Author Archive

TL Alumni Soar in Handel Competition

Posted 7 October 2021 No Comments

Three vocal graduates are through to the final of major international singing event

Launched in 2002, the annual International Handel Singing Competition is an established fixture in the musical calendar, drawing competitors from all over the world. Past finalists have included countertenor Iestyn Davies MBE and soprano Lucy Crowe, who have both excelled in the opera world.

This year, Trinity Laban vocal alumni Hilary Cronin, Bethany Horak-Hallett and Felix Kemp have been chosen from over 150 applicants to compete for the coveted first prize of £5000.

Since completing her Postgraduate Diploma in 2015, experienced ensemble singer and sought-after soprano soloist Hilary has performed with English Touring Opera, Nevil Holt Opera and Grimebourne.

A year after graduating, mezzo Bethany made her debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2019. She is currently an Orchestra Age of Enlightenment Rising Star and is set to tour with Holland Baroque as a featured soloist.

Praised by the Guardian for his “appealing baritone,” Felix completed his masters at Trinity Laban in 2015 before becoming a Britten-Pears Young Artist and working with Grange Festival Opera and Aldeburgh Festival.

The finalists will perform their final programmes at St George’s, Hanover Square on Wednesday 20 October with the London Handel Orchestra, led by renowned British conductor and harpsichordist Laurence Cummings.

The winner of the 2021 International Handel Singing Competition will enjoy several performance opportunities in the UK and abroad, including a prestigious recital with the City Music Society and featuring as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Huddersfield Choral Society under the direction of Jane Glover.

As finalists, Hilary, Bethan and Felix will also each have the chance to give individual recitals in the upcoming London Handel Festival 2021.

Learn more about our vocal department.

L-R: Rebecca Wickes, Luke Walsh, Hanna Qureshi, Luke Brandon

Musical Theatre Alumni Return to West End

Posted 23 September 2021 No Comments

Hannah Qureshi joins Olivier Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen while Tom Brandon, Luke Walsh and Rebecca Wickes delight at West End Live.

After nearly two years of theatres being dark, the West End is back, and our Musical Theatre alumni are once again gracing the boards.

The multi-award-winning Dear Evan Hansen is set to reopen at London’s Noel Coward Theatre on 26 October, with new addition Hannah Qureshi as part of the company covering the roles of Zoe Murphy and Alana Beck.

Hannah shared how “incredibly excited” she is to join the cast in an announcement on Twitter earlier this week.

Meanwhile, fellow Trinity Laban graduates Luke Walsh, Rebecca Wickes and Tom Brandon performed at West End Live on Saturday 18 September.

Rebecca is currently playing Veronic Sawyer in Heathers the Musical, and treated the crowd to a rendition of show-tune ‘Seventeen’:

Luke plays Drew in the UK touring production of upbeat musical Rock of Ages UK. The cast brought rock and roll to Trafalgar Square with a special performance of ‘Crazy’:

Tom is one of the nine all-male cast members of smash-hit Choir of Man, which will be opening at The Arts Theatre in London’s West End on 29 October.

Find out more about studying musical theatre at Trinity Laban.

4 mature dancers performing side bend in a dance studio

Dance, Health and Wellbeing findings published

Posted 22 September 2021 No Comments

Collaborative research between Trinity Laban, the University of Exeter and Dance in Devon has found that more effective partnerships between medics and dance professionals are needed to discover the benefits of dance to health.

Researchers, including our Dance Science and Learning and Participation teams, have worked to identify the impact of dance as an artform on health and wellbeing and to find the best methods for exploring this.

The research, which took place between September 2019 and April 2021, included a systematic literature review, focus groups with people working to promote dance for health, and a symposium.

It found that the creative and artistic character of dance impacted on health and wellbeing, contributing in key areas including sense of identity, belonging and feelings of self-worth.

Those who took part in the study said links between these impacts and factors such as touch, vulnerability, affect, presence, trust and embodiment are key issues in dance for health, but little understood and worthy of greater attention. They called for more work to develop appropriate methods and vocabularies to address these topics.

Those interviewed said there should be greater acknowledgement of the combined physicality, artistry and self-expression that dance entails during future research. They called for more collaboration with dancers so that their expertise could support this, more co-research and evaluation with participants to include their voices and perspectives and more cross-sector research involving respected dance and health partners.

The report also calls for new scales and methodologies to be used by researchers that measure and capture dance on its own terms, and better use of film and individual testimony to illustrate the benefits of dance to a wider audience.

Professor Emma Redding, Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban said –

“We were delighted to undertake this collaborative project with colleagues at the University of Exeter and Dance in Devon, investigating the contribution that dance makes to health and wellbeing. Work such as this aligns both with the tremendous programme of participatory dance we offer to local communities as well as the significant research we undertake in the field of dance science. This research was an exciting journey to be a part of as it highlighted important findings as well as revealing gaps in the literature warranting further investigations.”

Dr Sue Smith, Executive Director of Dance in Devon added –

“It has been a privilege to work with University of Exeter and Trinity Laban on this project to understand the impact of dance on our communities more deeply. We see the positive effects of dance in the studio, outdoors and on screen with our communities week-by-week so it was fascinating to work with academic colleagues to delve further into the ways in which the art of dance contributes to health and wellbeing. Our collaborative approach enabled broad perspectives and experiences to inform the process and the research has sparked some important leads for further attention.”

Associate Professor Kerry Chappell, Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, and the project’s Principal Investigator commented –

“This research, including the systematic literature review has allowed us to put the contribution of dance to health more rigorously on the arts and health map. We are grateful to the University of Exeter Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health for such positive support throughout. This work is grounded in partnerships with Trinity Laban and Dance in Devon stretching back twenty years, and represents cutting edge expertise in the field; we now have an exciting and strong foundation to develop future research and practice that can evidence and catalyse the impact of the aesthetic, artistic and creative contributions of dance on wider health.”

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Discover more about our Dance Science research.

Images illustrative of the autumn season of performances at Trinity Laban

Autumn Events 2021

Posted 2 September 2021 No Comments

Encounter intriguing and inventive moments of music and dance in our three-month programme of live events championing new creations.

Running across September, October and November, our autumn season includes film and music festivals, concerts and gigs, as well as more from our Black Culture 365 series.

Celebrating the experimental integration of movement, choreography and the moving image on screen, the biennial London International Screen Dance Festival returns to Laban Theatre to open the season (Wed 22 – Fri 23 Sept). The dynamic event will showcase 26 films from across five continents, including four World Premieres from the USA, South Korea and the UK and 11 UK premieres.

Highlights include: Douglas Rosenberg’s Song of Songs, a “deeply personal evocation” of the poetry series from the Old Testament; John Degois’ “life-affirming” one-take short film Birds; and Hadi Moussally’s Bellydance Vogue, an eclectic mix of childhood VHS footage and solo lockdown birthday celebrations.

In collaboration with Screen Dance International, Detroit, the 2021 Festival will also present Second Warning In memory of Marcus White (May 17, 1988 – May 14, 2020). Marcus created the film for the 2017 Moving 24 fps, a week-long festival in Detroit for dance-makers and filmmakers that he co-founded and directed with Carlos Funn.

Alongside the screenings, there will also additional Q&A events and talks, and the announcement of the Festival Award for Best Film.

In October, audiences can journey to new sonic worlds and join a community of experimenters at the Rude Health Composition Festival (Mon 25 – Wed 27 Oct).

Orchestral highlights from the Great Hall at Blackheath include Side by Side with Aurora Orchestra (Thu 7 Oct 18:00), which brings together student talent with professional mentors to perform Schumann’s Symphony no 1 op 38 ‘Spring’, Symphonic Winds & Sinfonia Strings (Fri 15 Oct 19:30), showcasing a new work by Nneka Cummins alongside pieces by Debussy and Grainger, and Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra (Thu 28 Oct 19:30), featuring 2019 Soloists’ Competition winner, cellist Talia Erdal.

Celebrating creativity from across the Black diaspora, our Black Culture 365 series continues this autumn with a star-studded Mixed Bill (Fri 29 Oct 18:00) and a student-led Lunchtime Concert (Thu 25 Nov 13:00).

Our first cohort of popular music students will get the chance to shine in Life is a Song Worth Singing (Fri 5 Nov 19.30), a night of song writing talent presented in the intimate surroundings of the Hearn Recital Room.

Rounding off the season, Trinity Laban Brass Ensemble presents Big Fat Brass (Fri 26 Nov 19:30). The evening sees critically-acclaimed trumpeter, conductor and Trinity Laban alum Mike Lovatt lead the band in a live rendition of the iconic 1958 Billy May album, alongside Bizet’s Carmen Suite as you’ve never heard it before.

For full listings, ticketing info and booking visit our What’s On page.

Still from Song of Songs by Daniel Rosenberg

London International Screen Dance Festival Returns for 2021

Posted 31 August 2021 No Comments

The biennial festival returns to Laban Theatre this September to showcase 26 new independent short films from around the world.

Curated by Reader in Choreography Charles Linehan, the London International Screen Dance Festival champions the inventive and experimental integration of movement, choreography and the moving image on screen.

This year, there will be four hour-long programmes across two nights (23 & 24 Sept), featuring work from 5 continents, including four World Premieres from the USA, South Korea and the UK and 11 UK premieres.

Shortlisted from over 500 submissions, the 26 films include:

Douglas Rosenberg’s Song of Songs, described as a “deeply personal evocation” of the poetry series from the Old Testament. Shot in black and white with an original cello score, it evokes a cinematic space that is contemplative and austere, turning “ritual to art to performance”.
John Degois’ Birds, a life affirming 9 minute one-take film shot outdoors in black and white using slow motion. The film attempts to transpose live performance to film and breaks expectations of where the viewer should focus their attention, offering an antidote to the gloom of our covid 19 reality.
Hadi Moussally’s Bellydance Vogue, which mixes archive VHS footage from his childhood in Lebanon with contemporary footage, in response to celebrating his birthday alone during lockdown.

In collaboration with Screen Dance International, Detroit, the 2021 Festival will also present Second Warning in memory of Marcus White (17 May 1988 – 14 May 2020). Marcus created the film for the 2017 Moving 24 fps, a week-long festival in Detroit for dance-makers and filmmakers that he co-founded and directed with Carlos Funn.

Alongside the screenings, there will also additional Q&A events and talks, and the announcement of the Festival Award for Best Film.

Charles Linehan says:

“London International Screen Dance Festival is a dynamic event celebrating a diverse range of films from the international community. It gives lesser-known artists a platform alongside artists with international profiles, creating a level playing field where quality is prioritised over status, ensuring the audience can enjoy an exciting and surprising mix of experimental films.”

Discover the full programme listings and visit our What’s On pages to book your tickets.

#LISDF2021

Work starts on Loggia Refurbishment

Posted 17 August 2021 No Comments

Supported by The Foyle Foundation, our Faculty of Music is expanding its performance facilities.

We are committed to ensuring that our world-class facilities continue to meet the evolving needs of our community.

Thanks to a generous capital investment gift of £93,000, we are able to transform the Loggia at King Charles Court to create an additional accessible performance, events and activities space.

Situated within Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College complex – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the building has been home to our Faculty of Music for almost two decades.

Specific plans to upgrade the Loggia include stonework conservation, weather-proofing and the sympathetic installation of heat, light and electrical infrastructure.

Through the regeneration, it will become an integral space for our students and our public audiences to enjoy.

Find out more about the Foyle Foundation and supporting Trinity Laban.

Calum Huggan playing marimba with four mallets

Percussion Tutor’s ‘Landmark’ Debut Album

Posted 11 August 2021 No Comments

Calum Huggan is set to release ‘American Music for Marimba’ at the end of August on the Delphian label.

Well-known as a leading exponent of new music, award-winning Scottish percussionist Calum Huggan has captivated audiences and critics alike with his musicality and personality.

Through a programme of contemporary repertoire by living composers, his first solo album showcases his affinity with the marimba and explores its full spectrum of expressive colours.

American Music for Marimba includes two premiere recordings of works by Michael Burritt and Ivan Trevino, alongside modern classics including Eric Ewazen’s Northern Lights and Emmanuel Séjourné’s Nancy.

On the upcoming release, Calum comments –

“With this album it has been most important to me share music that makes percussion and marimba as accessible and engaging to an audience as possible. Performing music by living composers, who write with strong and relatable narratives, plays a significant part in my repertoire choices and influences my musical storytelling through the instrument.”

Calum is a Four Mallet Specialist at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. He also holds teaching positions at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Taught by international marimbists Jasmin Kolberg and Eric Sammut, Calum won his first BBC solo broadcast at the age of 18. He has gone on to perform solo and concerto debuts within the major concert houses across the UK, Europe and in the United Arab Emirates. He has also worked alongside some of the most recognised and talented creatives in the arts, co-creating, recording and performing in spectacular spaces across the globe.

A Yamaha Artist and Acoustic Percussion Signature Artist, Calum’s mission is to make percussion as accessible as possible, be a voice for LGBTQ+ musicians and introduce audiences to the truly fascinating and magical world that is percussion.

American Music for Marimba will be available on Delphian from 27 August 2021.

To learn more about the Wind, Brass and Percussion Department, visit our study pages.

Trinity Laban wins CASE Award 2021

Posted 11 August 2021 No Comments

#SelfIsolationCreation recognised at this year’s Circle of Excellence Awards.

Open to colleges, universities, independent schools and their affiliated nonprofits around the world, the Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing.

At this year’s awards, Trinity Laban’s #SelfIsolationCreation campaign demonstrated best practice during the pandemic, impressing the judging panel to win Bronze in the category Communications Pivot.

Trinity Laban is the only conservatoire to be recognised in the category, and one of two UK higher education institutions to win, alongside Oxford University.

The digital initiative, which ran from March to August 2020, was spearheaded by Trinity Laban’s Brand and Communications team who recognised the need to keep our artforms alive and our community creatively connected while at home.

In response to the first UK lockdown, students, staff, alumni, prospective students and audiences were invited to create and share artistic content using the hashtag #SelfIsolationCreation and tagging us on social media.

The campaign was designed to empower our community as content creators and brand ambassadors, champion a diversity of authentic voices on our channels and provide a virtual stage where students and alumni could connect to audiences.

In total, over 200 users performed in 135 videos and 46,314 people watched our digital events and downloaded Take Part at Home resources. Discover more on the TL YouTube channel.

The Judges said –

“Trinity Laban had a special challenge as an arts school, and met the occasion in an effective and impressive way. They worked with their internal and external community and partners to share artistic content on their digital platforms, encouraging others to share it with their networks to increase the reach and impact. The campaign meaningfully increased reach and engagement, and transformed their work permanently—and they did all of this on a very small budget. This can serve as a model for how others can turn “crisis” into “creativity”.”

Trinity Laban Principal Anthony Bowne comments –

“Being recognised on a global stage by the CASE Awards is testament to the passion and skill of our brilliant staff. Embodying the conservatoire’s innovative and collaborative spirit, #SelfIsolationCreation transformed the way our community works digitally and shares their creativity. It is a great example of how a challenging situation can be pivoted into an opportunity to evolve, even when our resources are limited and our community is dispersed.”

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

The campaign also won ‘Highly Commended’ for Best Use of Content, Social or Digital at this year’s Heist Awards, the 31st annual awards for UK Higher Education marketing.

Massimo Monticelli in nude t-shirt under illuminated archway

Alum premieres work at Gender Bender International Festival

Posted 28 July 2021 No Comments

Dance artist, teacher and 2018 graduate Massimo Monticelli interrogates truth, gender and representation in new solo.

2018 graduate Massimo Monticelli has choreographed new contemporary dance solo Cassandra, or, the Truth in response to the current abundance of fake news and lack of faith in science.

In the work, Massimo performs as Cassandra, the cursed Trojan prophetess. By overlaying the male body on top of a female voice Massimo wants to encourage reflection on questions about gender and representation. Through the contrast he also explores how truth is told, listened to, accepted, or rejected.

The 35-minute work was developed by Massimo across a series of residencies earlier this year, with the help of fellow TL dance alumni Tommy Cattin and Giordana Patumi.

It has roots in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon and Christa Wolf’s work and features an original live score by Marco Pedrazzi, a young composer who was recently commissioned by the Venice Music Biennale.

Massimo will premiere Cassandra, or, the Truth on 13 September 2021 at Italy’s celebrated annual Gender Bender International Festival in Bologna.

The dance artist and creator comments –

“This is a wonderful opportunity as Gender Bender International Festival is one of the most important dance festivals in Italy.”

You can learn more about Dance at Trinity Laban on our study pages.

Alumni Among Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021 Winners

Posted 28 July 2021 No Comments

Female jazz stars took centre stage at the 16^th annual awards.

This year’s Parliamentary Jazz Awards celebrated the increasing number of high-profile women involved in the UK’s jazz scene. These include TL alumni trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey and saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi of KOKOROKO (pictured), who won Jazz Ensemble of the Year, and saxophonist Nubya Garcia, who won Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year.

Also honoured was singer and TL Honorary Fellow Norma Winstone MBE who was presented with the prestigious Services to Jazz Award.

Organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), the annual awards were announced on Monday 26 July at a virtual ceremony supported by PizzaExpress Live.

Chi Onwurah MP, Deputy Chair of APPJAG, commented –

“This has been another really strong year for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in terms of talent and nominations. The well-deserved recipients are a veritable who’s who of names that have made a real impact on the music and helped make the UK one of the world’s leading jazz territories”.

Find out more about Jazz at Trinity Laban.

Announcing our TL Innovation Award Winners 2021

Posted 13 July 2021 No Comments

The unique award sees final-year students pitch artistic and business projects to an expert panel and win professional development support and seed funding.

Launched in 2019 the Innovation Award forms part of the conservatoire’s strategy to help emerging artists develop their voice and innovate in the cultural industries, particularly important as they continue to navigate the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year shortlisted applicants pitched their proposals to Nikki Tomlinson, Co-director at Independent Dance, Roger Wilson, Co-founder of Black Lives in Music and former Head of Professional Development at National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and Trinity Laban Principal Anthony Bowne in a bid to win one of six awards.

We are pleased to announce that the 2021 winners are:

Myra Brownbridge – Brilliant Corners
Laudine Dard – Alone, Together
Emily Edwards – Musical Theatre Masterclasses
Anna Nicholls – Developing Dance with HAC
Back on The Map Project (Emma Greene and Sunniva Rørvik) – The History of Dance of the African diaspora: A Festival for the young people of Deptford
Tough Boys Disco (Sula Castle, Roseann Dendy and Daisy Hingorani-Short) – Open Dancefloor

The diverse and innovative proposals span cultural history, boundary-pushing genre development, and the power of the arts for positive change in the community.

Anthony Bowne comments –

“The panel and I were incredibly impressed by the creativity, ambition and scope shown by applicants across dance, music and musical theatre this year.

“The Innovation Award is one of the many ways in which Trinity Laban are nurturing entrepreneurial and project management skills in early career artists and strengthening our connections with the wider industry.”

Roger Wilson comments –

“This is an important platform for Trinity Laban students to push the envelope and grow as creators. These are tomorrow’s professionals, encouraged to create and realise their ideas with a significant level of support. The impressive scope of creative and innovative ideas assured me that we can look forward to seeing great things from Trinity Laban students.”

Funded by our Higher Education Innovation Fund allocation, each winning project receives an award of £3,000 to use on development and will benefit from a specially tailored 10-month mentorship programme delivered by acclaimed alumni:

Japanese inclusive dance artist, performer, choreographer and dance movement psychotherapist, Takeshi Matsumoto(Transitions 2007)
London-based Polish/German interdisciplinary artist, performer, creative producer, activist, and a Purple Lady Dagmara Bilon (BA 2003)
Independent Arts and Events Manager and co-founder of Black Artists in Dance Joyce Gyimah (BA 2002)
Multi-award-winning saxophonist, conductor and arranger Phil Meadows (BMus jazz sax 2012)
Primary School teacher Annabel Langley (BA MT 2012)
Experimental composer, artist and performer Caitlin Rowley (MMus composition 2013 / MFA Creative Practice 2014)

Innovation Award Co-founder Lucy Nicholson comments –

“Trinity Laban alumni have hugely successful careers across the creative arts industry and over the past two years have given awardees valuable guidance and support as mentors. We are looking forward to welcoming back six more talented alumni to share their expertise with the 2021 winners. It is important for us to continue to strengthen the connections within our creative community to support the future of the performing arts ecology.”

Since its inception, the Innovation Award has already supported twelve forward-thinking and socially engaged projects conceived by winners who have achieved remarkable things, contributing to the UK’s rich cultural landscape. These include:

Composer, musician and artist James Layton who founded Into the Ocean, a London-based recording and concert series showcasing experimental new music including an album of works for solo viola in collaboration with Stephen Upshaw.
Multicultural all-female dance collective Mass Hysteria who have created work for Tate Modern, The Place’s Resolution Festival 2020 and V&A’s Friday Late series.
Producing Artistic Director Hayley Huggett, who set up Tilley Peacock Productions, creating shows and workshops for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

Dance artist and choreographer Hannah Wallace used her 2021 award to create Groundmarks, a site-specific work supported by London Wildlife Trust exploring the experience of the moving, sensing body within a constantly evolving landscape. She comments –

“The TL Innovation Award was an incredible opportunity to receive at this early stage of my career – it gave me the freedom to take creative risks and supported me to gain valuable experience as an artist and a leader.”

Innovation Award Co-founder Joe Townsend comments –

“The award gives graduates more than just money to realise a project, the mentoring is a two-way learning relationship that provides a safe space for mentors and graduates to bring ideas into action and to help shape the bigger picture of music and dance.”

To find out more, visit our Innovation Award webpage.

If you’re interested in studying at Trinity Laban visit our study pages.