Theatre and dance legends were presented with the highest honour from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance during ceremonies for 2016 graduating students.

An Honorary Fellowship was presented to co-founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), Rosemary Squire OBE on Wednesday 07 December, whilst dance artists and choreographers Michael Clark and Rosemary Lee received their award on Friday 09 December.

Rosemary Squire OBE is one of the most prominent women in British theatre of the modern era. Co-founding ATG in 1992, it has gone onto become the world’s number one live-theatre company with 46 venues in Britain, the US and Australia and is one of the world’s most prolific theatre producers.

In collecting her award, Rosemary Squire commented –

“I am honoured to receive this award from Trinity Laban. The UK is renowned for the vigour of its creative industries – but their future depends on the skill and entrepreneurialism of graduates entering the business. I am proud to be in such distinguished company today and to be associated with an institution that is developing the talent that is so vital to our industry.”

Hailed as “British dance’s true iconoclast”, Michael Clark is a defining cultural figure. Since emerging in the 1980s as a prodigy at London’s Royal Ballet School and founding his own company in 1984, he has remained at the forefront of innovation in dance, winning rave reviews and countless awards.

On receiving his award, Michael Clark commented –

“I am delighted to be receiving this Honorary Fellowship from Trinity Laban who continue to do so much to enrich our understanding of what dance IS, and what dance CAN BE.”

Trinity Laban alumnus Rosemary Lee is a performer, choreographer, director, and film-maker. From her first works in the 80’s to today, she continues to quietly push boundaries and assumptions through working in a wide range of contexts and media to reach new audiences and inspire many young dance makers and artists.

On receiving her award, Rosemary Lee commented –

“I am thrilled and humbled to receive this Honorary Fellowship. It is particularly special to me because this is where I studied and began to imagine a path for myself as a dancer and maker that might follow a less conventional route.  I couldn’t have done that without the education and the inspiration of the teachers and guest artists I met here.”

Ailie Robertson reached number 2 in the iTunes Classical Music chart with her new single Haven.

Composer and harpist Ailie is currently studying for a PhD in composition at Trinity Laban. As a composer with a background in traditional music, Ailie’s work continually bridges the divide between traditional and contemporary music by bringing the past and present together authentically.

Ailie’s honours include winning the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Composition Prize and the Sofia International Composition Competition, and coming second in the 14th International Oslo Grieg Competition. She has received commissions and awards from Creative Scotland, Enterprise Music Scotland, Culture Ireland, Distil, Celtic Connections and the BBC Performing Arts Fund, along with residencies at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Berwick Sound.

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance offers the research degrees of MPhil and PhD. For more information about Trinity Laban’s research degrees and composition department, visit our Study pages.

Listen to Ailie Robertson’s new single Haven on Soundcloud:

Immersive performance group BitterSuite’s performance, Debussy’s String Quartet: A Sensorial Concert, has sold out in New York City.

BitterSuite successfully raised more than £28,000 on their latest Kickstarter campaign, allowing them to realise their NYC debut at The Brooklyn Academy of Music on 9th December 2016.

The concert is an immersive classical music experience that harnesses the power of all five senses to enhance Debussy’s String Quartet. 2015 graduate Linzy Na Nakorn is the creative producer in the UK, with fellow graduate Gina Ricker as the US producer. Laura Ganotis is on the communications team, with countless dance alumni performing within the company.

‘BitterSuite symphonies allow you to remain powerfully in the moment… This is a concert where you don’t just listen to the music, you taste it, smell it and feel it as well.’

— Lyndsey Winship, The Guardian

BitterSuite concerts are immersive sensorial experiences. Audience members are blindfolded and guided through the experience in the reassuring hands of BitterSuite dancers, who move around, spray smells and feed tastes, all alongside a live ensemble.

To find out more about BitterSuite, visit their website.

For more information about studying at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.

Image: www.bittersuite.org.uk

Several Trinity Laban Vocal alumni have been enjoying significant successes in competitions, on stage and in the concert hall.

2014 graduate Georgia Bishop recently gained second place in the Wagner International Singing Competition. Aged just 24, Georgia was younger than most competitors, making this is a particularly outstanding achievement. The competition – run by the Wagner Society – is held every three years and aims to identify singers with the potential of becoming Wagner experts.

Fellow 2014 graduate soprano Nardus Williams has won the Maureen Lehane Vocal Award, an annual award that has been supporting aspiring young singers for over 20 years.

Alumnus Peter Wilcox is currently on stage in Amadeus, joining Trinity Laban tutor Eamonn Mulhall in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play at the National Theatre.

And tenor Guy Elliott, who graduated in 2014, recently appeared as soloist in two performances of Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall.

To find out more about our Voice programme, visit our Study pages.

A recent Trinity Laban performance has led directly to a current double bass student performing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In Trinity Laban’s innovative Side by Side series, students regularly perform alongside principal players from the UK’s top orchestras. The most recent concert on 4 November saw Trinity Laban students join forces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale Studios.

At this performance, current student Lewis Grant Reid made such a good impression that he was invited back by the orchestra the following week, joining their double bass section in their performance of Berlioz’ Grande Messe des Morts at the Royal Albert Hall.

Lewis commented:

‘It was a little daunting to play with the BBCSO at first, but once I was on stage all my apprehensions went away.

I have to applaud the bass department here at Trinity Laban, ever since I started studying here it’s continued to get stronger. We all support and push each other to keep working hard, which is great!’

Trinity Laban alumni regularly go on to successful employment as soloists, chamber musicians and with the UK’s leading orchestras.

To find out more about studying music at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages. 

Music alumni Litha and Effy Efthymiou have been collaborating with dance alumnus Harriet Parker-Beldeau and ex-staff member Esmé Patey-Ford, to devise an interdisciplinary work exploring ritual and female identity.

Twin composers Litha and Effy have composed Rituals to Mould her with, which has a strong theatrical style fusing music for harpsichord, electronics, percussion and found objects. As a group, the women have devised an interdisciplinary piece exploring rituals in old Spanish religious texts, with a particular focus on the impact that the figure of the Virgin Mary has on women.

Inspired by the musical ritual that celebrated the Virgin Mary in early medieval Spain, the composers and performance artists have drawn material from 1100-year-old manuscripts and engaged with cutting-edge research at the University of Bristol. They aim to show how the ‘Mary Ritual’ was a powerful tool used by prominent men to shape and communicate male ideals.

Effy and Litha’s music has been described as ‘brilliantly realised’ (Time Out) and ‘deeply immersive’ (5against4). With awards and commissions from PRS Women Make Music, Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust, Consortium 5 and the International Guitar Foundation among many more, they are ‘fast becoming names to watch’ (The Fashion Globe).

You can hear Rituals to Mould her with at Kings Place on 5 February 2017. For more information and to book tickets please visit the Kings Place website.

To find out more about studying at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages. 

Olie Brice (Double Bass), Corrie Dick (Drums), Duncan Eagles (Saxophone) and Rebecca Nash (Saxophone) are among the eight jazz musicians lined up for the next edition of jazz initiative Take Five.

Organised by jazz promoters Serious, Take Five aims to give young jazz artists the chance to take time out and develop their music and business. The twelfth edition will run until the summer of 2017 and provide participants with one-to-one mentoring sessions to address their particular areas of need, as well a residential period for exploring areas such as composition, performance, communications, business infrastructure and strategic direction.

Joe Townsend, Trinity Laban Professor and one of the Take Five project leaders, commented:

‘Take Five gives the opportunity for young artists who are already becoming established to take a week to reflect on what they do and to form a plan to develop their careers under the guidance of leading artists and music business leaders.

It is a bit like Trinity Laban’s Engaging Audiences course, but on steroids. I personally really enjoy working to help young artists plan their next career steps in the rich and changing world of Jazz and Contemporary music.’

A panel of industry experts contributed to the selection process, taking into account the following considerations: creativity, future potential, style of music, range of influences, and distinctive contribution to the jazz community. The Jazz Department at Trinity Laban is one of the strongest in Europe, which provides an education grounded in the jazz tradition whilst at the same time looking forwards with curiosity.

For more information about studying Jazz at Trinity Laban, visit our Study pages.

Image: Corrie Dick from corriedick.com

2015 graduate Sebastian Abarbanell has been making remarkable achievements as a dancer in New York.

After graduating, Sebastian joined the New York City based company Gallim Dance as an apprentice for a year. Gallim Dance is one of New York’s leading contemporary dance companies – performing nationally and internationally. With the company, Sebastian performed at venues such as the Lincoln Centre in NYC, the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., and the Kimmel Centre in Philadelphia.

After completing his apprenticeship he joined Sidra Bell Dance New York as a full company member for their 2016-2018 creation and performance seasons.

Sebastian commented:

‘The apprenticeship was a very important learning experience for me as I was able to focus on my personal goals as a dancer. It opened up incredible opportunities for me; it got me where I wanted to be and am now, a dancer in a company that allows me to be myself and values my individual artistic voice.’

Trinity Laban’s undergraduate dance students are taught by a wide range of practicing dance artists and academics, each prominent in their particular field of specialism and expertise. The programme trains students to be technically advanced, versatile and creative dance artists.

To read the full interview with Sebastian Abarbanell, please visit the Trinity Laban blog.

For more information about studying dance with us, visit our Study pages.

Soprano Jessie Tse, who graduated from Trinity Laban in 2013, was awarded the 1st Prize in the Antonio Bertolini Competition in Milan, as well as two other special prizes: the Gitanilla Prize and the Leoncavallo Prize.

As the winner of the Antonio Bertolini Competition, Jessie made her Italian debut in Auditorium Gaber – Pirellone. She will return to Milan in December 17 to compete with instrumentalists in the grand finale. Apart from monetary prizes, the Leoncavallo Prize also gave her the opportunity to perform a recital in the Leoncavallo Museum in Switzerland.

The competition is in memory of Antonio Bertolini, who believed strongly in the importance of art and culture in the development of society.

Since graduating, Jessie has received an impressive number of prizes and accolades. These include third prize in both the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod (International Voice of the Future 2015) and the Yokohama International Music Competition 2016. As a Britten-Pears Young Artist she performed in iSing! Festival Suzhou in China. Jessie also sang with Wexford Opera Chorus in 2016.

To find out more about studying Voice at Trinity Laban, visit our Vocal Studies page.

Tenor Adam Music will join the Chorus of Welsh National Opera in January 2017.

Adam graduated from Trinity Laban in 2016, and is quickly making strides as on operatic performer. Joining the Welsh National Opera is an outstanding achievement – the opera has attracted some of the world’s best opera singers as well as giving many young singers, like Adam, their first steps to international renown. At its heart are the Company’s two full time ensembles, the 40 strong Chorus and 55 strong Orchestra.

The Chorus is an integral part of the company playing a significant role in the operatic performances. The WNO Chorus is widely regarded as a world-class ensemble and often singled out in reviews by national and international press.

Recognising that the voice is the most human of instruments, Vocal Studies at Trinity Laban supports the individual development of versatile and inquiring singers and musicians. Students benefit from working with our expert and distinguished teaching staff and coaches, in addition to a wealth of workshops, master classes and performance platforms.

For information about studying Voice at Trinity Laban, visit our Study Pages.

Find more information on the Welsh National Opera at their website. 

This month, Trinity Laban is presenting the world premiere of Woman of Sun, a newly commissioned work by Botis Seva.

Woman of Sun blends oriental traditions, 21st century questions and culture clash into a high energy, exhilarating performance. Using experimental hip hop language and martial arts concepts, Woman of Sun integrates Botis’ distinct visual language with raw commentary on 21st century life. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this for the first time.

A Londoner born and bred, Botis Seva has made performance pieces across theatre, film and local community work with his company Far From The Norm since 2010. Seva has performed at various international showcases, including Breakin’ Convention, Choreography 30 in Hannover and Copenhagen’s International Choreographic Competition.

Botis says:

‘I think it’s going to be an interesting show. It’s going to be thought-provoking, it’s going to be challenging as well for audiences, and it will be fun show for people to watch!’

The work is presented by the Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership’s flagship artist development scheme, Compass Commissions, supporting selected UK-based artists throughout the process of creation. This year’s Compass Commissions artists are Botis Seva, Stephanie Schober, and Tom Roden & Anna Williams.

Brian Brady, Head of Laban Theatre Programme, commented:

‘I’m confident that the audience will see incredibly powerful and visceral work, they’ll experience work that is physically virtuosic, brutally honest and it will be extremely theatrical – both intellectually and emotionally.’

Woman of Sun will be performed at the Laban Theatre on Thu 24 & Fri 25 November at 7.30pm. For more information and to book tickets visit our events page.