OUR STAFF:
Dr Charles Wiffen (Head of Department of Music), Music
Head of Department of Music and Subject Leader for Music. School of Music and Performing Arts.
BMus [University of the Witwatersrand], MMus [RCM], PG Diploma [RCM], DMus [RCM]
Personal Statement:
Charles is Head of Department of Music, and combines academia with life as a pianist. He has performed extensively in Great Britain, Europe, North America, Israel, China and Southern Africa. He has recently given recitals in London's Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, and in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. Recent festival appearances have included the BBC Proms as well as numerous other festivals such as the Arundel, Brighton, Bath, Buckingham, Chelsea, King's Lynn and Warwick Festivals and concert tours have included Austria, Germany, Spain and China. He has also performed in the Park Lane Group series in London and was selected by the late Isaac Stern to perform in 'Jerusalem Encounters'.
Charles has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM and has recorded CDs for the ROSL, Sheldon and Black Box labels. He is a member of the London Archduke Trio and Contemporary Consort. Since 1998, he has performed and given chamber music classes at the Dartington International Summer School.
Born in London, Charles Wiffen studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and at the Royal College of Music in London. His teachers included Maria Curcio and Yonty Solomon and he has had lessons and masterclasses from Emanuel Ax, John Lill, Boris Berman, Yefim Bronfman, and Steven de Groote. He also played in chamber music classes for Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma. Awards include the Oude Meester Music Prize, the Jim Joel Prize and the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Memorial Prize.
As well as lecturing at Bath Spa, Charles has lectured at the Royal College of Music where he was Grove Research Fellow from 1998 until 2005. He has also taught at Trinity College of Music in London. Charles is currently editing the piano music of Elgar for the Elgar Complete Edition with Dr Paul Banks. Charles's research career has focused on musical transformation and on music in film. His doctoral dissertation is on the solo piano transcription since 1900. He is in demand as a speaker, and has given pre-concert talks for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wigmore Hall.
Charles's solo repertoire includes numerous works from the Austro-German tradition, as well as much Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel. He has a particular interest in transcriptions and arrangements and includes examples by Busoni, Godowsky, Grainger, Wild, Stevenson, Sciarrino and Finnissy in his programmes. Charles also performs a wide range of contemporary music, by composers such as Julian Anderson, Luciano Berio, Richard Causton, Pierre Boulez, Judith Weir and Hugh Wood.
Membership of Professional Bodies/Subject Associations:
Royal Musical Association
NAMHE (committee member)
Teaching Specialism:
Nineteenth and twentieth century performance practice; aesthetics of performance and reception; transcription, arrangement and appropriation; music of the early twentieth century; film music
Key Publications/Exhibitions/Performances:
Publications and conference papers:
In progress: editing Elgar's piano music for the Elgar Complete Edition with Paul Banks (General Editor, John Pickard)
Forthcoming: 'Introduction for performers', in International Handbook of Musicians' Health and Wellbeing, ed. Aaron Williamon (to be published by OUP)
Forthcoming: 'The performance environment', in International Handbook of Musicians' Health and Wellbeing, ed. Aaron Williamon (to be published by OUP)
Forthcoming: 'Creativity, originality and value in musical performance', Musical Creativity (ESCOM), co-authored with Aaron Williamon, Sam Thompson and Tania Lisboa
2009: 'I weave for you a marvellous web', Sixth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900, Keele University (July 2009)
2008: ‘Strauss’s Ständchen: pianistic response and legacy’, Performing Romantic Music Conference, Durham University (July 2008)
2006: 'Playing with the alter ego: control, vanity and selflessness in multi-tracking', Creative production for classical music conference (King's College London, sponsored by CHARM, Thames Valley University and Royal Holloway, 5 June 2006)
2006: 'The reflective conservatoire: teaching, learning, research', co-authored paper with Rosie Burt, Janet Mills and Hilary Moore, The Reflective Conservatoire Conference (GSMD, 16-18 February 2006)
2006: 'Enesco and the class of 1896', Music and Ideas public seminar, presented jointly with Nathaniel Vallois (Royal College of Music, 2 March 2006)
2005: 'Eyewitness Companion Guide to Classical Music' (London: Dorling Kindersley), jointly authored
2005: 'From Realism to Utopia: Britain Expressed in the Soundtracks of the GPO Films' (2005 Bradford Film Festival Film Music Conference)
2004: 'Composing at the coal face: music's role in the erosion of social idealism in the documentary films of the GPO Film Unit', RMA Annual Conference (Birmingham University)
2004: 'Capturing life and selling the mix: the simulation of live performance in the music video' SMA Study Day, Representing Performance:Musical Recordings in Culture (Royal Holloway, University of London)
2004: 'Learning from one's Peers', Music Education: Research, Policy, Practice, RCM
2004: 'Making Progress in Music', Music Education: Research, Policy, Practice, RCM
2004: 'Singing a borrowed song: appropriation and authority in changing media', Music and Media Conference, Harvard University
2004: Bach's Kunst der Fuge, presentation at Wigmore Hall study day
2003: 'Composing at the coal face', RCM Grove Forum
2003: 'A pianist's Bach Book: from Wagner to Ronnie Laws', RCM Grove Forum
2000: '"Anarchic glee" - issues of virtuosity and operal identity in Glenn Gould's transcription of the Prelude from Die Meistersinger', RMA Research Students' Conference, Exeter University
2000: 'Interpreting Gershwin: Grainger, Wild, Finnissy and himself', RMA Performance 2000 Conference, Southampton University
Key recordings and performances:
2008: World premiere of John Woolrich's Dramolet (Stratford Festival, 13 October 2008)
Forthcoming: CD recording of Robert Kahn's chamber music
Forthcoming: CD recording of Hugh Wood's chamber music for Toccata label
Commercial CDs for ROSL and Sheldon labels
Broadcasts for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, SABC, SATV
Performances venues within the UK include Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Conway Hall, London and Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
Festival performances include Arundel, BBC Proms, Brighton, Bath, Chelsea, Dartington International Summer School, Grahamstown, King's Lynn, Jerusalem Encounters, Johannesburg Spring, Pyrford Court, Park Lane Group, Piccadilly Chamber Music, Trafalgar Square, Warwick and Leamington
Performances outside the UK include France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain, USA, China, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Current Scholarship:
Transcription, arrangement and appropriation
Gesture in performance
The piano music of Elgar (with Dr Paul Banks for Elgar Complete Edition)
Film scores composed for the GPO Film Unit
Other External Roles:
Pianist for Contemporary Consort
Pianist of London Archduke Trio
External examining for the University of London
Contact Charles Wiffen
Audio files:
