features of the INScore augmented score programme, notably live notation support via Guido. Used in most compositions since 2011 (Calder's Violin).
(2012) HID2OSC
Utility for converting HID messages to OSC, in this case for use with Isadora 1.2.9. From v1.3 Isadora has native support for HID.
(2010) Melismata
Software interfaces for music performance. Used in Triggered.
(2010) Melodia
Software interfaces for music performance. Used in Triggered and One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Haiku.
(2009-present) Devices and Units
Hardware and software interfaces for music performance, in development
(2010) Triggered
Hardware and software interfaces, composition for performance and dancers.
With Tom Hall, Jane Turner, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, in development June.
(2010) One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Haiku
Composition including hardware and software, and performance.
Part of Frame-breaking including original work in collaboration
with Katharine Norman, Sam Hayden, Katy Price, Tom Hall, Kettles Yard,
Cambridge, 9th May.
(2010) MIST (Museums, Interfaces, Spaces, Techologies)
Invited performance using custom built hardware and software, AHRC Workshop, 22nd-23rd March.
(2009) Gaggle: Hardware and Software Interface and Composition
Hardware, software, composition and performance
commissioned by British HCI (Human Computer Interface) conference 2009, Cambridge, September
http://www.bcs-hci.org.uk/
In collaboration with Tom Hall, Cheryl Francis-Hoad and Jane Turner and dancers
(2009) One Hundred and Twenty Seven Haiku
Automatic performance/composition with custom software
Event in collaboration with Katharine Norman, (Electronic Music Studios, City University) and
Katy Price, Kettles Yard, Cambridge, May 2009
(2008) Many Worlds
Semi-automatic music (SuperCollider)
Silent Histories: soundscapes and compositions on the themes of stillness, technology and place.
Music and performances by Kerstin Bueschges, Kevin Flanagan, Richard Hoadley and Paul Rhys.
Kettles Yard, Cambridge, May 2008
(2001-4) The Sound Archive of the Library of Babelsoftware, 2001-4
(1999) Linguini
Generate (nonsensical) text based on the content of input text.
(1998) pSY
Applying the principles of Arpeggiator to the synthesis structure of the Yamaha SY77 or SY99 synthesiser.
You'll require access to (at least) one of these synthesisers to fully appreciate this software.
I'm currently working on software that doesn't require an external synth.
My pieces The Copenhagen Interpretation and Ambience used four of these programmes and four synths live... Screenshots
(1998) pSalmIn development. An attempt to create a graphics to audio programme. Draw a picture (using rather basic tools)
or import a graphic, choose between a variety of parameters and convert the image into a csound file. You'll also
require the csound programme... screenshots
(1998-2007) Melodia 1In development. Based on the Arpeggiator and pSY models, this is an attempt to create synthetic melody,
involving tone colour as well as pitch material. More recently I've been redeveloping this in MaxMSP and will probably do so again using SuperCollider.
See below for a screenshot of the version for MaxMSP and Yamaha TG77s... screenshots
(1998) pSuomi
Mouse control for general MIDI. Another in the psy series of algorithmic/graphic composition/performance tools...
(1996-8) The Continual Snowfall of Petrochemicals
automatic live performance music for computers and synthesisers (pSY).
Commissioned for Cambridge Digital Arts Festival, June 1998.
(1994) Arpeggiator
An algorithmic MIDI composer based on the idea of the movement from one note to another in groups.
Originally completed in Hypercard for Mac, later implemented in Visual Basic on Windows. Screenshots. Download.