Event overview
Inspired by (mostly) folk music heard and recorded during visits to Albania from '73 onwards ‘Albanian Summer’ is performed by its composer with Naomi Sullivan (alto sax)
ALBANIAN SUMMER is a work composed in 1980 lasting about 43 minutes. It was commissioned by Jan Steele and Janet Sherbourne who performed it frequently during the 80s / 90s, recording it in 1984. The work was inspired by (mostly) folk music heard and recorded during several visits to Albania from 1973 onwards: urban music and laments feature as well as partisan songs and the inevitable tangents of an English onlooker.
NAOMI SULLIVAN is a saxophonist based in London working as a musician and teacher. She is Head of Saxophone at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and also teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Alongside performing Dave Smith's 'Albanian Summer' for Sonic Herts, other 2025 playing includes: a visit to Taiwan to join a project that explores the life and art of Francis Bacon via music, theatre and film, plus a concerto performance in Palmero as part of a saxophone festival. She is joining the Aurora Orchestra for their 2025 tour 'Carnival'.
DAVE SMITH (piano) lectured in music at the University of Hertfordshire from 1997 - 2021. His subjects included composition and training steel pan and Javanese gamelan ensembles. A number of his own compositions (many since 1983 are for solo piano) reflect wide-ranging interests in both experimental and non-Western music’s and there are several extended works which, like Albanian Summer, feature an unexpected mixture of musical styles.
Free event, open to all
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 2025 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm |
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