Antoine Veillerette (b. 1999) is a Franco-Belgian composer and conductor based between London and Rome. He is currently completing a master’s degree in composition and Conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying composition with Julian Anderson and conducting with Tim Redmond. He previously graduated from a bachelor at the Guildhall School of Music with First Class Honours in composition, where he studied with Julian Anderson and Laurence Crane, and was awarded the Lord Mayor's Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement. He also holds a degree in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick.
As a composer, Antoine's music has written for the Festival Ravel, EXAUDI, the Ligeti Quartet, Heather Roche, Ben Smith and Plus-Minus Ensemble. His music has been heard at venues and festivals including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Warwick Arts Centre and the Festival Ravel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. He has also participated in composition masterclasses with Michael Jarrell, Ramon Lazkano, Magnus Lindberg and Anssi Karttunen, experiences that have further shaped his artistic development. Alongside a growing catalogue of chamber works, his recent projects include a new orchestral piece Été which premiered last May and a new violin and ensemble piece to be premiered in October.
As a conductor, Antoine has worked with orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and Sinfonia Smith Square and has developed a particular interest in contemporary repertoire and opera. His operatic work includes conducting the premiere of Sam Meredith's An Image of Stars and serving as assistant conductor on productions of Thomas Adès' Powder Her Face and Oliver Leith's Last Days. He has assisted conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Marin Alsop, Joshua Weilerstein, Jack Sheen, and Tim Redmond, collaborating with organisations such as the London Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra Haydn of Bolzano and Trento. Forthcoming projects include his Barbican Hall debut with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra.
Antoine is the founder and Music Director of the Silk Street Sinfonietta, an ensemble established to champion contemporary music alongside landmark works of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Under his direction, the orchestra has presented programmes spanning music from Schoenberg and Ligeti to Hans Abrahamsen, as well as most recently a concert exploring the work of composers including Panufnik, LutosĆawski and Crawford Seeger. Through the ensemble, he is committed to creating opportunities for emerging performers and composers while placing new music in dialogue with the established repertoire.
Sonatas explores the relationship between the cello and the piano, examining the many ways in which the two instruments can interact, complement and dialogue with one another. The title “Sonatas” refers not to the classical sonata form, but rather to the juxtaposition and dialogue between differing musical materials. Throughout the movements of the work, various aspects of the relationship between the cello and piano are constantly varied, ranging from cooperative to adversarial.
There are various strands of musical material that shape the relationship between the instruments. One example is the scalar figures, through which the cello and piano explore a shared musical language while revealing the timbral affinities and differences between their distinct sound worlds. Rather than functioning simply as similar material, these passages investigate how identical or closely related ideas are transformed through each instrument and across movements. Another strand of material places the instruments in greater opposition, allowing contrasting musical identities to emerge through dialogue and conflict. This material also engages with the rich tradition of the cello-piano duo with cadential passages or moments of cello lyricism with piano accompaniment.