Composer Circle - Steve Luck, Calum Howard and Aura Mae

This concert is designed as much around conversation as performance, with the composers introducing their own music throughout the evening. Alongside each piece, audiences will hear the stories behind the work: the ideas that shaped it, the inspiration, the creative process, and the atmosphere or emotional world each composer was exploring. These short introductions form an important part of the event, offering a closer connection to the music as it unfolds.

Steve Luck presents reflective felted-piano compositions rooted in clarity, space and emotional depth. With over four million streams, international broadcast performances, and his Atmospherica concert series in Newcastle, his music often focuses on simplicity and directness, allowing small melodic ideas to unfold naturally. steveluck.com

Calum Howard works across contemporary classical, minimalism, jazz improvisation and electronic music, creating richly textured pieces often influenced by synaesthesia – where sound is experienced as colour and shape. Alongside his work in theatre, production and collaboration with a range of UK artists, his approach blends writing and improvisation in a fluid, responsive way. calumhowardmusic.com

Aura Mae brings a thoughtful, expressive voice to contemporary piano music, combining piano writing with subtle electronics and spacious harmonic language. Alongside her PhD research at the University of Leeds, her work explores how musical ideas from earlier traditions can be reimagined within a contemporary context, resulting in music that feels both intimate and immersive. https://linktr.ee/aura.mae.music

Together, the three composers create an evening that moves between performance and reflection, with spoken introductions offering insight into each piece as it is performed. The result is a concert that feels personal and immediate – a chance to experience new piano music in a close-up, welcoming environment where the connection between composer and audience is at the heart of the event.