News

Our monthly round-up of some of the successes for Trinity Laban alumni.

Many alumni performed at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival this month. Laura Jurd featured several times, including with her fellow alumni Elliot Galvin, Corrie Dick, and Connor Chaplin as the band Dinosaur. Nubya Garcia also headlined, performing with Deschanel Gordon, Sam Jones, and Daniel Casimir.  

Love Supreme Jazz Festival also saw Nubya Garcia headline, and Ezra Collective and Emma-Jean Thackray also featured in the lineup.  

Femi Koleoso has been touring with Gorillaz this summer. The band’s European tour begins in August. 

Nardus Williams has featured as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze de Figaro with Glyndebourne Opera.  

Elaine Mitchener featured in The Blue Woman, a new opera that was the centrepiece of The Royal Opera House’s Engender Festival this month. 

Heloise Werner featured in one of the Barbican Sessions this month, performing ‘Unspecified Intentions’ from her recent album Phrases. 

Heloise was also among the alumni with big news announced this month, as she has been commissioned by the CBSO as part of their Sounds New initiative.  

Jesse Kovarsky is the movement director for the new off-Broadway play On That Day in Amsterdam, which runs from July 23 to September 4. 

Cassie Kinoshi has composed the music for The Tempest at the Globe theatre, running from July 22 to October 22. 

Daniel Casimir won Jazz Album of the Year at the 2022 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards, for his album Boxed In. 

Stephen Upshaw will be joining the Trinity Laban strings faculty as a full-time member of the teaching staff. 

Alumni were also featured in many publications throughout July. Opera Holland Park’s production of HMS Pinafore, with alum John Savournin featuring in the role of Captain Corcoran and as director, appears in the Sunday Times Day Out list for summer 2022. John also appeared on In Tune this month, discussing his directing of Iolanthe at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. 

Kokoroko featured in Jazzwise this month, ahead of the release of their album Could We Be More in August. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson was featured in The Strad this month, discussing how she explores her Jamaican heritage in her music. 

Joe Armon-Jones‘ collaboration EP with Mala, A Way Back, features on Bandcamp’s Best Electronic Music list for July. 

Laura Jurd features as a producer and Elliot Galvin features on keyboard on Mike Soper’s new album Undoing, which featured in London Jazz News this month with a highlight given to both alumni.