When not performing or teaching, I am also a song writer, composer, arranger and musical director. (Have a listen to my songs/compositions in the video/audio page and my students’ songs too).
I compose contemporary acoustic concert music and also jazz tinged songs.
Past compositions:
Pop Music: During the early 1990’s I was a pop singer-songwriter ‘Polly Polly’ and was produced by Madonna’s producer Mark ‘Spike’ Stent and had a production deal with Sony Music. During the 1980’s I performed as a keyboard player in various bands and wrote their songs, hence my extensive experience and knowledge of pop music.
Theatre and Radio Commissions
1987 ‘Camille’ adaptation of the book by Alexander Dumas, Edinburgh Festival and The Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington, London. A score for solo cello.
1987 ‘The Outsider’ by Albert Camus, The Etcetera Theatre, Camden. Electro/acoustic score for flute and African instruments.
1988 ‘Necropolis’ Tufnell Park Tavern Theatre. Electronic score.
1992 ‘Monsters’ by Hattie Naylor, Questors Theatre Ealing. Score for cello and trumpet.
1994 ‘Epilepsy’ dance piece for the ‘Puzzle Club’ at Southwark Playhouse. Score for cello, guitar, dulcimer and percussion.
1995 ‘Tales of Love and Justice’, Finborough Arms Theatre, Earls Court. Three plays for female actors and musicians by Mark Ravenhill (Shopping & F****ing), Sheila Goff and Hattie Naylor based on ancient Chinese Yuan plays. Score for viola, violin, percussion and multi genre acapella songs (Kurt Weil to Motown).
1995 ‘Banishing Lucifer’ by Hattie Naylor, BBC Radio 4 and World Service Radio. Solo cello and harp score.
1996 ‘King Solomon’s Carpet’ by Barbara Vine, BBC Radio 4. Arrangements of Bach & Tchaikovsky for cello, flute and violin.
1996 ‘Sad’ by Sheila Goff, starring Sheila Hancock, BBC Radio 4. I wrote and recorded the title country and western song.
1999 Zomba Production Music. I wrote electronic scores for library music for television and radio as part of ‘Proof’ with Richard Law. Our music has appeared on BBC TV and around the world.
2001 ‘The Red Story’ by Hattie Naylor (based on ‘The Red Shoes’ by the Brothers Grimm), BBC Radio 4 & BBC Radio 3. I wrote the score for string quartet and MD’d and conducted the cast to perform a large proportion of the play’s dialogue in time with the music, either speaking (sprecht gesang) or singing.
2001 ‘The Dispute’ by Marivaux. ‘Storm on the Lawn’ young people’s theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Prior Park College, Bath. I composed the songs and score based on music of the Restoration period for 60 young people aged 12 – 19, and MD’d and conducted their performances.
Other: I’ve been a member of the Performing Rights Society since 1989 when I co-wrote the Labour Party Campaign song ‘Meet the challenge make the change’ that I conducted at the Labour Party Conference in Birmingham. Neil and Glynnis Kinnock rushed on stage to sing along with me and the performance was broadcast on all TV news channels that evening!
Polly Hewett Music 