Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is delighted to announce the appointment of Hans Koller as the new Head of Jazz.

Hans Koller takes up his post on September 1st. He replaces Simon Purcell, who has stepped down as head of department but will continue to teach at Trinity Laban.

Pianist, trombonist, composer and arranger Hans Koller was born in Germany and studied composition and ethnomusicology in the UK. He emerged as a major force in the UK jazz scene with his 2002 album New Memories, hailed by John Fordham in the Guardian as “the most expansive, expressive and exciting new jazz orchestral sound to have emerged in this country since the late-lamented Loose Tubes”. Since then he has pursued twin careers as performer – collaborating with many of the world’s leading jazz musicians – and educator, as Senior Lecturer in Jazz at Birmingham Conservatoire.

Hans commented:

“I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to join Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. I can’t wait to join one of the best jazz departments in the world: an endlessly inspiring centre of creativity and innovation in contemporary jazz, with a brilliant team of teachers. Trinity Laban has an extraordinary track record of nurturing, transforming and promoting young talent, and I’m excited to be carrying on the work of Simon Purcell, to help the next generation of jazz musicians find their own voice, and shape the music of the future”     

Dr Claire Mera-Nelson, Director of Music at Trinity Laban, praised Simon Purcell’s contribution and welcomed Hans Koller:

“Under Simon Purcell’s outstanding leadership over the past twelve years, the jazz department at Trinity Laban has firmly established itself as a crucible of exceptional talent. The many successes of our current students and recent alumni alike are a real testament to Simon’s creativity and passion as an educator.

I’m delighted to welcome Hans Koller to succeed Simon as Head of Jazz at Trinity Laban. As an experienced jazz composer, pianist and educator within the conservatoire sector, Hans brings a deep understanding of what young jazz musicians need in order to develop their individual voice and creativity. I know that he will give Trinity Laban students the very best chance of future success.”

Applications are now open to study jazz at Trinity Laban in September 2018. For more information see trinitylaban.ac.uk/jazz

Trinity Laban undergraduates have the highest rate of employment and further study of any UK conservatoire, according to new figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Longitudinal survey, which captures information from undergraduates completing their courses in 2012/13, states that 97.7% of Trinity Laban alumni are now in work or further study, three and a half years after graduating.

This is not only the highest figure of all UK conservatoires, but also joint 2nd highest out of the 158 universities who submitted data.

Trinity Laban’s success has been highlighted by Times Higher Education, the leading UK magazine and website devoted to higher education.

Professor Anthony Bowne, Principal of Trinity Laban, commented:

“Here at Trinity Laban, nothing is more important to us than the success and wellbeing of our students. We carefully design our unique programmes, work extremely closely with key employers, and offer bespoke career support services, all in order to equip our students with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in their chosen art forms. I’m really delighted that these latest figures once again prove that so many of our graduates are progressing on to work and further study.”

Applications are now open for study in September 2018. For more information see the study pages of the Trinity Laban website.

Trinity Laban’s summer production of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea has received a trio of glowing reviews in the national press.

Writing in The Observer, Fiona Maddocks gave the production 4 stars, writing that: “Talent was evident in all quarters, from continuo to principal soloists to design and lighting… Now at critical stages in the development of their voices, all these singers deserve mention, including those playing main characters: Anna Prowse (Nerone), Luke Faber (Ottone), Henrike Legner (Drusilla), Samuel Mitchell (Seneca) and Charlotte Osborn (Poppea)… One performer stood out as already knowing how to use her dramatic and vocal skills to the utmost: mezzo-soprano Emily Gray (Ottavia). I’d mention some of the cameo roles but luckily it was too tricky working out who was who. So all please take a bouquet.”

In her 4-star review in the Sunday Express, Clare Colvin wrote that “Poppea is an ideal choice for Trinity Laban… Among the cast, mezzo Emily Gray was outstanding as the rejected Empress Ottavia. Excellent too were Bethany Horak-Hallett’s Nerone, Charlotte Osborn’s Poppea, counter tenor Luke Faber as Ottone, Henrike Legner as Drusilla and bass Samuel Mitchell as Seneca. The talent now emerging from British music academies augurs well for opera’s future.”

In Opera magazine, Christopher Webber commented that “Poppea proved an astute choice for Trinity Laban, with 22 singers nearly all given their moment in the sun.” He singled out the “elegantly stylish musical preparation” of Nicholas Kraemer; praised many of the performers while identifying Emily Gray as “a charismatic singer-actress to watch”; and concluded by saying that “the evening made a fine valedictory gift for the retiring Head of Vocal Studies, Linda Hirst, under whom the Conservatoire’s operatic standards have risen immeasurably.”

Applications our now open for study in September 2018. For more information see the study pages of the Trinity Laban website.

From the spectacular visuals of space exploration to a dance re-imagining of the TV series The Office, to a disused wasteland by London City airport, the 2017 Autumn Season at the Laban Theatre has something to offer all audiences on the door-step of South East London.

Fresh from a sell-out run at Sadler’s Wells, former Choreographic Affiliate of The Royal Ballet Alexander Whitley brings 8 minutes to the Laban Theatre, which takes inspiration from the stunning images and data produced by solar research scientists from STFC RAL Space. Described as “brains as well as beauty” by the London Evening Standard, 8 minutes creates a striking and immersive environment of dance, music and film.

Making its UK debut will be Cockfight from Australian company The Farm. A cross between the TV show The Office and an Australian style cage-fight, we see two blokes going head to head in an exhilarating duet of extreme physical theatre that explores male behaviour and intergeneration conflict. We think dance is a young person’s game. What happens when someone higher up the food chain weakens and is ready to be taken down?

Also exploring different ages and generations is Staging Ages, a ground-breaking project from award-winning Scandinavian company H2 Dance. Featuring dancers aged from just 10, all the way up to 66, the show explores generation gaps, norms, taboos, dignity, expectations and prejudices. Sitting at the intersection of dance, theatre and performance, each performer draws on their own childhood memories, and what they imagine it will be like to grow older.

As part of Dance Umbrella 2017 – London’s International Dance Festival – Spanish company Cia Maduixa present DOT, a blend of dance and digital projections aimed at children that is fun for the whole family. DOT is as mind-bogglingly clever as it is charming, revolving around worlds of light, colour and imagination, revealing a choreographic playground of wonder and discovery.

Brighton-based choreographer and performer Theo Clinkard will return to the Laban Theatre with This Bright Field, after previewing the work earlier this year. Conceived in two parts, the first brings the audience on stage for an intimate encounter with the dancers within a maze of moving screens. In the second, the audience return to their seats to experience Clinkard’s choreography on a cinematic scale.

Based on a collection of stories gathered through years of working as a therapist, Trinity Laban alumnus Hagit Yakira presents a double bill of works. The evening opens with Air Hunger, an emotive and breath-taking duet, inspired by the fear and anxiety of suffocation. Completing the evening, Free Falling looks at the fear of falling, failing, and the ambition to recover.

Commissioned by the Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban partnership, Rahel Vonmoos’ to find a place plays with the audience’s imagination using a soundscape of language and audio recordings alongside the use of video projections to explore memory and displacement. Originally premiered at the Greenwich Borough Halls in 2016, this is only the second time this work has been shown.

Also as part of the Dance Umbrella Festival is Charlotte Spencer’s Is This A Wasteland? which has been co-commisioned by the Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban partnership. Set on a disused piece of land between an historic flour mill and London City Airport, this immersive performance invites us to re-imagine how we value our landscape, homes and communities. As day dips into night you’re given headphones and offered instructions amidst a constantly shifting soundscape. Please note – this performance is not at the Laban Theatre.

For more information on all performances, please visit our What’s On pages: trinitylaban.ac.uk/whats-on

Image: Cockfight (Kate Holmes)

Veronica Jobbins, Head of Learning and Participation (Dance) at Trinity Laban, has been given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural One Dance UK Dance Teaching Awards.

Veronica was presented with her award at the U.Dance Festival 2017 by Mark Rasmussen, Global Head of Industry Relations at Harlequin Floors, who sponsored the award.

In her speech, Veronica commented:

“I’m very touched and very honoured. This means a lot to me, for many reasons, particularly because it’s One Dance UK, which is the powerful industry body that we need to advocate for dance, and ensure that dance in schools is fought for.

My life in dance has had its challenges and its frustrations, but it has also had great joy. And that joy has come from the many great colleagues I’ve worked with over the years, and of course from those young people – some of whom have now got grandchildren – who come up to me and say “miss! You taught me dance! Do you remember!?” And I did teach them, and I’m still doing it, and hopefully I’m still going to do a bit more! So thank you very, very much. Let’s keep going!”

Another winner at the Dance Teaching Award was Trinity Laban alumnus Charlotte Tomlinson, a graduate of the MSc Dance Science, who collected the Inspirational Community Dance Practitioner Award.

And shortlisted for the Inspirational Lecturer Award was Edel Quin, Programme Leader of Trinity Laban’s MSc and MFA Dance Science.

The inaugural One Dance UK Dance Teaching Awards “celebrate the many individuals and organisations who are using dance to transform the lives of young people”. One Dance UK received a total of 886 nominations across the nine award categories. For more information visit the One Dance UK website.

Pianist and alumnus Gen Li was awarded joint first prize in the 2017 Brant International Piano Competition last month in Birmingham.

The Brant International Piano Competition provides young pianists the chance to further their careers and perform in world class venues. Winners receive £3,000 plus a recital at Birmingham Town Hall as part of their next season.

Judged by pianist Nelly Akopian-Tamarina, academic, juror and critic Bryce Morrison, and Head of Artistic Programming at Town Hall Symphony Hall, Richard Hawley, Gen was awarded first prize, along with Ryan Drucker who is currently studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Gen also received the Audience prize, winning an additional £500.

This prize is another the Trinity Laban alumnus can add to his list of achievements, which have included the 2015 Jaques Samuel Pianos Intercollegiate Piano Competition.

Speaking about his experience at Trinity Laban, Gen commented –

“Trinity Laban was very supportive of me in finding my own voice in my piano playing and in my performance. I think Trinity Laban is a place where all the musicians should go if they can because in the environment is very positive, and the staff extremely helpful; no-one is cold or unfriendly, everyone is very friendly and supportive and the facilities are brilliant; you can practise for hours and hours on the things you are trying to work on. The academic environment and the teaching levels are superb.”

To find out more about Gen, please visit his testimonial page.

Gen isn’t the only Trinity Laban associate to have recently scooped first prize in a prestigious competition. Current student Joe Howson has won the Appelbe Piano Prize 2017, adjudicated by acclaimed international pianist Eva Maria Doroszkowska.

To find out more about studying at Trinity Laban, please visit our website.

Harriet Harman MP officially took up the unpaid post of Chair of the Board of Governors of Trinity Laban on 1 July, taking over from Lord David Lipsey.  

An avid opera-goer and dance enthusiast, Harriet Harman obtained a degree in Politics from York University and qualified as a solicitor. She was first elected MP for Peckham (now Camberwell and Peckham) in 1982 and has represented this diverse inner-city constituency in the London Borough of Southwark for 35 years. She has held numerous offices of state – including Solicitor General, Leader of the House of Commons, Secretary of State for Equalities and Minister for Women – and has served as Deputy Leader and Chair of the Labour Party. From 2011 to 2015 was Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

On her new role at Trinity Laban, Harriet commented –

“I’m honoured to be joining the board as Chair of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance – London’s creative conservatoire.

Trinity Laban is at the heart of a vibrant and diverse community, and is determined to reach out and engage with all aspects of the modern world. It’s vital that talented performers, in the UK and internationally, get their chance to achieve their full potential. Trinity Laban manages to reach out to a particularly diverse group of young people, the great majority of whom went to state rather than private schools.

Trinity Laban has constantly innovated, whether in sacred music, dance science, musical theatre or jazz, and is at the cutting edge of artistic development. To be a musician or a dancer demands superhuman commitment from young people and Trinity Laban is there to back them up by providing world-leading teaching, support and performance opportunities. I look forward to working with the students, staff and my fellow board members to build on its longstanding achievements.”

Harriet takes over as Chair from Lord Lipsey, who stepped down at the end of June after 5 years in the role. Principal of Trinity Laban, Professor Anthony Bowne, commented –

“On behalf of the entire Trinity Laban family, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Lord Lipsey. As Chair, he played a huge role in stewarding us through some notable achievements – such as gaining our own degree awarding powers – while speaking up on behalf of performing artists, and securing some wonderful performing opportunities for our students.

I’m now thrilled to be welcoming Harriet Harman MP to Trinity Laban. She shares our passion for music and dance and our commitment to provide opportunities for all, and commands a deep respect from across the political spectrum. These are exciting times for Trinity Laban, as we plan to introduce major improvements to our estate, and to develop innovative new programmes for the 21^st century. I’m thrilled at the prospect of working with Harriet to continue to provide world-class training for the artistic leaders of the future.”

On Tuesday 27 June, Trinity Laban students, alumni and staff came together at the House of Commons to promote the importance and value of international staff and students.

London MPs, peers and council leaders heard that international students and staff will be key to the future prosperity of London post-Brexit. Among other things, they heard that:

• London has the most international students of any city in the world
• There are over 100,000 studying in London, making up about a quarter of the total higher education student population
• International students in London support over 70,000 jobs in the capital
• They generate nearly £3 billion every year for the capital’s economy

Catherine West MP said: “Higher Education’s EU and international exports play a vital part in London’s society and economy. International students bring new ideas and energy, and add to the culture and diversity of the city whilst creating crucial global networks for our own students.”

Three Trinity Laban students and alumni followed the speeches with a unique, improvised performance. Guitarist Stefan Melovski and the Mattalia Violin Duo (Matthew Norriss and Natalia Wierzbicka) performed on innovative “spider silk” instruments, made by Imperial College London graduate Luca Alessandrino, and designed to harness the resonant properties of spider silk and resin in order to create more environmentally sustainable instruments. Their performance fascinated and impressed the influential audience.

Trinity Laban is enormously proud of its large and inclusive community of international students and staff, creating a vibrant and culturally diverse atmosphere in which to learn and work. For more information visit https://www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/student-life/international-students

The current senior organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge will take up the post of Organist at the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir from September 2017.

Previously a chorister at King’s and music scholar at Eton College, Richard Gowers began learning the organ at the age of ten and became a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at seventeen. After receiving a generous bursary from the Nicholas Danby Trust, he spent a year studying with Stefan Engels at the Mendelssohn Conservatoire in Leipzig, where he explored a variety of historic instruments from the times of Bach and Mendelssohn.

In the past three years at King’s, Richard has accompanied the renowned choir, taught the boy choristers and played for numerous concerts and recordings. Concert performances include the Aldeburgh Festival, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Beijing National Performing Arts Center, Beneroya Hall in Seattle, the Chan Center in Vancouver and the BBC Proms.

Richard commented on his appointment –

“I am delighted to begin the post as Organist in September. It is reassuring to know that, by moving to London in the coming year, I will be joining a welcoming and vibrant community at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, and I look forward very much to many exciting musical moments to come.”

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is the only UK conservatoire of music with a collegiate chapel choir. Many members of the choir are drawn from Trinity Laban, but there are also a number of places in the choir for experienced and outstanding local volunteer singers. It’s Director of Music, Dr Ralph Allwood MBE (who was for 26 years Director of Music at Eton College) commented –

“I am delighted that we now have a permanent Organist for our wonderful chapel who will play for us on all occasions: Sunday Eucharists, Monday Evensongs, concerts, recordings and tours. I am even more excited that Richard is such a distinguished musician.”

To find out more about the Chapel Choir and their performances, please visit: www.ornc.org/chapel-choir

Image: Chapel Choir (JK Photography)

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is pleased to announce that Laura Barnard, second year Musical Theatre student, has won a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award Bursary.

Established by Society of London Theatres (SOLT) in 1987 in honour of the 80th birthday of Lord Olivier, the Laurence Olivier Bursaries aim to provide financial support to exceptional students. To be eligible students must be entering their final year of drama school and facing financial difficulties in continuing their studies.

Laura commented –

“I couldn’t be more honoured to receive such a prestigious award to support my studies as I start to think about my professional career in musical theatre. The audition day was intense and there were students from some of the top drama schools in Britain, but it was such a brilliant experience getting to sing on a West End stage. I am so thankful to the casting directors and panel for supporting my future and believing in me enough to support my future endeavours. I am also extremely proud to be putting the Trinity Laban name out there!”

Laura will be playing the role of Penelope Pennywise in the BAMT year 2 production of Urinetown at Stratford Circus on the 15th – 17th June 2017. For more information and to find out how to book tickets, please visit our What’s On pages. 

Image: Urinetown (Credit: James Keates)

Trinity Laban alumni Calum Lee – aka Paleman – and Clementine Telesfort will be performing as part of this year’s Manchester International Festival (MIF).

MIF is the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events. The Festival is staged every two years in Manchester with the next edition taking place from 29 June to 16 July 2017 at venues all over the city.

Manchester-born musician and DJ Calum Lee has won cult status for a series of quietly thrilling releases that have breathed new life into minimal electronic music. With a monthly Rinse FM show and collaborations with the likes of Polar Bear under his belt, he is now taking his music to another level with a new live show that incorporates his own impressive jazz drumming for the festival. He filmed the promotional video for the festival here at Trinity Laban. Calum commented:

“I am super excited to be performing at the MIF and really excited that we could film the promo at Trinity Laban, because it’s been such a huge part of getting me to this gig. Trinity Laban has helped me learn the importance of discipline and it’s enabled me to create a community of musicians around London that I can continue to work with after graduating. It’s been a great place to learn more about myself and about music. The festival is going to be chance for me to progress and move things into a new direction.”

2015 graduate Clementine Telesfort is performing in Theatre Rites’ new production The Welcoming Party. The piece is a blend of puppetry, performance, dance and live music for both children and family audiences, inviting audiences to think about what it means to feel different – and why we should all be proud of who we are.

For more information and to book tickets visit the Manchester International Festival website.