Lester Hough (b 1950) studied Composition with Anthony Hedges and Prof Alastair Borthwick. He is a composer, pianist, conductor and educator. He was the author of the Hofnote Aural Training website which pioneered online aural training in the early 2000’s. Currently director of Hull Piano School, Lester studied the piano under the Oxford piano teacher Vincent Packford, a pupil of Harold Craxton. He has continued to work as a teacher, composer and performer through a varied career.
Lester has been a finalist in various international composers' competitions. In 2019 he was finalist in the Carl Orff Competition in Munich. In the same year he was also finalist in the Sacrarium composers' competition in Lviv, Ukraine.
About the music
The musical language of Lester’s compositions has developed over a long period, from initial struggles with finding a voice in an environment where complex atonal music was the norm though to the rediscovery and renewed interest in tonal music. His stylistic approach is rooted in the the three possible diminished 7th chords, from where it is possible to move from tonality to atonality and vice versa. Influences include Nielsen, Bartók, Britten, Berg and the later works of Maxwell Davies, among others. His technique is to take familiar materials and to treat them in a contemporary manner.
International Festival of Contemporary Music, Havana and Carl Orff Festival Munich
Lester Hough has worked closely with Cuban viola player, Anolan Gonzalez while composing the Seven Transformations for Viola and Piano. These were given their first performance in the summer of 2019, and were subsequently performed at the International Festival in Havana.
His organ piece Post Tenebras Lux was given by international organist Angela Metzger in the Carl Orff Festival in the same year.
Photo credits
Lester Hough
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