The seventh New Lights Festival takes place in Greenwich at the Royal Naval College, St. Alfege Church and under the Cutty Sark featuring an exciting array of new, multi-disciplinary and improvised works. Opening with a celebration of Iranian music and poetry the week progresses with new works for Cello and Organ, a concerto for ‘Kraken Harp’ at the Cutty Sark, Nancarrow-Ligeti intersections with player-piano, new electroacoustic collaborations, an improvised opera ‘Irma’ and a day devoted to popular culture and ‘crossover’ including Salsa, popular music film documentaries and a social media inspired Piano Quintet.

Day 1: Mon 17 Jun

If I had a Thousand Pens

18.30 Peacock Room, King Charles Court

Continuing on from the success of ‘what remains is voice’ showcasing traditional and contemporary Iranian composers in last year’s festival, New Lights Festival 2024 launches with a celebration of the rich legacy of Persian poetry communicated through song and art.

Day 2: Tue 18 Jun

Pipes and Drones

16.00 St Alfege Church

A concert of new music for organ and cello

The Kraken Harp

Dry Berth, Cutty Sark

Tickets: £15/£10 Under 25s & RMG members
available from: rmg.co.uk New Lights Festival 2024 Kraken Harp

Trinity Laban student composers Seven new works for electric harp and ensemble (Final of the Daryl Runswick Competition for Composers)
Amir Konjani New work for Kraken harp and ensemble

Trinity Laban Contemporary Music Group presents the final of the Daryl Runswick Composition Competition alongside a new work by Trinity Laban composition professor, Dr Amir Konjani. The unusual and yet beautiful sea monster-like Kraken harp designed by Konjani will take centre stage at the Cutty Sark for the premiere of his new work for Kraken Harp and ensemble, with esteemed harp soloist Gabriella dall’Olio.

Day 3: Wed 19 Jun

Stringfingers And Friends

13.00, Peacock Room, King Charles Court

The Music of Arnold Griller
A celebration of the British/Canadian composer Arnold Griller featuring a selection of solo and chamber works, including four first performances.

Piano Scenes

15.00, Mackerras Room, King Charles Court

A diverse programme of piano music by Lily Boulanger, Chen Yi, Emily Linane / Rachele Howes, Peter Seabourne and Mikhail Shilyaev

Happiest When Most Away

18.30 Loggia, King Charles Court

Inspired by Emily Brontë’s poem ‘Happiest When Most Away’, this piece reflects her feelings of wanting to take time to disengage from the world and seek solace in isolation.

Celestial Mechanics

19.00 Peacock Room, King Charles Court

A celebration of the music of Conlon Nancarrow and György Ligeti.

Day 4: Thu 20 Jun

Salsa Nueva

13.00 Peacock Room, King Charles Court

Salsa inspired piano pieces from: Elena Riu’s Salsa Nueva Collection

Film is Fun

15.00 Carne Room, King Charles Court

The renowned film director Tony Palmer joins film students at University of Greenwich and Trinity Laban composers.

Jamboree

19.00 Peacock Room, King Charles Court

An eclectic music programme breaking down perceived boundaries between classical, popular and folk genres.

Day 5: Fri 21 Jun

Glitchandos

13.00 Peacock Room, King Charles Court

An assemblage of electroacoustic experiments Carolina Cury and Konstantinos Damianakis

Irma – an opera

19.00 King Charles Court

Tom Phillips’ unique text-art improvisational opera score Irma and Alwynne Pritchard‘s piece Loser for piano, voice and objects forms an intermezzo.