Like a lot of writers, I sometimes exile deleted text to a separate document, on the off chance that I might re-incorporate it later or use it elsewhere. Here’s a short piece of cut text from my work-in-progress book, The Theatrical Orchestra: British Music Ensembles Experiment with Performance. Rather than banish this deleted text to […]
Jane Mitchell is my guest for this episode, the last in the series. Jane is principal flute and creative director for Aurora Orchestra, and has been deeply involved in Aurora’s programming, production, and devising of work since the orchestra began. Jane has played a key role in the development of the orchestraās series for young […]
Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 Timezone: GMT Zoom (Register here) Orchestras are experimenting with the standard concert format inherited from the nineteenth century and re-thinking how concerts are presented, how musicians perform, what they perform, where performance can occur, and the role of the audience in the co-creation of the live event. Orchestras exploring these […]
My guests for this episode are Jonathan Morton and Jenny Jamison from Scottish Ensemble. I talk with Jonathan and Jenny about Scottish Ensemble’s cross-arts collaborations, audience engagement and development, and taking musicians out of their comfort zones. This conversation was recorded on January 23, 2023.
I’m giving a talk about my research as part of the Pop-Up Curiosity Shop of Science and Culture, organised by Agile Rabbit, at the Cornish Bank in Falmouth on Sunday, October 1 from 12pm. The title of my talk is ‘The Orchestra of the Future’. All are welcome. There is no admission charge.
Adam Szabo is my guest for this episode. Adam is the chief executive and co-founder of Manchester Collective. Formed in 2016, Manchester Collective has become known for their experimental programming and daring collaborations. They play in concert halls, warehouses and factory spaces across Europe and the UK, performing a combination of cutting-edge contemporary music, core repertoire […]
In this episode I speak with Yusuf Narcin, a bass trombonist, educator, and workshop leader, based in London. Yusuf works in a variety of genres, including jazz, folk, klezmer, and improvised music. Among the classical ensembles Yusuf plays with are Paraorchestra and Multi-Story Orchestra. Yusuf is also a member of the award-winning brass band/theatre troupe,Ā Perhaps […]
Event date: December 13, 2023 Submission deadline: September 1, 2023 Orchestras around the world are conducting experiments related to performance, to the constitution of the orchestra, and to its operation. Professional classical music ensembles, like many other organisations and institutions in the cultural sector, face an existential challenge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
I am pleased to announce that I have a contract with Manchester University Press to produce a monograph entitled The Theatrical Orchestra: British Music Ensembles Experiment with Performance. Here is a short description: Orchestras are experimenting with the standard concert format inherited from the nineteenth century and re-thinking how concerts are presented, how musicians perform, […]
In Episode 6 I speak with the production and design teamĀ Harry RossĀ andĀ Helen Scarlett O’NeillĀ about their collaboration with theĀ London Contemporary Orchestra on their 2013 concert series entitled ‘Imagined Occasions‘. This series, which focused on the composer Claude Vivier, took place in unconventional performance sites around London, including an underground station.Ā This conversation was recorded on November […]