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Vocal students and alumni premiere major new commission in collaboration with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Thu 9 November 2017

Stephen McNeff’s ‘The Burning Boy’, based on a libretto by Cornish poet Charles Causley, premieres on 10 November, marking Causley’s centenary and the BSO’s 125th Anniversary.

Current Trinity Laban vocal students Charlotte Levesley and William Branston join vocal alumni Katy Huntley, Tom McKenna, and Lucy Bray in the premiere of The Burning Boy, composer Stephen McNeff’s new opera oratorio. The piece was commissioned by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and is based on a previously unperformed libretto by Charles Causley.

Funded by PRS Foundation, the large-scale project continues the successful relationship between McNeff, Trinity Laban, and the BSO. It brings together amateur and professional musicians, as well as local schoolchildren from the Cornish community.

Trinity Laban has previously enjoyed many collaborations with Stephen, including Banished (2016), a full-length opera specifically composed for the vocal department. The Burning Boy affords another opportunity for students and alumni to champion new music and work alongside professional musicians, and further develops Trinity Laban’s Side by Side series and partnership with BSO.

Stephen McNeff has spoken about how working with Trinity Laban singers brings benefits for him and for the performers: 

The Burning Boy will be at Launceston Town Hall, St. Ives Guildhall on 10 & 11 November. For more information, please visit the BSO website.