Leo Geyer (composer) joined the Musicians' Company Young Artists' Programme after winning our Lord Mayor's Composition Prize 2017. Toby Hughes (double bass) joined the Musicians’ Company Young Artists' Programme after winning a Maisie Lewis Young Artists' Fund award in 2017. Here Toby Hughes performs the premiere of Leo Geyer’s new composition ‘Water Boatman’. Leo says: “ ‘Water Boatman’ is a new composition written in collaboration with my good friend and double bass virtuoso Toby Hughes. The inspiration came from an unexpected place - the tiny insect, the water boatman. In the piece, you will hear a journey as the boatman travels from the depth of water to the surface and eventually takes flight. Toby and I worked together on this piece during lockdown, exploring ideas and concepts over Zoom. We wanted to create a piece which showcases the expressivity and virtuosity of the double bass, which led us to explore using a loop pedal. The result is a layering of lines which come and go, often reconsidered in different harmonic contexts to illustrate the boatman's journey to the sky. I am a young composer and conductor with a passion for imaginative, daring and dramatic approaches to music-making, encompassing new work, interdisciplinary collaborations and re-imaginings of existing music. I am the Founder and Artistic Director of Constella OperaBallet and Music Director for the Devon Philharmonic Orchestra and works as a guest artist internationally. I am also the Senior Music Scholar at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford studying for a doctorate in opera-ballet composition. My music has been performed across the world, including my opera The Mermaid of Zennor, described by The Times as “imaginative and beautifully shaped." Toby says: “I am a double bassist soloist having won the 2013 Chandos Symphony Orchestra's ‘Young Musician of the Year’, the string section of the 2014 Royal Over-Seas League Competition (the first double bassist ever to do so), in 2016 the Bromsgrove International Competition and 2018 the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition. I have performed with major international orchestras both in Europe and the U.K. Having been awarded support from The Tillett Trust, The Musicians' Company and Making Music, my recital engagements have included appearances at Wigmore Hall, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, The Edinburgh Festival and at Queen Elizabeth Hall. I have been a City Music Foundation artist since 2018 and my debut CD will be released later this year on the Champs Hill Record label.” Leo and Toby would like to thank Max Leifkes for his help on the filming and loop pedal. -------------------------------------------------- About our Lord mayor’s Composition Prize - http://wcom.org.uk/awards/the-princes-prize-competed-for-by-the-companys-prize-winners/ About our Maisie Lewis and Concordia Young Artists' Fund - http://www.wcom.org.uk/awards/maisie-lewis-young-artists-fund-and-concordia-foundation-artists-fund Leo’s Musicians’ Company page – http://wcom.org.uk/yeoman/leo-geyer/ Toby’s Musicians’ Company page - http://wcom.org.uk/yeoman/toby-hughes Leo’s website - http://www.leogeyer.co.uk Leo’s Twitter – http://twitter.com/Leo_Geyer Leo’s Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/leo__geyer Toby's Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/tobyhughes_doublebass Toby's website - http://www.tobyhughesdoublebass.com/ -------------------------------------------------- Join our weekly #MiddayMusic e-news at http://eepurl.com/dv0ccr #MiddayMusic is supported by generous donations from members of the public, along with funds from the Musicians' Company’s Prince’s Prize which received a generous endowment in 2015 from The Eranda Rothschild Foundation and Rothschilds Bank, in memory of Leopold de Rothschild, a Liveryman of the Musicians’ Company for over 50 years. Donate to support The Musicians' Company Young Artists - http://www.justgiving.com/musicianscompanyfund