Larry Goves

Head of School of Composition

BMus, MPhil (RNCM), PhD (Soton)

About Larry

  • Teaching composition at UG, PGT and MPhil/PhD levels
  • Examining and auditioning within the School of Composition
  • Teaching in the School of Academic Studies at UG level and PGT levels
  • Composition representative on the Research Committee and Academic Board

Dr Larry Goves is a composer based in the UK. His music has been perfomed, broadcast and released internationally.

He founded, writes for and performs electronics with the experimental music group the house of bedlam. They have performed at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Faster than Sound 2008, the Purcell Room, for nonclassical at Hoxton’s Macbeth and the Purcell Room, in the Aldeburgh Festival and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3. In December 2009 they attended a residency at Scotland’s prestigious Cove Park supported by the PRS Foundation and the Arts Council followed by concerts in Glasgow and Manchester.

He has also worked on a variety of installation projects including; an installation for Aldeburgh Music’s Technology Residencies (building instruments and writing new music in collaboration with Sound Intermedia’s David Sheppard); a music for a film and installation with artist Aura Satz (for  the Tatton Park Biennial 2012); and music for Dr Beau Lotto’s wall of 88 speakers with corresponding visual (for The Brain Unravelled, an installation at the Wellcome Institute in 2009).

He has been awarded a Jerwood-Aldeburgh Opera Writing Fellowship, been shortlisted for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award in composition and has been a recipient of a Paul Hamlyn Award for Composition.

Larry studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Anthony Gilbert and at Southampton University with Michael Finnissy. He is a Composition Lecturer at the Royal Northern College of Music and composition tutor for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Current and Future Research

Larry’s main research interests are in acoustic, electronic and electroacoustic composition; creative collaboration and associated methodologies and curenty in performer interaction/coordiantion can operate as a compositional parameter.

Undergraduate Teaching

Principal study composition

Composition techniques

Performance and repertoire studies

Electronic music

Performance art and music

Postgraduate Teaching

Principal study composition

Composition seminars

Repertoire research

 

Research Supervision

Current supervision of PhDs:

  • Rosie Middleton
  • Cee Haines
  • James Waide
  • Meriel Price
  • Suting Han
  • Songhao Yao

Completed PhDs:

  • Bofan Ma, On dialogues between sound and performance physicality: Compositional Experimentation, Embodiment, and Placement of the Self.
  • Simon Knighton, Sound Sculptures, Dynamic Systems and Natural Environments: A Portfolio of Compositions with Critical Commentary.

Written Outputs

Was machen Komponistinnen den ganzen Tag?

Translated title of the contribution: What do composers do all day?Saunders, J., Sergeant, M., Bailie, J., Goves, L., Edwards, F., Hartman, H., Harrison, B., Johnson, E., Maierhof, M., Miller, C., Rowley, C., Rykova, E., Sdraulig, C., Steenberge, L., Tsao, M. & Wolman, A., 1 May 2022, In: MusikTexte. p. 15-24

ARTWORK: LARRY GOVES

Goves, L., Apr 2020, In: Tempo.

Practice Research/Compositions

an empty house

Goves, L. (Composer), 11 Sept 2026

Borneo Rivers (3)

Goves, L. (Composer), 2024

Coming Up for Air: Concerto

Goves, L. (Composer), Williams, K. (Performer), Aszodi, J. (Composer), Baldyga, O. (Composer), Beentjes, C. (Composer), Beugger, M. G. (Composer), Breeze, A. (Composer), Campbell, E. (Composer), Haines, C. (Composer), Chase, S. (Composer), Coates, O. (Composer), Czerowin, C. (Composer), bear, C. (Composer), Cully, E. (Composer), Dring, C. (Composer), Ellis, P. (Composer), Erwin, M. (Composer), Fox, C. (Composer), Haigh, R. (Composer) & Hale, L. (Composer) & 28 others, Hennies, S. (Composer), d’Heudieres, L. (Composer), Holden, D. (Composer), Hsieh, A.H.-H. (Composer), Iddon, M. (Composer), Ingamells, A. (Composer), Kontz, C. (Composer), Loveless, S. (Composer), Ma, B. (Composer), Marshall, L. (Composer), McIlwrath, J. (Composer), McLaughlin, S. (Composer), Pedersen, E. (Composer), Perinpanayagam, Y. (Composer), Priestly, A. (Composer), Rhys, G. P. (Composer), Rodriguez, L. (Composer), Rutherford-Johnson, T. (Composer), Sheen, J. (Composer), Slater, A. E. (Composer), Soetano, J. (Composer), Tanfield, A. (Composer), Tasca, L. (Composer), Ward, J. (Composer), Webb, J. (Composer), Welton, M. (Composer), Williams, K. (Composer) & Zaba, P. (Composer), 2024

The Curious Codes of Silence

Goves, L. (Composer), 2024

Gennel/Ginnel/Guinnel, Loppy, and Love

Goves, L. (Composer) & Chingonyi, K., 2023

Crow rotations

Goves, L. (Composer) & Welton, M., 2022

Suburban Cinematic

Goves, L. (Composer), 2022

Borneo rivers (2)

Goves, L. (Composer) & Roche, H. (Performer), 2021

Public Presentations and Performance

RNCM PRiSM Future Music #4

Howard, E. (Organiser), De Roure, D. (Member of programme committee), Salem, S. (Organiser), Goves, L. (Organiser), Ma, B. (Participant), Laidlow, R. (Participant), Steinberg, M. (Participant), Knighton, S. (Participant), Sargen, E. (Participant) & Appleby, A. (Participant)

25 Oct 2022 — 29 Oct 2022

Sonic Waves, Music and Sound Beyond Borders one day symposium

Goves, L. (Participant)

8 May 2019

Multimodal performer interaction as a creative compositional parameter: projecting text, sound and movement

Goves, L. (Speaker / presenter)

6 Jul 2018

Other

Advanced Composition, Dartington Summer School

Goves, L. (Other)

2021 — 2023

Guest Director of Open Score commissioning series

Goves, L. (Participant)

2019 — 2020

Being Human Festival of the Humanities

Goves, L. (Participant)

2018

Composition, alternative performance, and performance art (CAPPA)

Goves, L. (Other)

2018 — …

Ulysses Programme/Snape Maltings

Goves, L. (Participant)

2017 — 2019

New Music North West

Goves, L. (Participant)

2015 — 2017

Decontamination – research-focussed concert series

Goves, L. (Participant)

2014 — 2019