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Seven Trinity Laban students practicing in a white dance studio.

Alumni Round Up May 2023

Posted 13 June 2023 Comments are disabled

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 屋內怕有蛇 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

Posted 13 June 2023 Comments are disabled

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

Posted 16 May 2023 Comments are disabled

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

Posted 12 April 2023 Comments are disabled

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

Posted 28 March 2023 Comments are disabled

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

Posted 7 February 2023 No Comments

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.

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up December 2022

Posted 12 January 2023 No Comments

A considerable number of alumni were involved in original and exhilarating performances last month, including the Fountains of Mojitos performance by Evi Demetriou in Athens, presented at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation on 13 December. 

2CELLOS, Croatian duo Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, performed their final live concert together at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Additionally, Stjepan announces his first-ever solo worldwide tour for 2023 and discussed with Forbes the ‘Superpower’ that enables him to tap into his creativity.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty production at Sadler’s Wells Theatre received exceptional reviews for its fairytale twist of Aurora and vampires.

John Savournin directed the pantomime retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, Rumpelstiltskin, at Charles Court Opera. An excellent script for both young and old.  

Duncan Ward conducted the prestigious Metropolitan Opera on 16 December for the opening performance of Magic Flute. 

 

TL alumni released new and authentic music last month. Génia Chudinovich released her new single Evocations, with the album being accompanied by a series of breathing techniques and yoga postures to support Génia’s work of Piano-Yoga. In a completely different genre, Animai released a new electronica single, No Enemy.

Onto some brilliant London jazz news, Cherise Adams-Burnett, Reuben James, and Daniel Casimir perform imaginatively reworked tunes in Blue Notes: Re-imagined II. 

Heloise Werner, who was featured in The Times’ 10 best classical records of 2022, also released her Sable and Snow suite, premiered on Radio France on 9 December. 

Speaking of phenomenal albums, Ezra Collective’s (Joseph-Armon Jones, Dylan Jones, and Femi Koleoso) Where I’m Meant To Be made the magnificent Bandcamp’s Best Albums of 2022. Their first single, Victory Dance, is a song that gets mentioned in The story of jazz in 2022: A year end listening party. 

  

Having achieved exceptional accomplishments in December 2022, our alumni have been featured in some brilliant articles, including Harriet Stubbs in Musical America’s Professionals of the Year list. 

News flash: the brilliant Cassie Kinoshi received a grant of £15,000 from the PRS Foundation Composer’s Fund to create her new work in celebration of Caribbean and West African culture. Congratulations Cassie!

Standout nomination went to Protein Dance (director, Luca Silvestrini), who featured in The Stage Awards 2023 following being shortlisted for Community Project of the Year. 

John Sturt has receieved an impressive commission by Choir and Organ magazine as one of the six New Music composers to write for choir or solo organ in 2023.  

After nearly 50 years of committed and devoted teaching, Christine Croshaw retires from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.  

We sadly learned that record producer, arranger, conductor and jazz pianist Kenny Clayton passed away. You can read about his extraordinary contributions to the music world here. 

 

In other news. . .  

Rachel Lancaster, the artistic director of Cirque du Soleil, shares her experience of working with the team for their production of KURIOUS. 

Punchdrunk Enrichment has produced a theatrical pop-up project, The Lost Lending Library.  

Milana Zaric and her husband, Richard Barrett, will present new works at the North Wales music festival.  

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

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.  

Catch the Hermes Collective (Héloïse Werner with Shiva Feshareki) performing at the Barbican on 26 January 2023.  

Ballet Lorent’s (Liv Lorent) 30th anniversary season begins in January as they present a piece that explores how we use clothing to play with and explore identity in a performance of The Becoming.  

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

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet will be on tour in 2023. 

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up November 2022

Posted 15 December 2022 No Comments

Alumni released exceptional new music this month. Ezra Collective’s new album Where I’m Meant To Be released on November 4 to great reviews in the Guardian and Gigwise. Their single No Confusion, featuring Kojey Radical, also released this month. 

Tomorrow’s Warriors’ new album I AM WARRIOR released this month. Many alumni have been involved in writing and performing it, including Sheila Maurice-Grey, Camilla George, Rosie Turton, Mark Crown, Cherise Adams-Burnett, Mark Kavuma, Cassie Kinoshi, Femi Koleoso, and Benjamin Burrell. 

Xhosa Cole’s new album Ibeji was reviewed in The Arts Desk. 

Ben Ramsden released to care, his debut album, this month – expanded from his TL showcase piece, the album was commissioned by KORDA after the Gold Medal award in 2019. The album also features fellow alumni Irene Katsenelson and Cristina Cooper. 

Laura Jurd’s Ornette Variations, recorded with London Sinfonietta last year and also featuring Cassie Kinoshi, is now available on YouTube. 

 

Alumni have starred in spectacular performances throughout November. The EFG London Jazz Festival ran this month. Alumni featured prominently – Xhosa Cole, Sam Jewison, Cassie Kinoshi, Emma-Jean Thackeray, Rosie Turton, Conor Chaplin, Nikki Iles, Elliot Galvin, and Mark Lockheart all performed. Trinity Laban students also took to the stage at The Vortex. 

Ezra Collective performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. 

Cassie Kinoshi’s new composition grey cloud premiered at Nouveaux Horizons festival. 

Lea Anderson directed Shuffle this month, a dance trio performance at Arnolfini, Bristol. 

Prologue Opera’s Becoming Carmen impressed at The Stables Theatre in Hastings, with Eleanor Strutt as Associate Director. 

 

Alumni shone in interviews and features in the media this month. Femi Koleoso gave this interview for Hypebeast on playing in Ezra Collective and Gorillaz, and featured in The Evening Standard. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson features in a new ‘Residency’ series for Scala Radio. Ayanna also featured in this interview for I Care If You Listen. 

Camilla George featured in an On Rotation article from Jazz Revelations, with Kokoroko’s Something’s Going On featuring in her list.  

BBC Sport interviewed Shortbread, a prospect for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the sport of breaking. 

Corrie Dick gave this interview in The Scotsman on “outsider jazz”. 

Luca Silvestrini wrote this piece for Metro on immigration to the UK. 

Xhosa Cole and Camilla George feature in this Guardian article on the UK jazz scene. 

Oscar Jerome was interviewed in the Evening Standard. 

Laura Jurd’s recent release The Big Friendly Album features on Jazzwise’s list of the best albums for December and January, which was published this month. 

 

Competitions and awards successfully featured several alumni. Nardus Willams won the Rising Star award at the International Opera Awards. 

Ezra Collective won Best Jazz Act at the 2022 MOBO Awards. 

The BBC Young Jazz Musician competition final took place on Sunday 20 November. The panel featured Camilla George, Emma-Jean Thackeray, and Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and current student Luke Bacchus was one of the finalists. 

 

Coming Up: 

Levedy Ensemble, winners of the 2020 Carne Competition, are giving two Christmas concerts this season, in Kennington and Orpington. 

Check out Trinity Laban’s exciting Christmas season. 

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up October 2022

Posted 10 November 2022 No Comments

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

Premieres and Performances

October saw many exciting premieres and performances from our alumni. Oona Doherty’s Navy Blue premiered in the UK at Sadler’s Wells. The piece was reviewed in the Guardian, who also interviewed Oona in the lead up to the premiere.  

Sandeep Gurrapadi appeared in The Shoemaker with the Welsh National Opera. 

Adrien Mastrosimone’s show What Makes A Man returned to Vienna this month. 

Manu Delago appeared in concert with Anouska Shankar and the Britten Sinfonia. 

Nardus Williams featured as Contessa Almaviva in Glyndebourne’s The Marriage of Figaro, which ran at the venue this month, and will tour in November. Nardus is also highlighted in The Arts Desk’s review of Wigmore Hall’s recent Vaughan Williams anniversary concert. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson has been on tour with Andrea Bocelli this month. 

Dance Umbrella’s digital festival featured Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui’s SAY: AF (And Friends), as well as two film pieces from Oona Doherty. 

Dai Fujikura’s Glorious Clouds received its UK premiere at the BBCSO’s anniversary concert this month. 

Gothic Opera, created by Beatrice De Larragoti, Alice Usher, and Charlotte Osborn, ran a double bill of Louise Bertin’s Le Loup-garou and Pauline Viardot’s Le dernier sorcier at The Round Chapel in Hackney from 27 October to 1 November, with fellow alumni Ashley Mercer, Anna McLachlan, Lars Fischer, and Ellie Kemp in the cast. 

Corrie Dick released her new album Sun Swells this month. Fellow alumni Laura Jurd and Dave Malkin also feature on the album. 

Jessica Walker’s Scene/Unseen, an autobiographical cabaret performance, received this review from West End Best Friend. Scene/Unseen is available on English Touring Opera’s website until December. 

 

Interviews and Features

Several alumni were interviewed and appeared in some great features this month. Matthew Bourne was interviewed in the Guardian, discussing storytelling in dance. 

Valentina Ciardelli and Anna Astesano featured in the Strad, ahead of the UK premiere of their harp and double bass duo work Ruutsu this month. 

Moses Boyd featured in a video interview for British audio brand Bowers and Wilkin. 

Reader’s Digest’s recent article on the UK jazz scene draws attention to Ezra Collective, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, and Tomorrow’s Warriors. Several more alumni feature on their list of 50 Inspirational young UK jazz artists and composers to listen to, including:

  • Moses Boyd 
  • Cherise Adams-Burnett 
  • Xhosa Cole 
  • Elliot Galvin 
  • Nubya Garcia 
  • Deschanel Gordon 
  • Laura Jurd 
  • Cassie Kinoshi 
  • Mark Kavuma 
  • Sheila Maurice-Grey 

 

Announcements and Awards

Announcements and awards also saw many alumni in the news this month. 

The shortlists for the 2022 International Opera Awards, which will be held in November, have been announced. Nardus Williams and John Savournin both appear in the Rising Talent category. 

The 2022 Jazz FM Awards were held this month. Emma-Jane Thackeray won Album of the Year for Yellow, and Chelsea Carmichael won Breakthrough Act of the Year. Mark Kavuma was shortlisted for Instrumentalist of the Year, and Kokoroko was shortlisted for UK Jazz Act of the Year. 

Cecilia McDowall has been nominated for a 2022 Ivors Academy Composition Award for her piece There is no rose.  

 

Coming Up

Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker! will be screened in cinemas in November.  

Bethany Horak-Hallet is one of the soloists for Really Big Chorus’ Messiah from Scratch at the Royal Albert Hall in November. 

EFG London Jazz Festival returns in November, with many jazz alumni lined up to perform. 

Sheila Maurice-Grey and Chelsea Carmichael will be performing at Jazzfest Berlin in November. 

James Darch has been cast as Gino Bartali in Glory Ride at The Other Palace, running 14 to 16 November. 

 

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up September 2022

Posted 13 October 2022 No Comments

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

Music

TL alumni have released lots of new music this September.

Camilla George released her new album Ibio-Ibio on September 30. The album also features alumni Rosie Turton, Daniel Casimir and Sheila Maurice-Grey.  Camilla and Daniel also feature on Jazz re:freshed’s live EP Outernational Live from Studio Two Abbey Road, which was released this month. 

Stelios Kyriakdis released his new album, Agalia, in September. 

New Woods Collective, a trio made up of alumni Hannah Shilvock, Christina Alishaw, and current PHD student Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser released their debut album Branches. The album features music by TL composition alumni Michael Clulow and James Hurst and is mixed and mastered by Ben Leigh-Grossart. 

Oscar Jerome released his second album, The Spoon, this month. 

Olie Brice released his new album Fire Hills this month. 

Laura Jurd has released her new album, The Big Friendly Album. 

Ezra Collective (the jazz-grime group featuring Femi Koleoso and Joe Armon-Jones) have released a new single from their upcoming album Where I’m Meant To Be, Ego Killah. 

Stjepan Hauser released his solo album The Player this month.  

 

Performance

Alumni were also involved in exciting performances and premieres this month. The Time Traveller’s Wife musical premiered in September, with choreography by Shelley Maxwell. 

En Route to Common Ground, an outdoor, moving dance project created by Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance Company, took place in Woolwich at the beginning of September. 

(Ġagħel) Gaghel Dingli performed an on-the-street dance piece this month, protesting against the commercial takeover of public spaces. 

Ieva Dubova performed the UK live premiere of her Preludes at the start of September. 

The chamber opera The Red Room premiered in September, as part of Tete a Tete Opera Festival 2022, with music written by alum Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour. 

Pianist GeNIA performed as part of a fundraising concert for the children of Kharkiv on September 30, along with Bill Nighy and Chiwetel Ejiofor, and other British and Ukrainian musicians. The total amount raised was £7,000. 

Alexandrina Hemsley’s dance company Yewande 103’s film dance piece Fountain began a tour of Picturehouse cinemas around the UK in September, which will continue into October. 

Femi Koleoso has continued to tour with Gorillaz.  

Georgi Mottram hosted the Pride of Jersey award ceremony. 

 

Announcements

Alumni were also in the news with big announcements in September. Malik Nashad Sharpe is named on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for Arts and Culture in Europe. 

Peter Fenech has joined Southbank Sinfonia. 

Several alumni have been nominated for an award at the Jazz FM Awards 2022, including the band Kokoroko, Emma-Jean Thackray, Mark Kavuma and Chelsea Carmichael. 

John Savournin’s production of Patience with Charles Court Opera has been nominated for two Offies. 

 

Coming Up

Candoco Dance Company returns to Trinity Laban with a double bill from two boundary-breaking New York based choreographers: Trisha Brown and Jeanine Durning. These performances will also be the last for two of our alumni, Megan Armishaw and Olivia Edginton, who completed their undergraduate degrees at TL and the MA in Dance Performance with Transitions Dance Company. Since graduating, they have been core members of Candoco for seven and six years respectively. 

Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui’s new production the album is on tour in October. 

Oona Doherty’s piece Navy Blue premieres in the UK at Sadler’s Wells in October. 

 

Seated graduates in robes and mortar boards

Alumni Round Up August 2022

Posted 12 September 2022 No Comments

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

Alumni have been the subjects of exciting announcements this month.  Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui are part of the new cohort of DanceEast Associate Artists, and will be working closely with the organisation until April 2025. 

Edwin Pitt Mansfield has been elected Chair of the Association of Teachers of Singing, the leading representative body for singing teachers in the UK, for 2022-2024.  

Nikki Iles has been announced as composer-in-residence for 2023 with NDR Bigband. 

Ezra Collective (the jazz-grime group featuring Femi Koleoso and Joe Armon-Jones) has announced their new album Where I’m Meant To Be, which will be released in November. They have also released a single this month, Life Goes On, a musical collaboration with rapper Sampa the Great. 

Ayanna Witter Johnson has been nominated for Best Live Performer at the 2022 Association of Independent Music Awards 2022.  Ayanna was also one of several alumni with notable features in August, appearing as one of Andi Oliver’s guests for the BBC Prom Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Proms. 

Akram Khan featured on an episode of the BBC podcast This Cultural Life. 

Dance Magazine’s performance recommendations for August featured Oona Doherty’s Navy Blue, in Hamburg and touring Europe. Fellow alum Emily May’s review in Frieze calls the piece “a cathartic and cleansing outburst of dejection and anxiety”. Navy Blue is set to premiere in the UK in October. 

Many alumni have released new works this August. Oscar Jerome has released a new single, Berlin 1, and announced his second album, The Spoon, which will be released on 23 September. 

Kokoroko (the jazz band featuring alumni Sheila Maurice-Grey and Cassie Kinoshi) have released their debut album Could We Be More this month, which is already receiving great reviews from the likes of the Guardian and Gigwise. 

Partikel, the jazz trio featuring alum Duncan Eagles on saxophone, released their new album Anniversary Song this month, to very positive reviews. Duncan was also interviewed by London Jazz News on the release, and the band’s belated ten-year anniversary. 

Made Kuti has released a new single, No More Wars.  

Dai Fujikura has released a new album, Aquarius. 

Olie Brice was interviewed in London Jazz News, ahead of his album launch this September. 

Alumni also contributed to major stage successes this month. James Darch has starred in Identical at Nottingham Playhouse, a new musical based on The Parent Trap that has drawn positive reviews. 

The hit play Cruise returned to the West End this month ahead of a tour later this year. Sarah Golding’s movement direction is a highlight. 

Opera Holland Park’s HMS Pinafore took to the stage this month, with John Savournin as Captain Cocoran and directing. The production earned very positive reviews including Operawire and Britishtheatre.com 

John also directed a production of Iolanthe at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival this month, and Charles Court Opera’s Patience at Wilton’s Music Hall throughout August. 

Nardus Williams sang solo soprano in Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D Major at the BBC Proms this month, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The performance was well reviewed in the Guardian. 

Ashley Beauchamp was musical director for Janacek’s The Diary of One Who Disappeared at Waterperry Opera Festival in August. Trinity Laban students also featured in Johnathan Dove’s Figures in the Garden at the festival. 

Tali F. Bowers brought her one-woman show Monoslogue, a piece about the challenges of life with chronic pain, to the Edinburgh Fringe this month. 

Coming Up

Camilla George’s new album Ibio-Ibio, also featuring alumni Daniel Casimir and Sheila Maurice-Grey, will be released on 30 September. 

The upcoming musical The Time Traveller’s Wife will premiere in September, with choreography by Shelley Maxwell. 

The chamber opera The Red Room, with music by Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour, premieres in September as part of Tete a Tete Opera Festival 2022.