East London
Festival events in East London were based in the wonderful Octagon at the People’s Palace at Queen Mary University of London on Sunday 8 March.
During the day there were opportunities for players of all abilities to have a tutorial on a contemporary piece of their choice with London Sinfonietta players and also to share their performances in a contemporary show case.
In the afternoon the Allcomers ensemble instrumentalists and singers of any ability joined together to rehearse this year’s CoMA large scale commission (Three Movements by Kate Whitley) for performance in the evening. There were a range of workshop: Understanding/performing John Cage’s Concert for Piano and Orchestra (led by Philip Thomas), Terrry Rileys In C (led by Joby Burgess) and Pauline Oliveros Sonic Mediations (led by Joby Burgess).
The evening concert (New Music Now included performances by East London Community Band, CoMA London Ensemble, CoMA Singers, QMUL Chamber Ensemble, London Sinfonietta players (performing works by Royal College of Music Junior Department students) and the Allcomers ensemble.
Partners
CoMA London, London Sinfonietta, Queen Mary University of London, Junior RCM, Hackney Community Orchestra, East London Community Band, CoMA Singers, QMUL Chamber Ensemble
West London
On Thursday The Nonesuch Orchestra rehearsed compositions by local secondary school students under the guidance of our conductor Dan Shilladay and the composer Andrew Toovey. The Workshop wasalso open to university and music college students and members of the public. This was followed by a Showcase Concert in which the Nonesuch Orchestra performed the compositions by local secondary school students which were rehearsed at the morning workshop. The Nonesuch Orchestra also played Dorothy Howell’s Two Pieces for Muted Strings, composed in 1926 and probably last performed in 1959, and Sally Beamish The Day Dawn composed for CoMA in 1997.
On Saturday 7 March, The Nonesuch Orchestra performed some of the new works by the student composers workshopped and performed on 5th March and Sally Beamish’s The Day Dawn, commissioned, Dorothy Howell’s Two Pieces for Muted Strings and Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings
More information about the West London events can be found here.
Partners
The Nonesuch Orchestra, Twyford CofE High School, Christ’s School, Richmond and Chiswick School
Funder
The Nonesuch Orchestra is grateful to the Ambache Charitable Trust – “raising the profile of music by women” – for the funding to prepare Two Pieces for Muted Strings by Dorothy Howell
Sponsors
The Nonesuch Orchestra is grateful for the following sponsors for supporting their Festival events.
South London
The London Consorts of Winds gave a concert of contemporary music on Sunday 8 March, including new CoMA commission Frenzy by Yfat Soul Zisso. The concert also included the final of their composition competition. The winning piece was Ghosts of the Jewish Community, Pszczyna for clarinet choir, by Peter Shotts.
Partner
London Consorts of Winds
South West London
A performance of CoMA Open Score works, plus ten new open score works by RHUL student composers.
Partners
Royal Holloway, University of London Music Department and RHUL New Music Collective
Events
no current events