Zygmund de Somogyi (b. 1996) is a British-Filipino composer, artist, performer, and curator currently working nationally and internationally from London.

Zygmund’s compositions explore expressions of digital folklore, interdisciplinary performance, and the recontextualisation of genre and form, with their nonclassical background and punk rock upbringing greatly informing their practice as a composer. Zygmund’s first full-length opera ‘hikikomori!’ was commissioned and premiered by Opera in Oborne in Dorset, UK, featuring performances from Garsington and Britten-Pears affiliated singers, and artistic direction from the Royal Opera House’s Susanna Stranders. Other recent notable works include ‘BLUSH HOUSE’, a “graphic-score-unfiction-video-game” commissioned by Gaudeamus Screendive, and ‘The Reel’, a live film score commissioned by Access Contemporary Music Chicago.

Zygmund’s work has been performed in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, Malaysia, America, and Canada; they have written music for films, documentaries, and YouTube channels such as Chris Hadfield’s Rare Earth, and they worked as resident composer for theatre company Distracted Rat from 2021-22 on commissions for London Horror Festival, Camden Fringe Festival, and Camden People’s Theatre.

Zygmund studied with Ed Bennett, Edwin Roxburgh, and Howard Skempton at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and with Ewan Stefani at the University of Leeds. Zygmund is also artistic director and editor of contemporary music magazine PRXLUDES, featuring in-depth interviews with composers and practitioners of new music. Zygmund is openly autistic, and helps run the Autistic Musicians' Network for musicians and creatives on the autism spectrum. 

 

Vivek Haria (b.2000) is a British Indian composer who has recently graduated with First Class Honours with Distinction from the University of Cambridge, where he read for the Music and Management Studies Tripos and studied composition with Raymond Yiu and Richard Causton. It was his formal studies as a singer at the Royal College of Music Junior Department that initially awakened an interest in writing music for choirs and vocal ensembles. This quickly developed into a passion throughout his time at university, where he was able to research and imbue musical elements familiar to his cultural heritage, the Hindustani Classical tradition, within his idiom as well as expand his repertoire to include solo, chamber and orchestral works. His works have been commissioned and performed in Cambridge, London, and America. Most recently, he was a finalist in the 2021 Clements Prize where his string trio, Ennui, was premiered by members of the Piatti Quartet. Vivek has received informal consultations from composers including Robin Holloway and Stephen McNeff and is currently mentored by Brian Elias.

With a background in film making, Marcus made the decision to pursue composition seriously in 2018, earning himself a place at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on a scholarship (beginning 2019). In his first year studying music, he has been selected to collaborate with and write a String Quartet for Quatour Bozzini, he has written for members of Chineke! Orchestra, he was also given the opportunity to write a solo flute piece for contemporary flautist Rowland Sutherland, He was selected to compose music for the Cheltenham Music Festival (2021) working closely with and mentored by Composer Daniel Kidane, and was invited to participate in the Festival the following year. In addition to this he has written a piece for BCMG and has also written a string duo for members of Fidelio trio: Darragh Morgan and Tim Gill. Marcus’ aesthetic is centred around the sensory feedback of the subjective experiencing of thoughts and emotions triggered by both internal and external phenomena and the similarities/differences between them. Marcus currently continues his studies at Conservatoire while being active outside of the university environment.