News

Here’s our monthly round-up of successes for Trinity Laban alumni.

Several jazz alumni celebrated nominations and wins at the prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2017. After enjoying a breakthrough year with blistering performances at some of the UK’s major jazz festivals, septet Nérija – featuring alumni Nubya Garcia, Sheila Maurice Grey, Lizzy Exell, Cassie Kinoshi and Rosie Turton – won the Newcomer of the Year Award. Dinosaur – comprising alumni Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Corrie Dick and Conor Chaplin – won Jazz Album of the Year for their debut Together As One. This is yet another accolade for this hugely successful album, which also received a 5-star Guardian review and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.

Also this month, there was high praise for tenor saxophonist Leo Richardson’s debut The Chase, which he launched at The Spice of Life in Soho with his quartet on 11 Oct. The Observer called the album ‘a superlative debut’, giving it five stars.

Continuing the jazz success, Ezra Collective – featuring alumni Joe Armon Jones and Femi Koleoso – have released their new EP ‘Juan Pablo The Philosopher.’ Meanwhile, alumni Martin Speake, Jeff Williams and Calum Gourlay joined Head of Jazz Hans Koller in a celebration of Thelonious Monk at Fringe Jazz Bristol. And the Julian Costello Quartet launched their new album, ‘Transitions’ ahead of a UK tour this autumn supported by Arts Council England.

In other musical news, the Parallax Orchestra, co-founded and managed by Will Harvey, performed two shows at the Royal Albert Hall with American rock band Alter Bridge. Vocal alumnus John Savournin directed Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury at Opera North, receiving a 4 star review from Rupert Christiansen at The Telegraph. And the new CD of John Blow’s ‘An Ode on the Death of Mr Henry Purcell’ from tenor Samuel Boden received high praise, including a five star review in The Observer .

During October two of our dance alumni, James Pett and Matthew Sandiford, performed at London’s iconic venue Sadler’s Wells premiering new works. Pett danced in visionary choreographer and Professor of Choreography at Trinity Laban Wayne McGregor’s bold and intimate Autobiography, heralded as ‘mesmerizingly good’ by The Guardian, whilst Sandiford performed as part of award-winning dance company BalletBoyz in Fourteen Days, an exciting quartet of new works playing with the concept of balance and imbalance created in only two weeks.

The month also saw the return to London of the international dance festival Dance Umbrella, which celebrates 21^st century choreography. The festival’s Artistic Director, dance alumna Emma Gladstone chatted to The Stage about what this year’s festival has in store and her future plans.

Several dance and Dance Science alumni, along with TL staff and students, led workshops, engaged in panel discussions, acted as moderators, and gave presentations at this year’s International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) conference in Houston, Texas. Over four days, 12-15 Oct, work was presented on topics such as the challenges and advantages in UK Vocational Training, injury occurrence and prevention, cardiorespiratory fitness, creativity and mental imagery, a New Conditioning Methodology, and career pathways into dance medicine and science.

In more Dance Science news, alumna Sarah Kenny will lead the first combined dance and kinesiology degree program in Canada in her new position as assistant professor for the faculties of kinesiology and arts at University of Calgary.

Don’t miss:

Nardus Williams playing the part of Maggie/Marjana in the world premiere of youth opera Belongings at Glyndebourne on 11 Nov.

Stefania Pinato dancing in Gianluca Vincentini’s company Möbius Dance at Sadler’s Wells as part of the Wild Card series on 20 Nov

Zoe Freedman and Guy Elliott sing in Stockhausen: Stimmung & Cosmic Pulses at the Barbican on 20 Nov

Numerous Jazz Alumni taking part in the London Jazz Festival from 11-19 Nov

 

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