The London Sinfonietta launched Community Commissions in September 2020 in response to the global pandemic. A series of portrait pieces of members of the public and community groups and organisations, they celebrate the importance of connecting with those around us.
Our first series of four Community Commissions, performed during our 20/21 season focussed on communities in Camden, Islington, Lewisham and Peterborough.
The Mighty Pen by Trish Clowes was performed by our principal saxophone Simon Haram for members of Ageing Better St Pancras in St Pancras Gardens . Click here to watch the performance
The Music is Joy by Cassie Kinoshi, played by trumpet player Christian Barraclough was performed to Adela Bainbridge, a mum from Peterborough who has worked tirelessly for refugee communities for decades, and has uplifted the lives of those around her. Click here to watch the performance
As part of ReAssemble Online Rargy by Zoë Martlew was performed by horn player Robyn Blair for Garry Greenland, a warehouse manager at a foodbank in Lewisham, who has worked throughout the lockdown to support those in need.
Not Normal, composed by Yshani Perinpanayagam alongside students from Blessed Sacrament RC Primary School in Islington saw its first performance in their school playground given by principal trombone Byron Fulcher. Click here to watch the performance.
All of the performances are available to stream on the London Sinfonietta Channel.
Coming soon...
Two new Community Commissions by composers based in Southampton and Coventry. Derek Nisbet will create a new work inspired by a member of the local Jewish community in Coventry, and Benjamin Oliver is collaborating with artist Alys Scott-Hawkins to bring to life stories from the streets of Southampton. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to watch when they are released.
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"Community Commissions is all about engaging the public in commissioning new music and putting them at the centre of the creative process. What better way to do this than to work with the local community surrounding our office base at Kings Place? Ageing Better St Pancras and Somerstown and Blessed Sacrament RC Primary School, Islington, represent the diverse communities we are part of and community commissions allows us to reach out to them at a time when they can’t necessarily come to us." Rhuti Carr, Head of Participation & Learning, London Sinfonietta
