The score is available for free download until 28 February 2024.

‘I had more exams yesterday… I’ve been having to sit papers every three months for the past couple of years. It’s been quite intense!’ After graduating in Music from Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, Vivek Haria transferred to the university’s Judge Business School to take its Management Studies Tripos (MST) and has since been working and studying to become a chartered accountant. This remarkably sensible parallel career is referenced in a comic song Haria has posted on You Tube. What drove him to switch from a solely musical pathway?

I wanted a more well-rounded education. A mix of analytical strategic thinking has complemented my creative side, and I really wasn’t expecting that. Actually, the skills I developed during my Music degree – teamwork, collaboration, communication – are all so valuable in the business sector. I find I can also offer some business advice to friends in the music world who might need it.’

An initial interest in composition was sparked while Haria was studying voice at the Royal College of Music (RCM) junior department, before he went on to undergraduate studies at Cambridge. What led him to university rather than conservatoire?

‘I had such an enriching experience at the junior department. My first day began at 10am singing Gabriel Jackson’s Ave Maria; that was my first interaction with new choral writing and Jackson’s music made a great impression on me. Choosing Cambridge over conservatoire was a tough decision, but I wanted a broader academic experience alongside people from other disciplines. I don’t regret that choice at all.’

What stand-out moments were there at Cambridge? ‘My time at Caius was a transformative experience, and it was also challenging.’ Haria recalls the impact of several things in his first year: the upheaval of the Pandemic, a new director of music, and the realisation that his friendships in fact developed more broadly than just within the choral bubble. He still loved his commitment to choral music. ‘It was my first proper deep dive into the English choral tradition. I have happy memories of going on tour and singing for some wonderful conductors.’ His fourth year, at the Judge Business School, allowed him to concentrate more on composition and to broaden his horizons.

His tutor Richard Causton encouraged Haria to compose after seeing his first serious piece, Dream of Spring (for chamber ensemble and soprano). Yet Haria recognises this as an early work, a learning experience.

Causton referred Haria to Raymond Yiu for further composition lessons. ‘Ray pushed me in new directions. He taught me to be true to myself and he was really honest with his feedback. He taught me how to orchestrate, and he remains a supportive and insightful friend to me.’ Brian Elias has since become a mentor to Haria. Born in Mumbai, he will often converse in Haria’s mother tongue, Gujarati. ‘Brian helped me to explore emotional depth and complexity in my music. A turning point, a moment of enlightenment for me came when he suggested that I think of music as poetry, and only write music that makes me feel I cannot sleep without writing it… Brian is rather like an uncle figure to me.’

Haria recently spent two years part-time as an associate on the London Symphony Orchestra's Soundhub scheme. ‘You have access to resources and guidance from industry professionals.’ A highlight of the scheme was writing a chamber work to be performed by the LSO’s principal woodwind players, plus free tickets to LSO concerts, and the opportunity to sit in on rehearsals. Networking and socialising with fellow composers has been a valuable outcome too. With peers he met through Soundhub, an informal group has emerged and together they organise ‘composer socials’. ‘Every composer can feel isolated, almost siloed off from the rest of the world. So we meet up regularly and share our experiences with each other.’

At the time of our interview, Haria has been to a rehearsal and heard TMC sing his piece, The Imperishable, based on the translation of a Sanskrit text. ‘The rehearsal was really enlightening. Hearing the piece live for the first time highlighted nuances that weren’t evident to me in the score. It’s so tempting as a composer to use [the music engraving software] Sibelius and to write for that machine, and to hear it play back and think, yes, that’s what I wanted. And then you get in the room with the players or the singers, and they have all these questions, and it’s so intellectually stimulating, and challenging because now you have to put yourself in their shoes; it’s no longer a machine, it’s a human who’s got to interpret what you have written. It’s that collaborative process which is my favourite aspect of composing. It’s when the music truly comes to life. More specifically, I made a few adjustments suggested by the singers; but mostly, the process really tested me to think about enhancing clarity and expressiveness within the piece.’

The Imperishable contains some modest contemporary techniques including glissandi, while also embracing the improvisatory style of the Hindustani musical tradition. ‘I’m trying to intertwine traditional choral textures with contemporary techniques, ultimately, to explore the depth of the philosophical text, from the Māndūkya Upanishad, which is an incredible piece of writing. The piece reflects on the concept of OM as the essence of being. I recently went to India for the first time, and I experienced a personal sense of transcendence and contemplation that I wanted to reflect in this work.’

Despite the challenges presented by any contemporary score, Haria provides clear instructions and helpful writing to enable some tonal ‘grab handles’ for the singers. What tips does he have for future performers? ‘Immerse yourself in the text and its emotional depth. I think understanding the spiritual journey that I’ve tried to convey will help interpretation. Pay attention to those distinct sections of the work because each is supposed to represent a given state of consciousness. Embrace the contemporary techniques with an open mind; there is more than one way to interpret them. I love your phrase “tonal grab-handles” – so often as a singer I’ve had difficulty pitching notes because the composer hasn’t thought in the same way as a singer would. Based on my choral experience, I’ve tried to help anchor the singers and bring clarity to the writing.’ 

Haria has some musical opportunities lined up, including the Ludlow Song Young Composers’ Workshop in the autumn. Shortly after our interview, he is off to Worcester for the Three Choirs Festival where he will take part in a New Voices panel discussion, ‘Life After Composer Schemes’, with Nathan James Dearden (New Music 2022) and Cameron Biles Liddell; they are all alumni of Cheltenham’s Composer Academy and other schemes and will talk about the personal and practical challenges of a transition into an unsupported composing environment, with Sarah Gee (Spitalfields Festival CEO). That’s another example of networking with fellow composers – and sharing that with an audience – which Haria finds so intrinsic to his musical life and development.

Download the score

The score for The Imperishable, commissioned by Choir & Organ in partnership with The Marian Consort, is available to download and perform until 28 February 2024.

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