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Alumni Round Up November 2022

Thu 15 December 2022

Alumni released exceptional new music this month. Ezra Collective’s new album Where I’m Meant To Be released on November 4 to great reviews in the Guardian and Gigwise. Their single No Confusion, featuring Kojey Radical, also released this month. 

Tomorrow’s Warriors’ new album I AM WARRIOR released this month. Many alumni have been involved in writing and performing it, including Sheila Maurice-Grey, Camilla George, Rosie Turton, Mark Crown, Cherise Adams-Burnett, Mark Kavuma, Cassie Kinoshi, Femi Koleoso, and Benjamin Burrell. 

Xhosa Cole’s new album Ibeji was reviewed in The Arts Desk. 

Ben Ramsden released to care, his debut album, this month – expanded from his TL showcase piece, the album was commissioned by KORDA after the Gold Medal award in 2019. The album also features fellow alumni Irene Katsenelson and Cristina Cooper. 

Laura Jurd’s Ornette Variations, recorded with London Sinfonietta last year and also featuring Cassie Kinoshi, is now available on YouTube. 

 

Alumni have starred in spectacular performances throughout November. The EFG London Jazz Festival ran this month. Alumni featured prominently – Xhosa Cole, Sam Jewison, Cassie Kinoshi, Emma-Jean Thackeray, Rosie Turton, Conor Chaplin, Nikki Iles, Elliot Galvin, and Mark Lockheart all performed. Trinity Laban students also took to the stage at The Vortex. 

Ezra Collective performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. 

Cassie Kinoshi’s new composition grey cloud premiered at Nouveaux Horizons festival. 

Lea Anderson directed Shuffle this month, a dance trio performance at Arnolfini, Bristol. 

Prologue Opera’s Becoming Carmen impressed at The Stables Theatre in Hastings, with Eleanor Strutt as Associate Director. 

 

Alumni shone in interviews and features in the media this month. Femi Koleoso gave this interview for Hypebeast on playing in Ezra Collective and Gorillaz, and featured in The Evening Standard. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson features in a new ‘Residency’ series for Scala Radio. Ayanna also featured in this interview for I Care If You Listen. 

Camilla George featured in an On Rotation article from Jazz Revelations, with Kokoroko’s Something’s Going On featuring in her list.  

BBC Sport interviewed Shortbread, a prospect for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the sport of breaking. 

Corrie Dick gave this interview in The Scotsman on “outsider jazz”. 

Luca Silvestrini wrote this piece for Metro on immigration to the UK. 

Xhosa Cole and Camilla George feature in this Guardian article on the UK jazz scene. 

Oscar Jerome was interviewed in the Evening Standard. 

Laura Jurd’s recent release The Big Friendly Album features on Jazzwise’s list of the best albums for December and January, which was published this month. 

 

Competitions and awards successfully featured several alumni. Nardus Willams won the Rising Star award at the International Opera Awards. 

Ezra Collective won Best Jazz Act at the 2022 MOBO Awards. 

The BBC Young Jazz Musician competition final took place on Sunday 20 November. The panel featured Camilla George, Emma-Jean Thackeray, and Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and current student Luke Bacchus was one of the finalists. 

 

Coming Up: 

Levedy Ensemble, winners of the 2020 Carne Competition, are giving two Christmas concerts this season, in Kennington and Orpington. 

Check out Trinity Laban’s exciting Christmas season.