News

A roundup of updates, news and projects from Trinity Laban alumni.

Alumni performed for digital audiences throughout April.

Laura Jurd and Elliot Galvin did a livestream from The Vortex Jazz Club, while Rachael Cohen was accompanied by Mark Kavuma, Deschanel Gordon, Daniel Casimir and Shane Forbes at Ronnie Scott’s, where Empirical also performed later in the month.

Trumpeter Jay Phelps featured in the Jazz Exchange International Jazz Day celebration, who later accompanied Reuben James with Ruben Fox in the first instalment of the We Are Listening series.

Soprano Nardus Williams joined English National Opera to delight home audiences with a performance of Handel’s Messiah, streamed from the Coliseum, while Millie Cranston performed in the ensemble of new musical feature film In Pieces.

Commissioned by Gauthier Dance, Elisabeth Schilling’s Oloris Oram premiered on the Theaterhaus Stuttgart YouTube channel as part of The Dying Swans Project.

Digital pieces and performance films remained a popular medium for alumni to share their work this month.

Soumik Datta kicked off the new Silent Spaces series with Messengers, featuring fellow alum Yasmin Ogilvie on saxophone and filmed in the British Museum during lockdown.

2CELLOS returned with their dynamic sound in a cover of Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’, while The Public Bungalow took a funk twist on Miley Cyrus’ ‘Midnight Sky’. Big Smoke Brass, with Innovation Award Winner Gabriel Askew, also shared a take on well known pop with their rendition of ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’.

Online festival Solid Air, created by Sarah Matry-Guerre, provided a platform for 34 companies and freelance artists from around the world, exhibiting a new generation of choreographers and dance artists throughout April.

Fellow dance alum Jean Abreu took listeners on a journey through London in a podcast exploring his urban inspirations, as Sir Matthew Bourne OBE featured in the first instalment of new podcast, Bourne to Dance.

Pianist GéNIA released brand new solo piece ‘Claude’, while Emma-Jean Thackray shared ‘Say Something’ from her debut album Yellow.

‘Everything Changes’, the first track from Theo Jamieson’s new BBC commissioned musical U.Me The Musical, was revealed this month. Also in the theatre world, it was announced that Rebecca Wickes will join the cast of Heathers the Musical UK Tour while Jake Lomas will play Bob in the brand-new West End production of Billionaire Boy.

Alumni continued to share their knowledge throughout the month of April.

Alanya Bridge featured on a panel of international artists with new musical theatre works at the Tin Pan Alley 2 Concert Series, while co-founder of audio branding agency DLMDD, Max De Lucia, uncovered the importance of a sonic identity in a study looking at purchasing power. The agency recently unveiled ‘The Sound of Singapore Airlines’, which will be experienced throughout every passengers’ journey with the airline.

Musician Mikaela Livadiotis and dance artist Yanaëlle Thiran of Company Concentric teamed up with yoga teacher Katrina Madrilejo to offer company yoga classes for dancers and yoga for musicians.

Alumni appeared in interviews and features from media outlets last month.

Fashion house Bottega Veneta has swapped Instagram for an online magazine, showcasing their new pieces amongst a star-studded line up of contributors. Issue 1 featured Nubya Garcia, who later in the month discussed Wayne Shorter’s The Soothsayer on Classic Album Sundays.

Cassie Kinoshi spoke to Composer Magazine about writing for dance, theatre and bands, as she uncovered elements of her creative process and the importance of storytelling, while John K Miles discussed music in schools in The Music Education Podcast and touched on music favourites with Jazz South.

Fellow jazz alum Moses Boyd performed at the Barbican where he gave an interview prior to the livestream, expressing his eagerness to get back on stage.

The first episode of Black Lives in Music saw Zeze Millz talk style, heritage, joy and more with Ayanna Witter Johnson and 2018’s BBC Young Jazz Musician winner and TL student Xhosa Cole. Fellow TL alumni Mark Kavuma and Ruben Fox discussed their improvisation styles and the importance of the Blues in an episode of online series, The Forum.

Varsity outlined what made John Powell’s score for feature film How to Train Your Dragon so powerful, while The Strad named Dai Fujikura’s new quartet piece Aquarius premiere of the month.

Coming up

Book your place on the Play As You Are_2 workshop (8 May) for musicians and musical-bodies, held by movement artist and alum Alexandra Baybutt and musician Maya Felixbrodt.

Get tickets for Christina McMaster’s World Meditation Day Concert (23 May) at Kings Place, with violinist Lana Trotovšek.

Don’t miss Reuben James at Ronnie Scott’s (20 May).