As a composer/musician, I often use the word ‘colour’ in a very broad sense to describe various aspects of music (far beyond red, yellow or blue). Almost every adjective we use to describe music is metaphorical: it’s high/low; it’s fast/slow, it’s dark/light. Strictly speaking, these are just terms that we have imposed upon music, often with a socially-conditioned understanding of what they might be referring to (as in a piece of ‘fast’ music). I often use the word colour in regards to harmonic colour: the combination of pitches within chords, or how these might be spaced across an ensemble; timbral colour: how a combination of instruments can affect the sound; textural colour: how individual melodic lines, might work together in a piece of music.

I had a wonderful time studying, living and working in Aberdeen; I made a lot of life-long friends, and had many formative, musical experiences, learning a huge amount about music (and myself). One of these colourful life experiences was through NESMS; I was very fortunate to take piano lessons with Nigel Clayton: a fantastic musician, pianist and teacher. While studying with Nigel, I was obsessed with the music of 20th Century composer Olivier Messiaen. which I brought to him for advice on a regular basis. One of Messiaen's most well-known works is Colours of the Celestial City (in French: Couleurs de la Cité céleste), from which I have drawn my own title, and a version of the opening gesture; I have kept the rhythm, and added my own notes.

This work is dedicated to both NESMS and Nigel Clayton, to whom I will always be grateful.

Commissioned by the North East of Scotland Music School, for their 50th Anniversary Concert, on the 11th of October, 2025.