Georgia Barnes and John Sturt debut new operatic works

Second-year composition student Georgina Barnes and recent Masters graduate John Sturt have been commissioned by innovative company Tête á Tête to write original works for their Opera Festival 2020 in partnership with The Cockpit Theatre.

The two new works premiered at the Marylebone fringe theatre this week and were some of the first indoor performances for live audiences since lockdown.

An adaptation of the literary classic A Thousand and One Nights, Georgia’s A Time of Empty Tales address themes of religious fundamentalism, feminism and the power of the storyteller. It was performed by TL vocal students Alex Akhurst, Olivia Bell and Alex White on Monday 14 September, with an interactive livestream released on Wednesday 16 September. The recording will be available online until 14 October.

John’s Minutes to Midnight, which confronts the murky world of nuclear weaponry and the people who maintain and use it, premiered on Wednesday 16 September, with an interactive livestream on Friday 18 September. The recording will be available online until 16 October.

Find out more about Minutes to Midnight in John’s recent interview with collaborator Sophia Chapadjiev, facilitated by composition tutor Errollyn Wallen CBE.

Learn more about our Composition Department.

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Image: A Time of Empty Tales 2020

The TL composition professor’s new work premieres at the Last Night of the Proms

Eminent contemporary composer and integral member of Trinity Laban’s Composition department Errollyn Wallen CBE was commissioned by the BBC to reimagine Hubert Parry’s iconic hymn ‘Jerusalem’ for this year’s Last Night of the Proms.

Dedicated to the Windrush generation, ‘Jerusalem – Our clouded hills’ takes familiar elements from the original hymn – including the tune – and infuses them with African rhythms and Blues, introducing a hopeful spirit for 2020.

Having played the original regularly at school, Errollyn has now created an updated version that pays homage to Parry’s melody and William Blake’s powerful text while simultaneously encouraging a communion of Commonwealth nations.

A traditional part of the Proms finale programming, ‘Jerusalem’ is typically known for its triumphant brass fanfares, woodwind flourishes and lush strings. But the restrictions of Covid-19 meant Errollyn had to use reduced orchestral forces for her re-interpretation. She told BBC’s Front Row, ‘I don’t have a tuba, a bass trombone or a bass drum … but I do have the organ.’

Working across genres with a free-spirited and eclectic approach, Errollyn was the first black female composer to have work presented at The Proms. In addition to being commissioned by the BBC and the Royal Opera House, she has created work for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the Brodsky Quartet the Dunedin Consort, Almeida Opera, Welsh National Opera, Royal Ballet, Leipzig Ballet and The Schubert Ensemble.

The world premiere of ‘Jerusalem – Our clouded hills’ was performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and South African soprano Golda Schultz, conducted by Dalia Stasevska, at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 12 September, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and BBC iPlayer.

Watch again on BBC iPlayer from 1:07:01

Find out more about our Composition Department.

TL staff and alumni nominated across five categories

The annual One Dance UK Awards unite, celebrate and acknowledge the people who have made an impact on the vibrant UK dance landscape.

This year, a judging panel of over 50 experts have whittled down submissions to a shortlist that includes multiple nominations for TL staff and alumni across the different categories.

Programme Leader for BSc Dance Science Sonia Rafferty and Dance Science alumni Manuela Angioi and Lucie Clements are all up for the Applied Dance Science Award. This recognises an individual making a significant positive impact on dancers’ health, wellbeing and/or performance.

Dance Science alum, Lecturer in Dance at TL and physiotherapist Katy Chambers and Dance Science alum Sofia Ornellas Pinto have both been nominated for the Dance Healthcare Practitioner Award recognising nominees’ exceptional clinical practice in their chosen specialism.

Fellow Dance Science alum Shantel Ehrenberg has been recognised for her dedication and motivation as an educator with a nomination for the Inspirational Lecturer at College, University of Conservatoire Award.

Charles Linehan, Reader in Choreography at TL and curator of the London International Screen Dance Festival, is nominated for the Research in Dance Award. This recognises the impact of his work on the way dance is seen, practiced, taught, created or experienced.

Finally, both dance alum Joss Arnott and Mobius Dance (led by fellow alum Gianluca Vicentini) are nominated for The People’s Choice Award, celebrating an individual or organisation who has made a significant contribution to the dance industry throughout the past year.

The public vote is now open for The People’s Choice Award – vote now.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Read the full One Dance UK Awards shortlist.

Our roundup of some of the successes of Trinity Laban alumni. 

The month of August saw exciting new announcements and awards for alumni. 

The AIM Awards saw Moses Boyd win UK Independent Breakthrough in celebration of his new album Dark Matter. During the ceremony fellow jazz drumkit alum Femi Koleoso led a tribute performance for the late Tony Allen. KOKOROKO, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Joe Armon-Jones were recognised in the nominations shortlist. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson was named a Royal Philharmonic Society Composer for the 2020-21 season. One of seven artists selected, the composer will receive an RPS commission to continue her work fusing classical music with R&B within the Philharmonia’s Music of Today series. Ayanna recently joined young musicians in a virtual performance of Destiny’s Child hit Survivor as part of Trinity Laban’s Summer Session Virtual Orchestra project. Watch now. 

Dance alum Izzy Catterall saw success in film festivals worldwide, with her animal rights-inspired dance film recognised at three international film festivals and her quarantine creation I Lost Myself selected for FLUX Moving Image Online Festival 2020. 

Tomorrow’s Warriors launched their Summer Runnings masterclasses for young people led by Nubya Garcia, Femi Koleoso, Moses Boyd, Peter Edwards, Joe Armon-Jones, Cassie Kinoshi, Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, Daniel Casimir and Laura Jurd,  

The Ivors Academy announced Sahra Gure as the latest appointments to its Youth Council. Sahra  spoke to TL this month about making strong connections in the music industry in our industry insights series 

Nubya Garcia impressed critics this month with her latest album Source, featuring fellow TL  alumni Cassie Kinoshi, Ms Maurice and Joe Armon-Jones. Read the New York Times’ profile on Nubya.  

More new music releases this month included harpist Giulia Rettore’s new album Six Nocturnes Concertants Op 59, recorded alongside violinist David Scaroni. Listen to an audio preview of the music composed by the virtuosic harp and violin duo Bochsa and Kreutze.  

As part of their Open House online programme, Glyndebourne Opera streamed their  production of Hamlet which featured vocal alum James Newby. . 

Kicking off the return of live on-stage shows was Elliot Galvin in King’s Place’s Culture Clinic Series, which was met with critical acclaim. Read this great review of Elliot’s performance in the Evening Standard. 

The It’s Time festival in Greenwich saw performances from alum and TL Innovation Award 2020 Winner Gabriel Askew.  

The New Generation Festival returned this year in a programme of socially-distanced performances in Florence, featuring Sam Jewison performing in ‘The Three Divas’ concert. 

Making the most of the warm weather, the Leo Richardson Quartet played live in the churchyard of Southwark Cathedral, while John Savournin led Charles Court Opera back onto the stage with an open-air performance of H.M.S Pinafore. 

Composition alum Dai Fujikura saw his new piano concerto Akiko’s Piano performed by the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra to mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings at the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. 

Alumni continued to showcase work to audiences at home in August. Dinosaur bandmates Laura Jurd and Corrie Dick performed online with Sound Cellar, while Bastard Assignments and dance alum Eleanor Perry of Thick & Tight teamed up to create lip-synch video Woking.

In another alumni collaboration, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance and Roswitha Chesher presented the UK debut of new short film The Sun Inside as part of the ongoing Protein 21 Reimagine programme. The video features clips from 152 contributors around the world, each interacting with light and shade through movement. 

Also teaming up with Protein to celebrate the company’s 21-year anniversary was alum and TL staff Stella Howard, presenting With my hands I remember with dancers from Trinity Laban’s ‘Inspired not Tired’ programme, Boundless. 

TL piano alum and accompanist Helen Nicholas performed works from 7 Virtuoso Etudes, a collection of classic Gershwin songs for piano, while Jazz re:freshed hosted a livestream featuring performances from jazz singer Sahra Gure and KOKOROKO trumpeter Ms Maurice. 

Taking to the airwaves were sarod virtuoso Soumik Datta with ‘Sounds of Silence’, a new five-part audio series in BBC’s Culture in Quarantine, and jazz pianist Reuben James, performing and chatting about music from his latest EP Slow Down on Melodic Distraction‘s guest show. 

Saxophone alum Camilla George shared insights into her career and latest album The People Could Fly in an interview on the 606 Club Straight Ahead Show, while pianist Jonny Liebeck discussed his new release Mellow Mind with London Jazz. 

Nefeli Tsiouti and Edel Quin gave online talks in the IADMS eNetworking sessions, sharing their expertise. 

Fulbright Scholar Roman Baca spoke to The Stage about how his experience as a US Marine led him to create unique dance company Exit 12 in this interview. 

Songhay Toldon created a new dance solo depicting his longing for the club dance scene during lockdown. Read more about the solo and Songhay’s experience as a dancer during the pandemic in this article. 

COMING UP 

The DC Jazz Festival has announced Camilla George as one of five 2020 DCJazzPrix Finalists. 

Dubbed the ‘Golden Girl of Jazz’, Camilla will take part in a virtual performance on Sunday 27 September at Union Stage as part of The 16th Annual JazzFest. 

Following her first performance on 29 August, concert pianist Yuki Negishi will perform in City Music’s online recital series for two more dates over the coming months. Book tickets for the performances here. 

Recent months have brought about changes for us all, and the closure of practice studios and traditional performance spaces presents an unprecedented challenge. 

For transdisciplinary dance artist Laura Rouzet, the UK’s lockdown has been a source of creative inspiration, allowing her to further explore how humans interact with each other and the world around us through digital media. .  

We caught up with Laura to find out more about her eclectic artistic practice, and her time at Trinity Laban on the MA in Creative Practice. 

Tell us about your most recent work, Under a Digital Lake. What was the inspiration behind that? 

Under a Digital Lake is an immersive installation performance that I created last summer. The work combines digital art within multi-channel projections, sculptures, spoken word, dance and a collaborative electronic soundscape. The piece is about environmental concerns and the condition of our times, our changing environment due to the impact of humans on the planet, and how we are changing ourselves in the modern world, breaking the boundaries between humans and technology. In this piece, it is not just the human performing, but also the digital. 

https://www.legalalienstheatre.com

One of the core research areas of my work is the posthuman ontology, a framework that has rooted my movement practice. I’m interested in finding qualities of movement that are outside of an anthropocentric perspective – somehow less ‘human’.”

To build on that I practice techniques such as waving and animation that originate from popping, a style that I continue to learn and that I combine with contemporary release techniques. 

What have you been working on during lockdown, and how has the situation affected your work?  

I’ve been taking part in a project called ’30 Works in 30 Days’, a one-month initiative that happens every April, which is run by 12o Collective and was supported this year by Artquest. The aim is for each participant to submit a new artwork each day. It’s a great opportunity to push and challenge your work – if you fail to submit, you are out of it.  

Usually I perform with projections and sculptures, however due to the lockdown I was restricted to making work in my living space with my own body and only the material I had around me. This pushed me to digitally recompose work that is would usually exist in live performance. This new format of making gave another life to my work with new possibilities, existing in a completely virtual space. 

Lockdown has further blurred the lines between the human and the digital as we find ourselves interacting with the world around us in a very virtual way. 

Where did your interest in multidisciplinary arts come from? 

When I was younger my plans for becoming a professional dancer were halted when I sustained an injury. At the time I was part of a dance company in France, so being told by doctors that I wouldn’t be able to dance anymore was a drastic and brutal change for me. I spent some time figuring out how to open up to other creative fields. I studied and then worked as a fashion designer in Paris for a while. Feeling unsure about the ethics of the fashion industry, I gravitated toward contemporary art and later moved to London where I started working in art galleries. 

During my spare time I started developing sculptures and moving images and went to see more and more shows and exhibitions. The most exciting and revealing thing was to see dance in galleries or other spaces away from the stage, merging with other arts forms. 

In parallel, I slowly started recovering and went back to my dance practice but with a different mind-set. From there I started to combine my interests in making installation performance with sculptures, moving images and textiles garments, before enrolling on the MA in Creative Practice at Trinity Laban. 

How has the MA in Creative Practice influenced your work and what were the most valuable things you learnt? 

The MA was the one of the first transdiciplinary programmes that I’d come across. It allowed me to root my practice in both visual art and dance with equal levels of research. Taking the course part-time, I treated the MA as a sort of long residency, where I could lead my research from theory to practice. I spent a lot of time in the studios doing movement research as well as spending time in my art studio working on visual art. It was so valuable to have that conjunction between reflection and creation in both dance and visual art.

Through the course, I integrated an overarching philosophical framework with my practice and learnt new processes of making work that I am still using today.”

The studios and facilities at the Laban building were great and allowed me to really experiment, but the highlight of the masters was the people. I was able to exchange and collaborate with artists from various backgrounds, including creating the sound design for my work Ondule for Resolution at The Place with composition student Monika Mia.  

The lecturers, tutors and artists each had a specific domain of expertise; the dialogue we had about both my own practice and that of other students was so valuable.”

These conversations became an essential part of the course. I learnt that dialogues around practice and being surrounded by other artists is something really precious.

What advice would you give to current students?

Maintaining some form of practice is key. If you have a practice then you are making, if you are making then you will be able to progress. It’s also important to maintain a pace and to immerse yourself in creativity. During my studies I was regularly applying to open calls; I presented work in Resolution at The Place, Deptford X and had some video work shown in film festivals in London and Venezuela. I also continued to see shows, exhibitions and any art that related to my practice. So many of these events are free and accessible! Building up the stamina to keep creating, receiving feedback and progressing – and to keep it up after you graduate – is crucial in this industry. 

How has your career evolved since graduating? 

Since graduating last November I have been working freelance as an art consultant. Recently I worked for the company Legal Aliens, conceiving the installation and costume design for the play Closed Lands shown in Waterloo. It was refreshing to work on a project where I was part of a wider team of artists, witnessing different approaches to creating a performance. The last show was programmed just before the lockdown began. 

At the same time, I had a sculpture called Bones and Corals exhibited at the Gerald More gallery as part of an exhibition called Environmental Crisis. My work was shown amongst that of many other artists, selected in response to the subject of climate change. Presenting my work in different venues with a different audience is always an enlightening experience. 

Do you have any plans for future work? 

From the starting point of 30 Works in 30 Days, I’ve made a new body of work called The Feeling of Being. It’s a digital assemblage of different elements: GIFs, micro poems, performance and video compositions. When I made it, I was reflecting on the relation between self, space and environment.  

This work has been recently selected by online exhibition space Skelf and will be shown as part of the exhibition Ways and Means between July and October. It’s a really exciting opportunity as it opens up new possibilities for artists and performers like me to exhibit during this time of social distancing. The lockdown has imposed restrictions on the way I work which has shifted my process of making. In the coming months I will continue the exploration of this new development. 

You can see Laura’s work in the online exhibition Ways and Means from 22 July until 20 October 2020.  

Find out more about the MA in Creative Practice at Trinity Laban on our study pages. 

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Main Image: Laura Rouzet. 

Witter-Johnson has collaborated with our specially-created virtual orchestra on a unique arrangement of the Destiny’s Child classic, ‘Survivor’

This summer, young musicians from across the UK got the chance to create a music video with leading singer, songwriter, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson for Trinity Laban’s Summer Session Virtual Orchestra project.

Run by TL’s Learning and Participation team, the project was one of four digital sessions that encouraged young musicians aged 11 – 17 to connect and get creative.

Guided by inspirational tutors and artists including guest artist Ayanna and in-house audio specialist Kit Venables, participants worked together across four days of interactive online workshops to develop their listening, playing and recording skills.

The project culminated in the production of an exclusive digital track, specially arranged by lead tutor Kit Massey.

On joining the project as a guest artist, Trinity Laban alum Ayanna commented –

“It was a joy to be part of the Trinity Laban ‘Virtual Orchestra’ project with a group of such enthusiastic and dedicated young musicians, for many of whom it was their first time being in an orchestra.  To be able to inspire them to remain creative during lockdown and stay connected to other musicians was very special indeed.

“Kit Massey’s energetic and refreshing arrangement of Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’, with its positive lyrics, was the perfect song to bring us all together in the spirit of positivity and collaboration.”

Since graduating from Trinity Laban in 2008, MOBO nominated Ayanna has been committed to proving that classical and alternative R&B music can coexist. She has participated in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme, been an Emerging Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and released debut album Road Runner on her own label Hill and Gully Records.

As a composer she has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, and the Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company amongst others, and was most recently announced as a new Royal Philharmonic Society composer 2020/21 where she will be writing for the Philharmonia’s Music of Today series.

Learn more about studying music at Trinity Laban.

Building on the success and reach of our annual Young Musicians’ Summer School, over 60 young musicians took part in our first Summer Sessions online series, which also included Music Technology & Sound Design, Writing Music for Film, and Song-writing projects.

Find out more about our Learning and Participation programmes.

Creative partners in the heart of Greenwich launch free events as part of summer festival

The University of Greenwich, Greenwich Students’ Union, Royal Museums Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College and Trinity Laban are offering a range of free events and activities as part of a borough-wide celebration of all things Greenwich.

The Royal Greenwich – It’s Time festival will feature special activities and offers for local people to enjoy before the end of September.

And the events organised by the Greenwich partners, which will begin next week, will have something for everyone, from family activities to expert-led sessions for local businesses.

On Saturday 29 August, several FREE events will take place in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, with no need to book, including:

• Trinity Laban’s Big Smoke Brass band performing two socially-distanced outdoor sets of brassy pop hits between 11am & 3pm
• Campus tours of the beautiful University of Greenwich. Departing from the Dreadnought building from 10am – 3pm
• From 27 – 29 August there will be a ‘Sound of the Community’ virtual concert in the historic Dreadnought Building – walk through and experience an immersive loudspeaker concert from 10am – 3pm

In addition, the partners are running:

• ‘How can we help?’ an information and networking event from university enterprise experts on supporting local businesses as they recover from Covid-19 (Wednesday 26 August, 6pm, Dreadnought Building. Book by emailing: enterprise@gre.ac.uk)
• From Tuesday 1 September, the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in the Stockwell Street library will open a window onto the university’s School of Design, starting with ‘A Hidden Oasis’, showcasing the changes to the building’ rooftop garden during lockdown
• Greenwich Students’ Union’s popular Lower Deck is reopening with a fantastic array of refreshing drinks and hot food plus a newly renovated garden area. Open Wednesday – Saturday: 12pm – 11pm and for the whole August Bank Holiday. Book to reserve a table
• Plus there are lots of free events and exhibitions from Royal Museums Greenwich, including the Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2019 and Faces of a Queen at the Queen’s House. For more information and to book go to the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

Councillor Danny Thorpe, Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “Royal Greenwich – It’s Time is a way to celebrate our residents and thank all the key workers who have kept the borough going. It’s also a way for us to kick-start our borough’s economy again, inspiring confidence among our residents to get back on the high streets and explore local attractions on their doorstep.”

Royal Greenwich – It’s Time is running from 1 August to 30 September.

Find out more from Visit Greenwich or follow #ItsTimeRG

The TL alum was named UK Independent Breakthrough at last night’s virtual ceremony

Breakout star of the London jazz scene and Mercury Prize nominee Moses Boyd took home UK Independent Breakthrough in association with YouTube Music at the tenth anniversary AIM Independent Music Awards.

In the AIM press release, drummer, producer and band leader Moses commented –

“I’m really privileged for this particular award because I pride myself on being an independent artist and I think it’s really important in 2020 that artists coming up understand what it takes to make a product, what it takes to make a record, what’s required of an artist.

“I think the industry has changed so much. A lot more control and freedom is being handed back over to creatives, so I think it’s important that musicians and artists understand that, and hopefully this can be some sort of inspiration for those trying to follow in the sort of path of the independent artist.”

Other alumni nominated for awards were Joe Armon-Jones (Best [Difficult] Second Album), KOKOROKO (UK Independent Breakthrough) and Ayanna Witter-Johnson (Best Live Act), while Femi Koleoso led a live tribute to Tony Allen that featured fellow alum Nubya Garcia.

Earlier this summer, Moses joined a panel of creators and changemakers to discuss his development as an independent artist and what he has learned working within the music industry today. Watch on our YouTube channel.

Visit the AIM website for a full list of nominees and winners.

To find out more about our music programmes, visit our study pages.