News

A considerable number of alumni were involved in original and exhilarating performances last month, including the Fountains of Mojitos performance by Evi Demetriou in Athens, presented at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation on 13 December. 

2CELLOS, Croatian duo Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, performed their final live concert together at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Additionally, Stjepan announces his first-ever solo worldwide tour for 2023 and discussed with Forbes the ‘Superpower’ that enables him to tap into his creativity.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty production at Sadler’s Wells Theatre received exceptional reviews for its fairytale twist of Aurora and vampires.

John Savournin directed the pantomime retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, Rumpelstiltskin, at Charles Court Opera. An excellent script for both young and old.  

Duncan Ward conducted the prestigious Metropolitan Opera on 16 December for the opening performance of Magic Flute. 

 

TL alumni released new and authentic music last month. Génia Chudinovich released her new single Evocations, with the album being accompanied by a series of breathing techniques and yoga postures to support Génia’s work of Piano-Yoga. In a completely different genre, Animai released a new electronica single, No Enemy.

Onto some brilliant London jazz news, Cherise Adams-Burnett, Reuben James, and Daniel Casimir perform imaginatively reworked tunes in Blue Notes: Re-imagined II. 

Heloise Werner, who was featured in The Times’ 10 best classical records of 2022, also released her Sable and Snow suite, premiered on Radio France on 9 December. 

Speaking of phenomenal albums, Ezra Collective’s (Joseph-Armon Jones, Dylan Jones, and Femi Koleoso) Where I’m Meant To Be made the magnificent Bandcamp’s Best Albums of 2022. Their first single, Victory Dance, is a song that gets mentioned in The story of jazz in 2022: A year end listening party. 

  

Having achieved exceptional accomplishments in December 2022, our alumni have been featured in some brilliant articles, including Harriet Stubbs in Musical America’s Professionals of the Year list. 

News flash: the brilliant Cassie Kinoshi received a grant of £15,000 from the PRS Foundation Composer’s Fund to create her new work in celebration of Caribbean and West African culture. Congratulations Cassie!

Standout nomination went to Protein Dance (director, Luca Silvestrini), who featured in The Stage Awards 2023 following being shortlisted for Community Project of the Year. 

John Sturt has receieved an impressive commission by Choir and Organ magazine as one of the six New Music composers to write for choir or solo organ in 2023.  

After nearly 50 years of committed and devoted teaching, Christine Croshaw retires from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.  

We sadly learned that record producer, arranger, conductor and jazz pianist Kenny Clayton passed away. You can read about his extraordinary contributions to the music world here. 

 

In other news. . .  

Rachel Lancaster, the artistic director of Cirque du Soleil, shares her experience of working with the team for their production of KURIOUS. 

Punchdrunk Enrichment has produced a theatrical pop-up project, The Lost Lending Library.  

Milana Zaric and her husband, Richard Barrett, will present new works at the North Wales music festival.  

Liza Bec’s Roborecorder in the Museum of Science and Industry exhibit Turn It Up: The Power of Music, will be premiering up until 21 May 2023. Liza has also been featured in the New Scientist and is releasing a new single in January. 

Ezra Collective (Joseph-Armon Jones, Dylan Jones and Femi Koleoso) will be performing in the Hong Kong’s Clockenflap Festival 2023 in a line-up led by Arctic Monkeys and Phoenix.  

Catch the Hermes Collective (Héloïse Werner with Shiva Feshareki) performing at the Barbican on 26 January 2023.  

Ballet Lorent’s (Liv Lorent) 30th anniversary season begins in January as they present a piece that explores how we use clothing to play with and explore identity in a performance of The Becoming.  

Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance tours with The Little Prince to rural community spaces as well as arts venues, starting in February. 

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet will be on tour in 2023.