George Swayne

George Swayne (18) is a student hoping to study engineering at Cambridge University next year. Music has been one of George’s core hobbies for years and he cherishes composition as an outlet for creative expression outside of his studies. Ever since he heard his first orchestral piece performed for a competition at the age of 15, he was irretrievably hooked. George is a clarinettist and enjoys a wide range of musical genres, but particularly enjoys playing in a small jazz group, busking locally and performing at gigs.

Although George typically has an image in mind when beginning a new piece, High Street Life wasn’t named until much later in the creative process; his initial intention was simply to experiment with writing for brass band. His process started with a quirky cornet melody that he couldn’t take seriously, but also couldn’t get out of his head. George experimented with the melody in various forms and characters, all of which he mashes together into a chaotic, changeable five minutes of music. Other people he showed the piece to saw images of bustling city life, hence the final title of the piece… although George feels this is still very much up for interpretation!