JAMIE SMITH
composer and educator
“Thank you for visiting my new website. I am very excited to be sharing my work with you here and please feel free to get in touch, I would love to hear from you!”
ABOUT
British composer Jamie Smith is currently studying his undergraduate degree at the Royal College of Music. As part of the BBC Proms 2024, in collaboration with the UCL’s Biome Health Project, he was commissioned to write for the BBC Concert Orchestra, drawing inspiration from artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Gaia’ —a replica of our planet created using detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface – Learn more here. In 2023, he was awarded BBC Young Composer of the Year for his piece Into Oblivion for voice and electronics.
In 2024, Jamie was commissioned to write for “Commonwealth @75” an event celebrating the seminal publication on the history and future of the Commonwealth, as part of its 75th year. He also conducted and curated the musical programme alongside the commission, which was premiered at Cloister’s Hall, Westminster Abbey.
MY RECENT WORK
TRANSFORMATIONS for Tuba and Piano
TRANSFORMATIONS
For Tuba and Piano
As part of a series of works, Transformations for Tuba and piano, written for Nathan Mansell, transports the listener into a calm, grounded, yet lively and profound sound world. Unfolding from breath to full bodied warm-ups, the sustained piano interacts closely with the tuba’s gestures, establishing the rich harmonic landscape. I hope to encourage the performer to focus on the quality of the tuba’s sound and to prepare them for more technically demanding repertoire in their programme.
MIGRATION for Alto Saxophone and Bass Trombone
migration
For Alto Saxophone and Bass Trombone
Migration for Alto Sax and Bass Trombone explores the idea of a small bird undertaking an impossibly perilous journey towards its destination. Tentative, expressive, and whimsical as well as calm, grounded, and resonant, I hope to enable virtuosic freedom and close interaction between the musicians for unique and individual performance.
ATMOS for Orchestra
ATMOS
For Orchestra
Commissioned by the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of the BBC Proms 2024 Across the UK series, Atmos for Orchestra draws inspiration from “Gaia,” a detailed replica of Earth created using NASA imagery by Luke Jerram. My aim was to portray a holistic view of our beautiful planet, evoking a sense of tranquility mixed with unease, and to craft a soundscape that feels repressed, momentous, and blurred. I hope to immerse the audience in resonant sound, capturing the essence of Earth’s vibrant yet ever-changing nature.
APPROACHING for Chamber Ensemble
Approaching
For Chamber Ensemble
Approaching for Chamber Ensemble creates a sonic landscape both alien and strangely familiar. Built on unsettled rhythmic cycles in the strings, the ensemble pulses with quiet urgency, shifting from unresolved stillness to upheaval. Breath-like murmurs expand into immersive bodies of sound that distort and morph into climactic confrontations that feel both inevitable and unresolved.
Looking AHEAD
“I am currently working on a series of solo pieces, alongside an installation project (more info on that soon) and a revision of my clarinet choir piece “Drifting Waves” to be performed in March!”
To stay up to date on Jamie’s latest projects and get an inside look at what he’s working on, look here.