Earlier this month saw the completion and premiere of a new short piano piece, Reclining Figure, by Rob Howard, after the sculpture by Henry Moore and dedicated to Reverend Jeff Engel on 25 years of ministry.

The first performance was given to a private audience of the dedicatee and members of Prescot Parish Church at Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden, North Wales, on Saturday 3 October.

The piece attempts to capture the character of Reverend Engel through a sequence of mini-variations depicting biblical images as detailed in the score: chorale, lullaby, harp, drums, celesta, waves, dance and ascension.

View a score excerpt and listen to a recording of the premiere on the Compositions page.

Dr Robert Howard was proud to accept a local award on behalf of the festival he founded over ten years ago.

At Knowsley Sports & Cultural Awards on 9 October, the Prescot Festival was named Cultural Group of the Year. Presenting the award, ceremony host Steve Hothersall praised the annual festival and its year-round programme of music and arts.

Robert founded the festival in 2005 as a way to make quality music accessible to ever-wider audiences in his hometown. Starting as a weekend-long event, it has now grown to span 10 days every June.

Pictured: Robert displays the award following the ceremony at Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park.

A September fundraiser raised over £370 for the historic church of St Mary’s, Prescot.

The concert of ‘Brass & Organ Classics’ featured organist Tim Hall, trumpeter Pete Moss and the Brassworks quintet, but a particular highlight of the evening was the first public performance of a new work by Robert Howard.

Performed by its dedicatee, flautist Laura Bonnett, Flautando used the whole range of the flute and a plethora of techniques to fill the vast 17th-century church with beautifully haunting sound.

Listen to recording of the first performance below, and explore Rob’s other compositions (score excerpts and audio) here.