Matters Arising

Composer and poet Giles Swayne will be reading selections from his latest book of sonnets, Matters Arising. Known for his powerful choral compositions and deep engagement with global musical traditions, Swayne’s foray into poetry reveals the same intellectual rigor and emotional depth that characterizes his music.

The reading will introduce us to sonnets that reflect on memory, mortality, and the quiet drama of everyday life. Matters Arising is Swayne’s first major poetry collection, which has grown from the delight of writing sonnets, something he discovered when recovering from an illness in 2022. From reflections on his time in Africa to meditations on English landscapes, the poems are rich with imagery and insight. The approach is playful and his work is "an emphatic declaration on the side of high spirits, and a refusal to be cowed or slienced by menacing realities."