We produce world-class new music projects & performances that engage with today’s society, involving and inspiring the lives of individuals, audiences, communities and artists.
If I were the British Government, I'd declare the London Sinfonietta a national treasure...long may they continue to make new music. Steve Reich
Resident at Southbank Centre and Artistic Associates at Kings Place, with a busy touring schedule across the UK and abroad, its core of Principal Players and guest artists represent some of the best solo and ensemble musicians in the world. The group also works with talented early-career musicians, to ensure the unique expertise of its Principals is passed on to the next generation of performers.
The ensemble believes that new music is relevant to wider society and to people's lives and has commissioned a series of pieces and produced a series of projects which address today's issues of diversity, climate change & isolation, often working with other art forms of video, theatre and poetry to connect with wider audiences and engage people's imaginations.
This new work adds to an already rich tradition of commissioning new music - over 450 pieces to date since the ensemble's formation in 1968 - from some of the world's great composers. The back catalogue of these pieces have entered the contemporary music repertoire around the world and the London Sinfonietta has championed the work of composers whose names are now widely known in the past 50-year history of contemporary culture.
As the first ensemble to have begun a music education programme in the early 1980s the London Sinfonietta continues this with a belief that arts participation is transformational, nurturing confidence and creativity in individuals and a sense of identity and place in communities.
The ensemble has an extensive back catalogue of recordings made over 50 years, which have been released on numerous prestigious labels as well as its own London Sinfonietta Label. Recent recordings include George Benjamin's opera Into the Little Hill (Nimbus; 2017), a collaboration with Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset on Snowmelt (ACT; 2016) and Viaduct (ACT; 2019) a limited edition run of LPs in collaboration with Christian Marclay (2015) and a disc of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s music (NMC; 2015) which topped the classical music chart.
The London Sinfonietta has also broken new ground by creating Steve Reich’s Clapping Music app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, a participatory and compelling rhythm game that has been downloaded over 500,000 times worldwide since its launch in late 2015, engaging and challenging users to develop their sense.
In 2020, the London Sinfonietta launched its own Digital Channel, committing to creating a new range of content for viewers and listeners around the world. A new series of performance films and videos about new music are released alongside podcasts and articles.
