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

Many alumni performed at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival this month. Laura Jurd featured several times, including with her fellow alumni Elliot Galvin, Corrie Dick, and Connor Chaplin as the band Dinosaur. Nubya Garcia also headlined, performing with Deschanel Gordon, Sam Jones, and Daniel Casimir.  

Love Supreme Jazz Festival also saw Nubya Garcia headline, and Ezra Collective and Emma-Jean Thackray also featured in the lineup.  

Femi Koleoso has been touring with Gorillaz this summer. The band’s European tour begins in August. 

Nardus Williams has featured as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze de Figaro with Glyndebourne Opera.  

Elaine Mitchener featured in The Blue Woman, a new opera that was the centrepiece of The Royal Opera House’s Engender Festival this month. 

Heloise Werner featured in one of the Barbican Sessions this month, performing ‘Unspecified Intentions’ from her recent album Phrases. 

Heloise was also among the alumni with big news announced this month, as she has been commissioned by the CBSO as part of their Sounds New initiative.  

Jesse Kovarsky is the movement director for the new off-Broadway play On That Day in Amsterdam, which runs from July 23 to September 4. 

Cassie Kinoshi has composed the music for The Tempest at the Globe theatre, running from July 22 to October 22. 

Daniel Casimir won Jazz Album of the Year at the 2022 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards, for his album Boxed In. 

Stephen Upshaw will be joining the Trinity Laban strings faculty as a full-time member of the teaching staff. 

Alumni were also featured in many publications throughout July. Opera Holland Park’s production of HMS Pinafore, with alum John Savournin featuring in the role of Captain Corcoran and as director, appears in the Sunday Times Day Out list for summer 2022. John also appeared on In Tune this month, discussing his directing of Iolanthe at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. 

Kokoroko featured in Jazzwise this month, ahead of the release of their album Could We Be More in August. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson was featured in The Strad this month, discussing how she explores her Jamaican heritage in her music. 

Joe Armon-Jones‘ collaboration EP with Mala, A Way Back, features on Bandcamp’s Best Electronic Music list for July. 

Laura Jurd features as a producer and Elliot Galvin features on keyboard on Mike Soper’s new album Undoing, which featured in London Jazz News this month with a highlight given to both alumni. 

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

Alumni took to the stage in many performances in June. The contemporary cello duo 2Cellos, of which alum Stjepan Hauser is one half, performed at Wembley Arena at the start of the month, as part of their farewell tour.

Eleanor Perry’s choreography was featured at the Royal Albert Hall’s Pride 2022 event.

Elaine Mitchener’s performance at the closing concert of the London Contemporary Music Festival 2022 was highlighted in London Jazz News’ review of the event.

Olivia Edgington, Ingvild Marstein Olsen, Natalie Sloth Richter, Johanna Merceron, and Vivian Triantafyllopolou took to the stage at Stamford Arts Centre in a double bill of their exciting new works, SMACK and Spektakel.

Hope 4 Justice, Trinity Laban’s call for action on the climate emergency, took place this month. Alum Sarah Golding was the choreographer for the project.

Bethany Horak-Hallet debuted at Garsington Opera this month, in the role of Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte.

Katarine Karneus’ performance as Kundry in Wagner’s Parsifal is highlighted in the Ikley Gazette’s review of the opera in Leeds Grand Theatre.

 

New works by alumni were released and premiered throughout June. Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s piece FAIYA! was premiered at the London Symphony Orchestra’s concert in Trafalgar Square on June 11. Ayanna also gave an interview in the Voice, discussing her music and its connection to Jamaican folk song.

Heloise Werner released her new album Phrases, with a launch concert in Wigmore Hall. The album was also featured as Europadisc’s album of the week, and in Gramophone and the Guardian.

Kokoroko, the jazz group led by Sheila Maurice-Grey and featuring Cassie Kinoshi, have released a new single Age of Ascent, ahead of the August release of their album Could We Be More. The single was reviewed in Clash magazine.

Ezra Collective, the jazz-grime fusion quartet featuring Femi Koleoso and Joe Armon-Jones, released their first music video this month, for their song Victory Dance. They have also signed to the record label Partisan.

Joe Armon-Jones released his new single Pray this month.

Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd appear on the XATIVA single Fall Back To You, released this month.

James Layton’s opera saudade premiered in Ostrava, Czechia on June 28.

Hollie Harding’s piece What was scattered has been included on Composers’ Academy 4, recorded by Patrick Bailey and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Manu Delago features on Anoushka Shankar’s upcoming live album Between Us.

Daniel Casimir features on Binker Golding’s new album, Dream Like a Doogwood Wild Boy.

Xhosa Cole appears on On Record, a “sonic love letter to Birmingham” that released this month.

Artie Zaitz and Mark Kavuma’s album Back to Back was featured in Jazz Journal.

 

Alumni were also given several reviews and features in June. Jochebel Ohene MacCarthy featured as Sarabi in The Lion King at Edinburgh Playhouse, which garnered this review.

Nikki Iles was featured in London Jazz News ahead of a concert with the RNCM Big Band.

Daniel Casimir was interviewed in Reverb magazine, on the making of his album Boxed In.

Laura Jurd was featured in Elbphilharmonie this month.

Matthew Bourne was interviewed by the Telegraph on his revival of The Car Man, a ballet based on Bizet’s Carmen. The ballet premiered this month to rave reviews, including in the Telegraph and the Independent.

 

Matthew Bourne was also one of many alumni given awards and feature in announcements this month, winning Best Modern Choreography for The Midnight Bell at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards 2022.

Two alumni were recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours list. Rosemary Lee received an OBE for services to dance, and Harriet Stubbs was awarded a British Empire Medal for services for the community in West London during Covid-19, after the success of her online concert series.

The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards took place in early July. Alumni Xhosa Cole, Matt Ridley, Nikki Iles, Deschanel Gordon, and Chelsea Carmichael were nominated, and Daniel Casimir’s Boxed In won Best Album.

Wayne McGregor has been announced as National Youth Dance Company’s Guest Artistic Director for next year.

James Darch has been announced as part of the cast for the upcoming musical Identical, an on-stage rendition of The Parent Trap, which premieres at the Nottingham Playhouse in late July.

Jessie Jing has been awarded a BOH Cameronian Grant for New Productions, in order to develop her piece Nian Gao into a stage production.

Chiya Amos has been named Research Fellow in Sustainability Science at Hiroshima University, Conductor and Music Advisor of Hirodai Symphony Orchestra, and Representative for Music and Culture of the International Council of Environmental Law, being the first classical musician to gain this post.

 

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

The experimental quartet Bastard Assignments, made up of alumni Timothy Cape, Edward Henderson, Caitlyn Rowley, and Josh Spear appeared at the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival on May 19. 

Many dance alumni performed at Resolution Dance Festival, The Place’s celebration of new dance works and artists. These included Trinity Laban Innovation Award winners Laura Engholm (2020) and Tough Boys Dance Collective (2021). 

Two alumni performed at Prom Praise in the Royal Albert Hall with the All Souls orchestra; Michael Andrews conducted, and Maria Marchant performed excerpts from Rhapsody in Blue. 

The Rameau Project Orchestra, featuring Daisy Walford, Ben Vonburg-Clark, Hilary Cronin, and Emily Gray, performed the premiere of a reconstruction of Rameau’s Castor et Pollux at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. 

Several jazz alumni took to the stage at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival this month. Nubya Garcia appeared alongside Joe Armon Jones, Daniel Casimir, and Sam Jones, Conor Chaplin’s appearance with Iain Bellamy was reviewed along with Moses Boyd’s concert, and Laura Jurd’s performance with Elliot Galvin, Conor Chaplin, Corrie Dick, and Martin Thompson also impressed.  

The Jazz at Morley College series, for which Mark Kavuma is artistic director, ran this month. Nicky Iles performed. 

Phillip Leslie appeared at the Perth Festival as one of the Cross Trust Artists of the Year. 

Femi Koleoso has been on tour with Gorillaz throughout May.  

Catherine Sleeman debuted at the Brighton Fringe with Unfold the Shutters, a hopeful response to the climate crisis created in collaboration with dancers including fellow alum Joeley Gibson. 

Iris Athanasiadi and Olivia Thynne have been performing in Our Labyrinth at the Tate Modern, a piece centered on the performers sweeping grains of rice into patterns. Choreographed by Lei Mingwei, it is inspired by the sweeping of temple paths in Myanmar. 

Several alumni performed at Manchester Jazz Festival towards the end of May, including Daniel Casimir, Xhosa Cole and his quartet, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and Rebecca Nash. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson headlined a performance at Wigmore Hall, with guest performers including Heloise Werner and Stephen Upshaw. 

Ayanna has also joined the board of trustees for Awards for Young Musicians, and has been named an ambassador and trustee of London Music Fund. 

Kokoroko played an Apple Music Home Session this month, covering William Onyeabor’s Body and Soul. 

Laura Jurd released her new single Little Opener this month. 

Reuben James’ new EP Tunnel Vision Mixtape was reviewed in London Jazz News. 

Oscar Jerome released his new single Sweet Isolation, which was covered in Clash magazine. 

Tomorrow’s New Quartet, with Deschanel Gordon on piano, released their new album All Together, Now! this month.  

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾, in which alum Tom Self features, earned a 4-star review from The Stage. 

Matthew Bourne was involved in the production of Sondheim’s Old Friends, a tribute performance to the late musical theatre legend which The Stage described as “a moving experience”. 

Cloudgate Dance Theatre’s performance of Send in a Cloud was reviewed in the Taipei Times. Artistic director Cheng Tsung-lung has been hailed as successfully living up to the legacy of the company’s founder. 

Dance scientist Dr Lucie Clements’ study was recently featured in the Guardian – revealing that arts workers are twice as likely to have depression than the general population. 

Heloise Werner was featured in Gramophone, ahead of the release of her first solo album. 

Harp alum Siobhan Swider was interviewed by Sussex Life, discussing her recent performances for animals and their owners. 

Seed Sessions, founded by Isie Potter, was covered by Musicians Union. 

Mike Dixon’s book Turn Around and Take a Bow, chronicling his life and career as a leading musical director, was published on June 28. https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/turn-around-and-take-a-bow/ 

Coming Up: 

CRUISE returns to the Apollo Theatre in August, with movement direction by Sarah Golding. 

John Savournin is directing a new production of Iolanthe for the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival. 

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

Alumni took the spotlight in many performances over the course of April. John Savournin joined Oxford Opera in their first performance since the pandemic. He also featured in English National Opera’s 2021 production of HMS Pinafore, which was broadcast on Sky Arts at the end of April.  

Ezra Collective performed at 6 Music festival, and Joe Armon-Jones played a Jazz FM session.  

Alumni also featured in new releases this month. Moses Boyd joined Quinn Oulton for his new single Clashing Colours. 

Deschanel Gordon features on Rowan Flack’s new single, The Calling. 

The soundtrack for the new Downton Abbey film, featuring Cherise Adams-Burnett, has been released. 

Diphonon Duo, of whom Michael Iskas is one half, have released their new album Emerging Voices. 

Malcolm Earle Smith’s album, Vocal Intent, features alumni Leo Richardson, Chris Eldred, Conor Chaplin, and Douglas Marriner. The release has been described by London Jazz News as ‘a brave album full of unexpected rewards’. 

Reviews and features covered alumni, their works, and their performances this month.  

balletLORENT’s production of The Lost Happy Endings at Sadler’s Wells, directed and choreographed by Liv Lorent, was described as ‘an introduction to the magic of storytelling through dance’ by The Reviews Hub. 

Nardus Williams’ appearance with the London Handel Orchestra garnered this review in the Guardian. 

Limon Dance Company, led by Dante Puleio, was reviewed in the New York Times for their performance in the Joyce Theater. 

Punchdrunk has received coverage for its new immersive theatre piece The Burnt City, including reviews in the Guardian and the Evening Standard, and an appearance on Channel 4 featuring Associate Director and Choreographer Maxine Doyle. 

Doyle’s choreography is also featured alongside Cassie Kinoshi’s music in BalletBoyz’ Bradley 4:18, which was praised by the Guardian . 

Parallax Orchestra featured in Kerrang! this month. Alum and founder Will Harvey talks about how the orchestra became “rock’s indisputable go-to group for all things orchestral”. 

Candoco Dance Company, which includes alumni Olivia Edington and Megan Armishaw, were featured in the New York Times, ahead of their New York debut. 

Xhosa Cole was interviewed by London Jazz News, ahead of his April 30 concert for International Jazz Day. It was also announced that he would be part of this year’s Take Five talent development programme from production company Serious. 

Alumni were also the subjects of awards and announcements in April. Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance Company announced dance workshops for refugees and asylum seekers this month. 

Louise Balkwill won the Vocal Jazz prize at the Riga Jazz Stage 2022. 

Ayanna Witter-Johnson has been cast as Snake in Amazon Studio’s upcoming series Anansi Boys. 

The Critics’ Circle Dance Award nominations have been announced, with Matthew Bourne featuring among the nominees. 

Heloise Werner has been commissioned by Radio France to write two new works for their upcoming season. 

 

Coming Up: 

Many TL dance alumni will be appearing at Resolution Dance Festival 2020, The Place’s celebration of new choreography and performance works. These will include Innovation Award winners Laura Engholm (2020) and Tough Boys Dance Collective (2021). 

Konrad Jaromin has been cast in Opera Holland Park’s rendition of Eugene Onegin, premiering May 31. 

Award-winning British singer Cherise Adams-Burnett features in hotly anticipated film Downton Abbey: A New Era

Scored by composer and TL Honorary Fellow John Lunn the soundtrack for Downton Abbey: A New Era has been released on Decca Records.

It features a new generation of UK jazz and soul artists, including award-winning British singer and TL alum Cherise Adams-Burnett, whose voice shines on ‘Crazy Rhythm’ and ‘Am I Blue’.

The jazz vocalist also appears in the film, released 29 April, performing songs from the soundtrack.

Adams-Burnett comments –

“I would have never thought I’d be cast in Downton Abbey, to be part of the soundtrack is even more of a bonus to bring this great story to life. I tried to channel the energy of Josephine Baker, a notable rebel of her time and even today with my own soul music, I try to channel her individuality, fun and flare.”

Since graduating from Trinity Laban in 2017, Adams-Burnett has performed at prestigious venues and festivals ranging from the BBC Proms at The Royal Albert Hall and the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C to the Love Supreme Jazz Festival. She was awarded Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the in 2019 and Vocalist of the Year by the Parliamentary Jazz Awards in 2020.

The soundtrack retains the distinctive orchestration and title motifs from the multiple Emmy Award-winning series whilst celebrating the story’s entrance to the 1930s.

John Lunn comments –

“Along with reworking familiar and well-loved themes, the new storylines have opened up a whole new vista for me.”

Lunn has already received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two BAFTA nominations for his scores for Downton Abbey.

Leading musical director and TL alum Mike Dixon to publish book on life and career featuring fond memories of his conservatoire days

Musical Director, composer and arranger Mike Dixon studied piano at Trinity Laban (then Trinity College of Music) from 1975-1979.

Since graduating, he has enjoyed a successful career working extensively across theatre, TV, radio and live events. Credits include six Royal Variety Shows, Pop Idol and several West End productions such as We Will Rock You and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Now he is reflecting on his life and four-decade career in new book Turn Around and Take a Bow, due to be published 28 June 2022.

The biography includes a chapter revisiting his studies at Trinity Laban, with references to “colourful friends, brilliant teachers and the endless musical adventure”.

Dixon shares an excerpt –

“I played with many singers over my four years at Trinity [Laban] but very early on found myself playing Brahms Four Serious Songs and Elgar’s Sea Pictures with an extraordinary contralto called Lucy Coleby.

“We were playing in the Lecture Theatre of Trinity [Laban] where the concert grand was a nine-foot Bösendorfer with the extra notes at the bottom covered by a little black flap, still one of my favourite pianos. It was one of the regular Wednesday afternoon concerts in front of our peers and some invited guests.

“One of the special guests was a lady in her eighties, Gladys Puttick, who had been one of the most innovative and forward-thinking teachers of her generation. A veritable ‘Nadia Boulanger’ of Trinity [Laban] and highly revered. In her youth she had seen Brahms play and I was somewhat stunned when she quietly came over to me after the concert and whispered that my playing was like hearing Brahms himself at the piano. Antony Lindsay standing beside me beamed with pride, his elegant coaching and patient advice had paid off.”

It promises to paint a vivid picture of life at Mandeville Place, the former home of the conservatoire before it’s relocation to Greenwich.

The autobiography will be available from Troubador publishing.