CMRC Seminar - Roy Watkins and Ruike Xu

Event details

ALL WELCOME

Roy Watkins and Ruike Xu are doctoral students in the School of Arts, developing practice research
through composition. In this session they will each present aspects of their work.

Roy Watkins: Some features of the 'raw'. 

What is rawness? What is rawness in music? Curiously, my music has been described as ‘raw’ and this has sparked my imagination as a composer. I have delved into this subject, identifying what might constitute rawness not only in music, but across other art forms. This has also inspired me to define my own sense of what rawness is, which I am trying to evoke in my music. Today, I will outline the foundations of my definition of rawness, what some ‘ingredients’ are, and how I am implementing ‘rawness' in my own work.

Ruike Xu: Chinese Cultural Influences on my Music.

In this presentation, I reflect on how my Chinese cultural identity has influenced the development of my compositions. My creative journey has moved from an early reliance on Western frameworks toward the integration of Chinese aesthetics, where timbre serves as the central medium of expression. Through the concept of the Timbral Block, I approach timbre as both a structural and symbolic carrier of identity. By discussing works such as Echoes of Justice, Sacrifice of the Holy Fire, and Network, I aim to demonstrate how the identity of my “sonic voice” emerges, shaping both my compositional logic and artistic expression.

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Zoom Link 

About the speakers

Roy Alexander Watkins is a composer and pianist who has worked with, and had music performed by various UK and international professional ensembles, including the Riot Ensemble, Chroma , Psappha, Quatour Diotima and Ensemble Contemporain. Roy graduated with a BMus (Hons) from the Royal Northern College of Music in composition in 2017, studying with David Horne, and then graduated with an MA from the Royal Academy of Music in composition in 2018 on a Dr Mosco Carner Scholarship. He was also awarded the Priaulx Rainer prize while he was completing his RAM Professional Diploma in 2019 studying with David Sawyer. Roy has attended composition masterclasses and private lessons with Simon Bainbridge, Harrison Birtwistle and Georg Friedrich Hass. Roy is currently undertaking a PhD at the university of York supervised by Martin Suckling, where he is researching the concept of rawness in
new music.

Ruike Xu is a composer and currently a doctoral candidate in composition at the University of York, where he studies with Thomas Simaku. His research interests focus on the interrelation of pitch organisation, timbre exploration, and cultural identity, through which he has developed a distinctive compositional methodology described as the “Timbral Block.” In recent years, his works have been performed by renowned ensembles such as the Diotima String Quartet and Ensemble Intercontemporain. He is a two-time recipient of the Chinese National Scholarship, and his representative works include Network and Sacrifice of the Holy Fire. His current research explores the interrelation and practice among pitch organisation, timbre, and cultural identity.