News from our partners: Special lecture on Christmas music at University Centre Shrewsbury

News from our partners University Centre Shrewsbury

Have you ever wondered what it is that makes Christmas music Christmassy? Well now is your chance to find out at a special lecture being held in Shrewsbury.

Professor Darren Sproston will be exploring the well-known, the obscure, the obvious and the ambiguous in an effort to answer this riddle at University Centre Shrewsbury on Thursday 6 December 2018 at 1pm-2.30pm.

The lecture will be held at Guildhall, Frankwell Quay. It is free to attend, but booking is essential.

Professor Sproston, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Chester, said:

“What makes Christmas music Christmassy is a thought-provoking subject and one that should make for an interesting afternoon.

“There is a wealth of music associated with Christmas – music we perform, music we listen to and music we merely absorb, but there is no doubt that music has an enormous impact on what makes the festive season festive.

“Some pieces of music will be forever linked with Christmas, and it may appear obvious why, but for others it is not so clear and that’s what we will be discussing during the lecture.”

Professor Sproston was born in Stafford and while studying at the University of Sheffield was awarded the Phillip John Lord Composition Prize and the Mrs Stewart Blake Dissertation Prize.

He obtained his Master of Music in composition and musicology with distinction. He then became the first student to be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in original composition from the University of Sheffield.

He has composed in a number of genres and styles and his music has been performed as far afield as Moscow and by performers such as the English Serenata, Northern Saxophone Quartet and Rhodri Davies.

To book for the event “O Magnum Mysterium or… What Makes Christmas Music Christmassy”, visit www.ucshrewsbury.ac.uk/public-events.