Stuart McCallum

Current and Future Research

Immersive Audio Research

Music-making in Dolby Atmos and live speaker arrays (DnB Soundscape) – incorporating immersive audio technologies and practices in contemporary music composition and production.

PhD in Music by Composition

Through reflective critique and observation of the roles Stuart undertakes during his collaborative music-making practices, with particular reference to the evolution of his individual studio-based working methods, this PhD offers insight into the working practice of a contemporary music practitioner. The main outcome of this practice-as-research is to offer further and deeper understandings of contemporary music practice and to show the interplay between the social, cultural, technological, architectural, musical and environmental forces in the writing and recording of new music.

Research Areas

• Performance, composition and production for immersive audio environments
• Solo guitar compositions

Research Funding

UKRI

Arts Council England

British Council

Undergraduate Teaching

• BMus Popular Music

Postgraduate Teaching

• MMus Popular Music

Research Supervision

Hans-Martin Buff – The Immersive Incubator

Selected Outputs

Performances

• • Stuart McCallum The Dark Monarch, , Tate St Ives
  • Stuart McCallum Musicity, Tokyo
  • Stuart McCallum Channel Four, , Manchester Jazz Festival
  • Stuart McCallum Guitar in the 21st Century, , Hull Jazz Festival
  • Stuart McCallum The Darktown Cakewalk, , Glasgow International Festival
  • Stuart McCallum Bold By Name, Bold By Nature, , Liverpool Biennial
  • Stuart McCallum Manchester Hill Remembered, , Manchester Cathedral

Recordings

• Exit Music: Songs With Radio Heads,
• Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur,
• Cinematic Orchestra – Live At The Royal Albert Hall,
• Cinematic Orchestra – The Crimson Wing,
• Cinematic Orchestra – Late Night Tales,
• Jon Thorne / Danny Thompson – Watching The Well,
• Richard Spaven – Whole Other,
• Richard Spaven – The Self,
• Richard Spaven – Real Time,
• Jordan Rakei – Speak
• Stuart McCallum – Echo Architect
• Stuart McCallum – Stuart McCallum
• Stuart McCallum – Distilled, Naim Label
• Stuart McCallum – Distilled Live, Naim Label
• Stuart McCallum – The Ultimate Form,

• Stuart McCallum / Mike Walker – Beholden
• Stuart McCallum – City, Naim Label
• Stuart McCallum – City Live, Edition Records
• Stuart McCallum / Mike Walker – The Space Between,
• The Breath – Carry Your Kin, Real World Records
• The Breath – Let The Cards Fall, Real World Records
• The Breath – Acoustic, Real World Records
• The Breath – Only Stories (Let The Cards Fall Revisited), Real World Records
• The Breath – Land Of My Other, Real World Records

• Stuart McCallum – Solitude, Edition Records
• Stuart McCallum – Solitude Part ii, Edition Records
• Stuart McCallum – Strømme – Acoustic Meditations, E2
• Stuart McCallum – Rain Is Coming, E2
• Stuart McCallum / Richard Spaven / Jordan Rakei / Barney Artist Richard Spaven – Spirit Beats, Fine Line

• Stuart McCallum / Mark Slater Subsona – Music for Imaginary Film, Edition Recorfs

Professional Activity

• Solitude. This series of solo acoustic guitar albums explores the subtleties and emotive nuances of the acoustic guitar in a breathtakingly beautiful way. ‘Master guitarist McCallum’s music is heaven sent. Beautifully crafted, warm blooded, folk and jazz inspired magical stuff….’ WRITTEN IN MUSIC

• The Breath is the duo of Manchester-based singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly with guitar whiz, Stuart McCallum. Connolly is Armagh-born with a remarkable and distinctive, stop-you-in-your-tracks voice and a deep elegiac sensibility. From jazz beginnings to alt folk and electronica, McCallum is an in-demand guitarist combining both acoustic and electronic instruments to give his music a distinctive sound. The Breath have released three albums on Real World Records, two with a full band complete with mesmerising guitar riffs, expansive arrangements and layered vocal harmonies, the other, stripped bare in a duo setting allowing the depth and beauty of their heartfelt songs and Ríoghnach’s impassioned voice to shine through. They triumphed at the 2019 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards where Ríoghnach bagged the Folk Singer of The Year award, while the duo was nominated for Best Duo/Group.

• Music for Imaginary Film. The focus here is evocation of mood, affording the listener freedom to imagine their own narrative. Combining electronics, orchestral strings, piano and acoustic guitar, composers Stuart McCallum and Mark Slater create dark, intimate contemplations and mesmerising widescreen landscapes.

• Discography

  • Stuart McCallum – Rain Is Coming (2024)
  • The Breath – Land Of My Other (2023)
  • Richard Spaven – Spirit Beats (2022)
  • Strømme – Acoustic Meditations (2022)
  • Subsona – Music for Imaginary Film (2021)
  • The Breath – Something On Your Mind (2021)

  • The Breath – Only Stories (2019)

  • Stuart McCallum – Solitude part ii (2019)

  • Sean Foran and Stuart McCallum – Counterpart (2019)

  • The Breath – Let The Cards Fall (2018)

  • Stuart McCallum – Solitude (2018)

  • Richard Spaven – Real Time (2018)

  • Slowly Rolling Camera – Juniper (2018)

  • Richard Spaven – The Self (2017)

  • The Breath – Acoustic (2017)

  • Stuart McCallum – City Live EP (2017)

  • Stuart McCallum and Mike Walker – The Space Between (2016)

  • The Breath – Carry Your Kin (2016)

  • Slowly Rolling Camera – All Things (2016)

  • Stuart McCallum – City (2015)

  • Stuart McCallum and Mike Walker – Beholden (2014)

  • Richard Spaven – Whole Other (2014)

  • Slowly Rolling Camera – Into The Shadow (2014)

  • Stuart McCallum – The Ultimate Form (2013)

  • Manu Delago – Bigger Than Home (2013)

  • Stuart McCallum – Distilled Live (2012)

  • Baylis/Howard/McCallum (2011)

  • Stuart McCallum – Distilled (2011)

  • Jon Thorne/Danny Thompson – Watching The Well (2010)

  • Cinematic Orchestra – Late Night Tales (2010)

  • Manu Delago – Made In Silence 2 (2010)

  • Cinematic Orchestra – The Crimson Wing (2010)

  • Stuart McCallum (2009)

  • Cinematic Orchestra – Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2008)

  • Stuart McCallum – Echo Architect (2006)

  • Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur (2006)

  • Radiohead Remix Album – Exit Music – Songs with Radio Heads (2006)

  • Paul Booth – No Looking Back (2006)

  • Neil Yates – New Origins (2005)

  • Don Weller – Electric Octet (2002)