fbpx
Skip to main content

Alumni news

Eliana Echeverry joins LPO Young Composers programme 2023/24

Eliana Echeverry has been named as one of five London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Composers for 2023/24, a programme which supports the progression of talented young orchestral composers.

Eliana Echeverry is one of the most versatile composers and arrangers in Colombia. She studied Composition and Psychology at the National Conservatory of Colombia, and went on to complete an MMus in Composition at Trinity Laban, thanks to a scholarship awarded by the Central Bank of Colombia to the most promising young musician and the kind support of The Henry Wood Accommodation Trust Fund.

Eliana has a background in classical music, jazz, pop and Colombian traditional music. One of the main focuses of her work is the inclusion of Latin-American traditional music in her classical and jazz compositions. She collaborates with artists of different styles. Her music has been played in the USA, Netherlands, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and in the UK at the Lake District Summer Music Festival, Chichester Festival and First Light Music Festival.

Mentored by the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence, award-winning Cuban-American composer, Tania León, the Young Composers spend a season with the LPO, each creating a new work for chamber orchestra that is performed by Foyle Future First musicians and LPO players at the Debut Sounds public showcase concert at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

As well as several composer seminars, there is a three-hour workshop in the spring – a chance for composers to experiment with new ideas, talk to players and receive feedback in a constructive and inquisitive environment. This is followed by further workshop-rehearsals leading to the final concert performance in June. During the year, composers also have the chance to attend concerts, observe rehearsals, meet guest composers and get involved with the LPO’s wider education work.

Click here to findout more about the other LPO Young Composers 2023/24.

Valentina Ciardelli holds her double bass, she is wearing a green dress and stands in front of a black background.

Valentina Ciardelli appointed as Strings Professor

We are pleased to welcome Trinity Laban alum, composer, double bassist, performer and visual artist Valentina Ciardelli as a Professor in our Strings department.

Originally a pianist, she started to play double bass in in 2010, graduating with Honours from the Istituto Musicale L. Boccherini in Lucca in October 2014. She then gained her Master of Performance (Honours) at the Royal College of Music in July 2016 and continued further studies under the guidance of Leon Bosch at Trinity Laban, where she was the recipient of scholarships from Trinity College London and the Leverhulme Trust. In 2018/19, Valentina was awarded Trinity Laban’s Carne Trust Junior Fellowship for an Individual.

Valentina has won several awards and prizes including first prize in the RCM Double Bass Competition 2016, the Vernon Elliot Double bass Competition 2018, the Vivian Joseph Classical Concerto Competition 2018, String Category and the De Simone and Partners prize in the Chamber Music Festival in Rome. Valentina also won a place with a scholarship in the Accademia Chigiana for summer 2018 with Maestro Giuseppe Ettorre.

She was finalist in important national and international competitions such as the Migliori Diplomati D’Italia (best young Italian music graduate) 2015 and double bass international competition Galicia Garcia Graves. She was selected with other sixteen young double bass players around the world to perform in the live final rounds at the worldwide double bass solo competition granted by Bradetich Foundation in Denton, Texas, at the end of August 2017.

Valentina also won several orchestral auditions such as Gustav Mahler Academy 2016 and BBC SO training scheme. She recently won the Artist in Residence at the BANFF, Alberta (Canada) that hosted her from 15 – 28 September 2019. She gave solo performances with I solisti veneti with M. Claudio Scimone. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in world renowned concert halls such as Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Argentina in Rome, St Martin in the Fields in London.

Find out more about Valentina Ciardelli here.

Photography: Discover Double Bass
Ezra Collective hold their award at the 2023 Mercury Prize

Ezra Collective win Mercury Prize

A huge congratulations to Ezra Collective who took home the Mercury Prize last night for their album Where I’m Meant to Be, the first Jazz act to do so in the prize’s 30 year history.

Ezra Collective (including TL alumni Femi Koleoso and Joe Armon-Jones) have been one of the UK groups pathing the way for the resurgence of Jazz in the UK over the last decade. As Femi Koleoso said when accepting the award, the win is “testimony to good, special people putting time and effort” into helping young people to play music. Without the tireless work of organisations such as TL partners Tomorrow’s Warriors, Kinetika Bloco, and other youth groups across the nation, this revival would not have been possible.

As longtime supporter of developing musicians, BBC Radio host and member of the Mercury Prize judging panel Jamz Supernova said Where I’m Meant to Be was an “uplifting and timely record that represents the very best of where we are now in 2023”.

Other recent TL alumni nominated for the Mercury Prize have included: Nubya Garcia, Emma-Jean Thackray, SEED Ensemble, Moses Boyd and Dinosaur.

Click here to listen to Where I’m Meant to Be.

You can re-watch last night’s awards ceremony, including live performances from: Ezra Collective, Olivia Dean, Raye, Jessie Ware, Loyle Carner and more on BBC iPlayer.

Photograph: JMEnternational/Getty
Hannah Horton holds up her Jazz Award certificate. She is wearing a black top and has short curly hair.

Hannah Horton wins Parliamentary Jazz Award

Congratulations to TL alum Hannah Horton who won the Jazz Education Award at All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards!

Hannah Horton is a melodic maverick, visionary jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader and journalist. Star of UK jazz, her music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. Her established individual and sophisticated sound is edging through boundaries and creating waves worldwide.

An official Henri Selmer Artist, graduate of Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity Laban, and member of award-winning Women In Jazz Media, Hannah works the jazz world in her own authentic way. Her most recent album Inside Out has received critical acclaim worldwide and she continues to wow audiences with her creative playing, alongside her charming personality on stage.

Today Hannah provides inspiration of her own by running J Steps – a new band initiative designed to nurture the talent of musicians who identify as female or non-binary with its main aim being to balance a historic lack of representation of women in jazz.

J Steps is a jazz ensemble for female and non-binary improvising musicians based at the Saffron Centre for Young Musicians. The players are Grade 6 and above and are taught jazz harmony and improvisation, playing standards and originals. J Steps have performed at EFG London Jazz Festival and Saffron Hall foyer and invite new players who want to learn more about jazz in a comfortable and supportive setting.

A round of applause also for Janine Irons of Tomorrow’s Warriors, who was awarded the Services to Jazz Award. It could not be more deserved!

 

See the full list of award winners here.

Jazz Vocalist of the Year: Elaine Delmar

Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year: Gary Husband

Jazz Album of the Year: Jo Harrop and Paul Edis, When Winter Turns To Spring

Jazz Ensemble of the Year: Ubunye

Jazz Newcomer of the Year: Sultan Stevenson

Jazz Venue of the Year: Jazz at the Blue Lamp, Aberdeen

Jazz Media Award: The Jazz Rag

 PizzaExpress Live Jazz Photographer of the Year: Monika S. Jakubowska

Jazz Education Award: Hannah Horton, J Steps, Saffron Centre For Young Musicians, Saffron Walden

Services to Jazz Award: Janine Irons

Special APPJG Award: Tony Haynes and the Grand Union Orchestra

Camilla George stands against a bright orange background. She is wearing a white shirt and colourful skirt. She is holding her saxophone and looking to her left. Camilla has been nominated at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2023 for 'Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year'.

Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2023 nominees announced

Congratulations to TL alumni, staff and partners: Camilla George, Hannah HortonAmy Gadiaga, Julian Siegel, Kevin Le Gendre, Tomorrow’s Warriors, Janine Irons on their nominations at the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2023.

This year’s nominees recognise a wide-range of musicians, organisations, venues and jazz media, who have made an impression in the past year. The winners will be announced on 4 July.

John Spellar MP, Co-Chair of APPJG, said: “These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the talents and energies of the great musicians, educators, promoters, record labels, jazz organisations, blogs, jazz magazines and journalists who helped kept jazz flourishing. These shortlists demonstrate the wealth of talent and commitment that exists in the British jazz scene. Now in its 18th year, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards honour the best of British jazz. MPs and Peers in the All Party Group are grateful to PizzaExpress Live for supporting the event.”

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Jazz Vocalist of the Year
Emma Smith
Jo Harrop
Georgia Cécile
Elaine Delmar

Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year
Alcyona Mick
Art Themen
Camilla George
Gary Husband

Jazz Album of the Year
Ubunye: ‘Ubunye’
Trish Clowes: ‘A View with a Room’
Jo Harrop and Paul Edis: ‘When Winter Turns To Spring’

Jazz Ensemble of the Year
Ubunye
Alex Hitchcock and Ant Law Quartet
Julian Siegel Big Band

Jazz Newcomer of the Year
Sultan Stevenson
Amy Gadiaga
Hannah Horton

Jazz Venue of the Year
The Verdict, Brighton
Jazz at the Blue Lamp, Aberdeen
Magy’s Farm, Dromara, County Down, NI

Jazz Media Award
Kevin Le Gendre
Jazzwise Magazine
The Jazz Rag

Jazz Education Award
Tomorrows Warriors
Hanna Horton: J Steps, Saffron Centre For Young Musicians, Saffron Walden
Karen Gourlay: Head of Leeds Junior Conservatoire

Jazz Photographer Award
Monika S. Jakubowska
William Ellis
Tatiana Gorilovsky

Services to Jazz Award
Janine Irons
Danielle White
Tony Haynes and the Grand Union Orchestra

Seven Trinity Laban students practicing in a white dance studio.

Alumni Round Up May 2023

For this month’s Trinity Laban alumni round up, we have a range of news from both music and dance alumni including exciting performances, projects and festivals. 

 

To start off, music alum Dai Fujikura’s Shamisen Concerto premiered on 25 May, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. 

Ezra Collective (Joe Armon-Jones, Femi Koleoso) hit Brockwell Park on 28 May with a line-up of soul, jazz and funk in Cross the Tracks 2023. Have a look at some of their funky photos here. 

Peckham’s GALA Festival returned this summer between 26 May and 28 May where saxophonist Nubya Garcia performed alongside other great musicians and DJs. On top of that, Nubya Garcia, producer Martin Terefe and Shabaka Hutchings led an ensemble of 12 musicians, London Brew, on their self-titled debut album. 

Cassie Kinoshi’s new piece, a song composed to celebrate the Barbican’s 40th anniversary last year started the concert evening and was “…full of interest and energy…”. 

Guest soloist, soprano Clara Lisle performs Mozart’s Requiem in D minor with Eureka Symphony Chorus and orchestra to end the Eureka Symphony’s 2022-2023 season ‘In remembrance’ season finale. 

Looking to escape reality? Why not give Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience a go?. Composer and producer Jeff Wayne re-produced his iconic score along with exciting new sound effects to accompany the immersive experience. Read more about it here. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is part of Peter Gabriel’s new album, Four Kinds of Horses. Here’s an interview transcript between Peter and Urbanista Magazine.  

Pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilan will be performing Hollywood Musical Classics with The Havana Chamber Orchestra in Cuba to celebrate a new anniversary of the band. 

Molly Osborne stars as Elowen Keene in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Musical, directed by Jethro Compton which began showing on 22 May. 

 

Moving on to some dance alumni news, Motionhouse, consisting of a few Trinity Laban alumni (Beth Pattison – dancer, Louise Richards – executive director, Oliver Bell – dancer, Rosie Macari – dancer) presented Nobody and Starchitects at Lichfield Garrick on 2 and 3 May. 

Takeshi Matsumoto’s magical world of Club Origami was showcased at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2023 between 12 and 28 May. It was “an immersive and interactive dance show for families where live music meets origami.“   

TL alum Emma Gladstone, the Rolex Arts Festival curator, collaborated with a distinguished Greek Advisory Committee to put on a vibrant celebration of arts to celebrate 20 years of mentoring in Athens.  

Dr. Gemma Harman, creator of ResDance the podcast, released three episodes in May covering topics like Noticing in Improvisation Practices, and Validating within Resilience. Click here to listen. 

The Royal Ballet and Wayne McGregor’s adaptation of Jim Henson’s UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey premiered at the Royal Opera House from 12 May to 4 June. Read the Financial Times review here. 

Oona Doherty performed Navy Blue at the Dublin Dance Festival in May alongside other world-renowned artists. 

 

Coming up 

Glasgow Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival 

This year, Glasgow Jazz Festival has broadened its horizons to bring on international acts. London saxophonist Camilla George will be performing at the festival. Camilla is also set to perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands in July as well as in Stockholm, Sweden at the end of August. 

 

Cinderella In-The-Round and Magnetoreception 

Sarah Hirsch invites all to two productions in the next few months. Sarah features as a walk-on-dancer in the fabulous spectacle of English National Ballet’s Cinderella In-The-Round, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. 

15-25 June, Royal Albert Hall. 

Sarah is also co-choreographing and dancing in Magnetoreception which will be premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe. The piece explores how people attract and repel one another, perpetuating energy in the same way magnets do. 

14-19 August, Greenside @ Infirmary Street. 

 

Performances by Ting-Ning 

Choreography alum, Ting-Ning will be presenting a series of performances in June. 

Woo Woolf at Camden People Theatre on the 9 June. 

A Snake In The House Means The Family Will Never Want 內怕有蛇 will be presented at the Offbeat Festival on 15 June and the Migrant Matters Festival on 24 June. 

 

Photo credit: Tas Kyprianou
Héloïse Werner stands in front of a fence covered to multi-coloured festoon lighting. She has long blonde hair and is wearing a black jumper.

Héloïse Werner appointed Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall

Congratulations to TL MMus graduate Héloïse Werner who has been appointed as an Associate Artist at London’s Wigmore Hall.

The soprano and composer, who has been a familiar face to Wigmore Hall audiences since her debut there in January 2021, premiered her new work Les Leçons du Mardi at the hall earlier in March during one of her two appearances there for International Women’s Day. These performances with The Tippett Quartet and as part of her experimental quartet The Hermes Experiment are still available to watch online.

She will hold the position of Associate Artist for five seasons and appear at the hall at least once a year during the period. She begins this journey on 2 March 2024 in a concert featuring a new work of her own with mezzo soprano Helen Charlston, harpist Anne Denholm and pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen.

Héloïse’s debut album Phrases, which was released in 2022 on Delphian Records, received acclaim from: Sunday Times (10 Best Classical Records of 2022), BBC Music Magazine, The Times, Gramophone, and many more.

As a soprano, Héloïse has recently made her debut with the London Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, CBSO, Nash Ensemble, and at The Grange Festival. She will be singing the role of Madame DuVal in the upcoming production Sarah Angliss’ new opera Giant at the Aldeburgh Festival 2023.

As a composer, Héloïse has written for the CBSO, Aurora Orchestra, Clare Choir Cambridge, Maîtrise de Radio France, London Handel Festival, violist Lawrence Power, bassoonist Amy Harman, violinist Hae-Sun Kang (Festival Présences), pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen (Lucerne Festival), CoMA (CoMA Festival), The Gesualdo Six, The Bach Choir, mezzo-soprano Marielou Jacquard, pianist Kunal Lahiry and mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston, amongst others.

Image credit: Emma Werner
Celebrating students throwing graduate hats in air

Alumni Round Up April 2023

On 3 April, a number of alumni (Daniela Magni, Lucy Murphy, Eileen Newnham, Maria Nikitidou, Jack McSweeney, Gemma Storr, Trudy Kerr, Clare Hirst) had the chance to attend two talks on Music Education given by Dr Andrea Schiavio from the University of York.

 

In April, our dance alumni have been involved in a range of performances and events.

Watch Matthew Bourne presents the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer to Matt Cole for Disney’s Newsies at The Olivier Awards 2023.

Choreological studies lecturer and TL alumni, Alison Curtis-Jones presented her artistic work and research “Re-Imagining Laban: Dynamic Transformations in Contemporary Dance” at the World Arts & Embodiment Forum that was held between 11 April to 13 April.

Read about balletLORENT’s reimagining of Rapunzel, the Theatre Review: Rapunzel at The Leeds Playhouse, by choreographer and artistic director Liv Lorent.

A Back On The Map Event: Dancing Together, an interactive art festival exploring African diasporic dance history was held at the Laban Building on 13 and 14 April. This project was led by TL Innovation Award winners, Sunniva Moen Rørvik and Emma Greene.

The Guardian reviews Say Something, Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui’s choreography at The Place, London.

Malik Nashad Sharpe’s new choreography of Goner returned to the Now Festival at The Yard between 18 April and 22 April.

Rosalind Holgate Smith, dance artist and performer, performed Vibration, an immersive dance theatre performance at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, on 27 April.

Recent contemporary dance graduate, Malachi Briant performed his solo, Stuck, as part of the Forge Festival 2023 on 30 April. Click here to watch a snippet of his dress run.

 

On the other hand, our music alumni have also been busy with performances and new song releases.

Watch Produce Like A Pro, Warren Huart’s YouTube video of TL composition alum Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds – Albums That Changed Music. Here’s an interview about the musical.

Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones has joined forces with Maxwell Owin on a new album ‘Archetype’ to be released in June.

Peckham-born, British-Bengali singer, Tara Lily shares about “blending genre, breaking out of boxes, and no longer caring about what people think” on gal-dem.

Nubya Garcia speaks about her experience experimenting for songs for the massive 2LP London Brew project in an article by Glide Magazine.

Read a Live Review: Ezra Collective @Albert Hall, Manchester where Ezra Collective’s (Joe Armon-Jones, Femi Koleoso) “choice of venue to perform in Manchester juxtaposes an interesting range of emotions.” Drummer Femi Koleoso also discusses inclusivity in jazz in an article titled “A Jazz Club Is Whatever You Want It To Be”: Three Days at the Blue Note With Ezra Collective.

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra announced their broadened repertory for the 2023-2024 season. John Butt, Dunedin Consort’s music director, will conduct the operas with Nardus Williams as Belinda.

Between 14 April to 16 April, Reuben James performed at the Brick Lane Jazz Festival across seven venues.

Dai Fujikura performed Love Excerpt at the Modern Notebook on 16 April.

Former TL staff and Junior Trinity alumni, Karl Lutchmayer, talks about his current endeavors in music in an article by Herald Publications.

John Savournin performed as Judas and the disciples in Martin Emslie’s Omega and Alpha Oratorio on 16 April.

Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, TL piano alum, performed Viernes de Cuidad for the Bright Lights and Rising Stars | Memphis Chamber Music Society on 16 April.

Eminent composer, Cecilia McDowell’s work was performed at St Mary’s Church for the Henley Choral Society’s 50th anniversary concert.

14-time Grammy Award Nominee, Terry Barber, sang all ranges covering “songs written for voices from baritone and tenor all the way to soprano” when he performed at a one stellar evening Andrew Lloyd Webber concert.

Sheila Maurice-Grey plays the horns in Jessie Ware’s new single, ‘That! Feels Good!’ which came out on 28 April. Watch the music video here.

 

Coming Up:

Limón Dance Company

Artistic director of Limón Dance Company, Dante Puleio announced that the company will be featuring three programmes at three new venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn this Spring Season. Book your tickets here.

 

SAVING FACE by Kakilang

Yukiko Masui is one of the dancers that will be performing in a new comedy dance theatre, SAVING FACE by Kakilang. Below are the dates of the performances, book your tickets here:

Curve, Leicester – 26 & 27 May

The Place – 23 & 24 June

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Musical

Molly Osborne will be playing the leading role of Elowen Keene in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Musical in London between 22 May and 1 July. Get your tickets here.

 

The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Oscar Jerome will be performing as part of the free shows at The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal this summer. Have a look at the festival’s lineup here.

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up March 2023

To start off the Alumni Roundup for March, we want to highlight that Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance was mentioned in an article by Study International as one of three creative arts institutions shaping the contemporary world.

 

Our dance alumni have accomplished a range of extraordinary work including performances and exhibition openings.

The Guardian wrote an article, Top 10 retold fairytales, which examines how each retelling offers startling new reflections of the world we live in now. Contemporary dance alum Mayowa Ogunnaike, who performed in the staging of Hansel and Gretel by Vicki Igbokwe, was featured in the headline photo of the article.

Luca Silvestrini’s award-winning dance adaptation of The Little Prince was performed at Lakeside Arts, Nottingham on 11 March.

Deborah Abel Dance Company performed Come to the Circle from The Wild Devine at an event celebrating women in Chelsea High School, Massachusetts, on 21 March.

On 22 March, the exhibition opening of Process|Rehearsal|Performance by Mark Dean in collaboration with Lizzi Kew Ross & Co (Alessandra Ruggeri, Ben McEwen, Dave Waring, Sonia Rafferty) kicked off. The exhibition of the three videos conveys the energy of interdisciplinary art practice.

A recent performance at the Old Market, Brighton was reviewed by The Stage. The Album, co-created by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (known as SAY), is a “part-gig and part-dance show.”

Center for the Arts’ creative initiatives director, Oona Doherty, came up with the beautiful idea of covering the theatre lobby wall-to-wall with flowers. Read about Stacey Walker Oldham’s WallFlowers exhibit here.

 

Our music alumni have also achieved outstanding work such as performing internationally and new music releases.

At the beginning of March, Ezra Collective (Joseph Armon-Jones, Dylan Jones, Femi Koleoso) were one of the international standouts who performed at Clockenflap 2023 in Hong Kong.

Cassie Kinoshi is involved in creating original music for the exciting new production of Recognition, by Talawa, the UK’s outstanding Black British Theatre Company.

BBC interviewed trans singer and recent Musical Theatre graduate, Teddy Hinde, as Teddy showed the effect of testosterone on his voice.

Jazz singer-songwriter, Cherise Adams-Burnett, chats to Notion about her upcoming music project and new single, Secrets.

John Savournin played Gaffer Gubbins the Dragon, in the opera ‘The Dragon of Wantley’. Read the opera review by The Arts Fuse here.

London Brew (Nubya Garcia) released their new single, Raven Flies Low, on 9 March.

World-renowned international countertenor, Terry Barber, performed the live production of ‘Mercury: The Life and Music of Queen’s Freddie Mercury’ at Sedona and Cottonwood, Arizona.

Camilla George was included in the NN North Sea Jazz Festival announcement of second wave artists.

The Standard published an article on 12 March about the late Fela Kuti, musician, activist and pioneer of afro-beats.

On 14 March, Sidhant Kapoor released his first music video Beparwah, a single about slum children and their carefree outlook on life based on the poem ‘Slum Children at Play’ by Ruskin Bond in Mumbai.

Maria Marchant performed at the Worchester Concert Club on 26 March, featuring works by Clara Schumann, Joanna Gill, Roderick Williams, John Ireland and more.

On 31 March, Nardus Williams sang alongside Dunedin Consort, Scotland’s leading baroque ensemble, for an evening celebrating Handel.

 

Coming up:

Dancing Together Arts Festival

On 13 and 14 April, Sunniva Moen Rorvik and Emma Greene, TL Innovation Award Winners of 2021, will be hosting Dancing Together. As part of the Back on the Map Project, Dancing Together is an arts festival centered around the celebration of African Diasporic art and how it has influenced the UK dance scene. Functioning as an explorative space, the festival will include interactive displays, activities and live events for and by the Lewisham Borough community.

Book your free tickets here.

 

Brighton Fringe 2023

Alauda Dance (founded by Catherine Sleeman) presents ‘And The Summer Shall Follow’ at Brighton Fringe 2023. Addressing the challenges presented by the climate crisis and mental health crisis, Alauda Dance presents two contemporary dance works that grapple with darkness and light of the natural world and our place within it.

Book your tickets to catch their performance on 6 May here.

 

Creamfields South 2023

Lewis Wright was among the names announced for The Garden Party, part of Creamfields South 2023, happening in May. Get your tickets here.

 

Resolution 2023

A number of our dance alumni (Sunniva Moen Rorvik, Charis Crudgington, Lucy Clark, Nadine Elise Muncey, Fabio Pronesti, Sanya Malnar, Mandy Tan, Malachi Briant, Kennedy Junior Muntanga, Maya Takeda, Tough Boys Dance Collective, Oluwaseun Olayiwola) will be showcasing their choreography at this year’s Resolution Festival happening at The Place across 19 nights from 18 May to 16 June.

Find out more about each work and book your tickets here.

 

Ottawa Jazz Festival

Kokoroko (Cassie Kinoshi, Oscar Laurence, Mutale Chashi, Sheila Maurice-Grey) will be part of the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s After Dark series on the OLG Stage. They will be performing on the 27 June. Browse the rest of the Ottawa Jazz Festival 2023 line-up and book your tickets here.

 

Students smiling and laughing wearing graduation caps and gowns

Will-writing service for Trinity Laban Alumni

Trinity Laban’s Alumni Relations Team is pleased to be able to offer a free will-writing service to those who have previously studied with us, through Guardian Angel.

Having an up-to-date will is the only way to make sure that the people and causes you care about are looked after when you’re no longer here. We’ve partnered with expert will writers, Guardian Angel so you can write your will for free online, over the phone or in person.

You can make your will, free of charge, in two simple steps:

Step 1

Choose the solution for you: ·

  • Write your will online at gawill.uk/trinitylaban
    1. Easy step-by-step process
    2. Legal experts check over each will
    3. On-hand support
  • Book to write your will over the phone with a solicitor/will writer when you call 0800 773 4014 and quote Trinity Laban
  • Book a face-to-face meeting with a solicitor/will writer when you call 0800 773 4014 and quote Trinity Laban

N.B. You will be sharing your information with a third party (Guardian Angel) and not Trinity Laban.

Step 2

  • Download your free will, print it out and follow the instructions to make it legally binding.
  • Alternatively, Guardian Angel offer a print and postage service for a one-off fee of £9.99.

Please consider remembering Trinity Laban in your will

Once you’ve taken care of your loved ones, please consider including a gift to your alma mater, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Registered Charity No. 309998). There is absolutely no obligation to do so, but anything you choose to leave us will help us in our mission to support future generations of performing artists. Thank you so much in advance for your kind consideration.

One of our alumni told us:

“I have many happy memories of my time at Trinity Laban and have enjoyed continuing my connection with teachers and students alike over the years since I left. As such, I am happy to make my intentions known, and leave support in the direction of Trinity Laban.”

The Sir Charles Mackerras Circle

Named in honour of our former President, Sir Charles Mackerras, if you do decide to leave a gift to Trinity Laban in your will, and you let us know, you will be added as a member of the Circle and invited to an exclusive annual event. Our next Sir Charles Mackerras Circle reception is taking place on the 18 May 2023, at King Charles Court, and we would love to see you there.

Contact the Trinity Laban Development Team

If you have any questions or would prefer to talk to someone at Trinity Laban directly about your intentions, we would be very happy to hear from you. Please email p.mallottides@trinitylaban.ac.uk.

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up January 2023

Our alumni have been involved in some fascinating performances across faculty including Ben Ramsden, award winning composer, who performed his newly launched electronic classical album in Peckham, featuring a string quartet.

Leeds kickstarted Year Of Culture 2023 on 7 January with a spectacular opening ceremony. Three of our recent 2022 graduates Akari Takahashi, Ben Yorke-Griffiths and Piera Gentile were among the 100 dancers performing.

Ezra Collective (Joseph Armon-Jones, Dylan Jones, Femi Koleoso) were the house band for Jonathan Ross’s New Year Comedy Special on ITV. On top of that, the band has released their first new music of the year, a reimagining of the classic Fela Kuti song, ‘Lady’.

Ballet Lorent’s (Liv Lorent) 30th anniversary season began this month as they presented a piece that explored how we use clothing to play with identity in The Becoming.

Lucy Clark performed an original dance piece, What If? at the Pegasus Theatre as part of Moving With The Times Festival 2023 on 20 January. Catch Lucy alongside three other dancers performing the final versions of their work on 3 and 4 March.

Maria Marchant performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and I got rhythm variations with the brilliant Worthing Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Gibbons on 27 January.

 

Moving on to new music releases, Amir Tafreshipour (composer) has released a new opera, The Doll behind the Curtain – A Chamber Opera in January 2023 under BIS records. Per Bach Nissen, one of the performers, is another alum involved in this production.

Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Skinner and others have announced their Miles Davis Tribute Album London Brew.

Looking for a podcast to listen to? ResDance, a podcast dedicated to research methodologies and methods in dance practice by Dr. Gemma Harman, released Season 3 in December. You can listen to the episodes on Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Radio Public and Google Podcast.

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

 

In other news, Kokoroko (Cassie Kinoshi, Oscar Laurence, Mutale Chashi, Sheila Maurice-Grey) were listed among the 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2022.

Read about Stjepan Hauser’s new single, why he started the Hauser Music Foundation, his new line of luxury wine (Hauser Wine) and more at Interview with HAUSER: The Croatian rebel with a cello.

Cherise Adams-Burnett features in the song ‘The Dream Keeper’ with SEED Ensemble. Listen here on Spotify.

See what PBS NewsHour has to say about 2Cellos and how they use their unconventional instruments to play contemporary rock music (Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic).

Radhika Apte is one of the actors profiled in a RVCJ Media article about how much actors earn for internet streaming services.

Génia posts an update on the work of Support Kharkiv Foundation here.

Camilla George opens up about the harsh realities of touring today and the dark histories behind her joyous-sounding new album.

 

We love to celebrate our alumni achievements and would like to acknowledge that Protein Dance (director, Luca Silvestrini) has been selected as one of the recipients of the Voluntary and Community Sector grants for years 2023-2027.

In December, John Powell’s score from the Warner Bros. Movie Don’t Worry Darling was one of the 15 shortlisted for the 95th Oscars.

 

Coming up:

We have some interesting performances, talks and workshops over the next two months.

Mandy Tan and Malachi Briant will be performing at the Elephantology Festival, Blue Elephant Theatre’s Festival for recent graduates and those who are just entering the performing arts industry. They will be sharing their work-in-progress, While Remembering, at the Solo Performance Showcase on 22 February at 19:30. Book your tickets here.

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

Milana Zaric and her husband, Richard Barrett, will present new works at the North Wales Music Festival in February.

Celebrating 10 years since its premier at Sadlers Wells, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty shows at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford between 21 February and 25 February.

Jean-Baptiste Baele is one of the artists who will be performing and presenting his work at Aerowaves’s Spring Forward event in Dublin. Catch a glimpse of his choreography, Nabinam, an auto-biographical solo piece in which the protagonist gets up-close and personal to the audience to recount his adoption story.

Emily Jenkins, founder of Move Dance Feel – a company offering dance to women affected by cancer – was awarded the Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2020. As part of that, she will be taking her research to the US in March to catalyse an International Dance in Cancer Care network as well as to connect with some high-profile organisations.

Interested to know more about Emily’s work with Move Dance Feel? Move Dance Feel is offering Dance in Cancer Care: Introductory Training, which enables people working across the dance and health sectors to collaborate and gain insights into how dance can innovate cancer care services. This will be happening from 3-5 March 2023.

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.

The BA3 Contemporary Dance students have been rehearsing and developing works through creative exploration with professional choreographers. They will be performing their BA3 Commissioned Works on 9 February at 15:30 and 19:30, Laban Theatre.

Join the Old Royal Naval College Chapel Choir for their Special Evensong performance on 25 February, 16:00, at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, to commemorate Christopher Wren, one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history. Entry is free.

On 19 February, BBC Radio 3’s Drama On 3 production of The Seagull will be broadcast. The classic stage play’s music is composed by alum John Chambers.

Winner of the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, Xhosa Cole and his new Xhosa Cole Quartet presents Rhythm-A-Ting in March. Book tickets here.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson will be performing at Attenborough Arts Centre, celebrating her Jamaican heritage through a unique fusion of classical music, reggae and R&B on 2 March.