Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian facts for kids

Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian is a talented British composer, singer, and harp player. She is known as one of the most exciting new composers today.

About Cevanne

Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian was born in Suffolk, England. She has both British and Armenian family roots. When she was a child, she went to Junior Guildhall, a special Saturday music school. Later, she studied Music at Girton College, Cambridge. She finished her degree in 2005 with top honors. While at Cambridge, she won several awards for her music and research. She also received a scholarship to study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London.

Her Musical Journey

Cevanne started working with the famous London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in 2010. She was part of their Panufnik Scheme, which helps new composers. She wrote music for the LSO Community Choir and even arranged a traditional Gamelan piece (a type of Indonesian music) for them. This piece was performed at the Barbican Centre in London. She is also connected with the LSO's Soundhub program and has been on their radio show.

Special Music Projects

Cevanne has been a "composer-in-residence" at different places. This means she was a special guest composer who created music inspired by that location.

From 2015 to 2017, she was the first composer-in-residence for the London Symphony Orchestra at Khadambi Asalache's House. This house is a unique place filled with amazing wooden carvings. Cevanne's music often has a strong visual side, which she calls "Eye Music." She uses visuals to help structure her music, not just to decorate it.

She was also a composer-in-residence at the Handel House Museum from 2012 to 2014. This museum is where the famous composer George Frideric Handel used to live. In 2016, she helped open Jimi Hendrix's old flat (apartment) to the public. She performed her own music there with other artists, celebrating the connection between music and these historic homes.

Awards and Recognition

Cevanne has won many awards for her amazing compositions:

• In 2007, she won an award from Sound and Music for her project called 'Bhangra Latina'.
• She received an Arts Council England Award to record her first album, 'Big Ears'. This album was inspired by her own experience of being partially deaf.
• She won another Arts Council England Award for her oratorio, The Evolution of Eve. An oratorio is a large musical piece for voices and orchestra, usually telling a story.
• In 2013, she received a PRS award for her piece L'envoi. This music honored Emily Wilding Davison, a brave suffragette who fought for women's right to vote.
• Her oratorio, The Evolution of Eve, was turned into a radio show for young people in Sweden. It was even a finalist for an international award called the Prix Marulić in 2015.
• In 2015, she wrote 'Ser Սեր (Love)' for the London Jazz Festival. Later, she adapted it for a choir, and it won an award for composers from diverse backgrounds. The famous BBC Singers performed it, and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
• Her piece "Muted Lines" won the BASCA British Composer Award in 2017.
• In 2018, the Melodia Women's Choir in New York City asked her to write Red Bird. This piece tells the story of Zitkala-Sa, a Native American writer and activist.

Nominations

Cevanne has also been nominated for several prestigious awards:

• In 2017, she was a finalist for two BASCA British Composer Awards for her pieces "Muted Lines" and "Khadambi's House."
• In 2018, she was a finalist for a BASCA British Composer Award with Hugh Jones for their work "Two Machines." For this piece, they created a new musical instrument called the 'sonic bonnet'. This special bonnet allows her to trigger sounds as she performs. She even featured it at the BBC Proms in 2019!
• In 2023, she and Hugh Jones were nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for their outdoor art installation, Rites for crossing water.

Her Music Recordings

Cevanne has released several albums and has been featured on others.

As a Writer, Producer, and Performer

• Welcome Party (2021): This album features the LSO and other talented musicians.
• Panufnik Legacies III (2020): Includes her orchestral piece 'A Dancing Place (scherzo)'.
• BRACE (2019): An album with Hugh Jones, featuring their award-nominated piece "Two Machines."
• The Evolution of Eve EP (2015): Music from her radio play.
• Peekaboogie (2013): A collaboration with writer Jessica Hynes and other artists.
• Big Ears (2010): Her first experimental pop album, inspired by her experience with partial deafness.

Featured on Other Albums

• My Iris (2017) by Trish Clowes: Cevanne composed the track 'Muted Lines', which won an award.
• Fable:Time (2013) by Shama Rahman: She performed on this album.
• Galaxies not ghettos (2011) by United Vibrations: She also performed on this album.
• Bhangra Latina (2008/9) by Kuljit Bhamra and Alex Wilson: She composed and performed on the track 'Dark Garden'.