REASSEMBLE ONLINE

Click here to go to the livestream

After months of lockdown, the London Sinfonietta invites you to join us online for a free day of contemporary classical music streamed live into your living room. This one-day online festival presents live performances of new work, and relays of pre-recorded events seen online for the first time.  

The schedule of the afternoon and evening includes new pieces by Shiva Feshareki and Gavin Higgins, a new performance of Dai Fujikura’s made-for-internet composition Longing from Afar and the first chance to see online Richard Ayres' The Garden, with animations by Martha Colburn. The evening ends with a conversation with composer George Benjamin and a performance of one of his chamber works. 

Streamed live from the Southbank Centre, the day is hosted by Jumoké Fashola and Zoë Martlew who will be in live conversation with composers and artists involved in the music.

The day celebrates and features the many different aspects of the work of the London Sinfonietta with its group of world-class players – from its commission and performance of new music, to working closely with the schools and the community, to supporting young and early career talent as they develop their skills towards a career in music and the arts.   

Summary Schedule of the Day
(see below for more details)

2.00pm - Composers of Junior Royal College of Music
2.45pm - Postcard Pieces
3.15pm - London Sinfonietta's Community Commissions
3.30pm - Dai Fujikura's Longing from Afar - composition for the internet
3.45pm - New Times / New Music - the London Sinfonietta's 2020/21 season discussion
4.45pm - The Garden film - and conversation with Richard Ayres and Martha Colburn 
6.30pm - Sinfonietta Shorts in performance
9.00pm - George Benjamin in conversation

Schedule of the Day

(All timings are approximate)

c.2pm
Composers of the Junior Royal College of Music
World premiere performances of 14 new works written by junior composers studying at the Royal College of Music for the London Sinfonietta. Jumoké Fashola talks to some of the young composers about their works. 

Programme:

Kevin Zheng Tundra
Vincent Ji From Dawn to Dusk
Alex Pylypenko Chants from the Wilderness
Chelsea Becker Berlin Blue
Iona Salter Fractals
Alice Knight Two-point-one
Imaan Kashim Promenade
Sophia Membery Melting Clocks
Jack Marley The King Around Here
Kathleen Archbold Beyond Limits
Toril Azzalini-Machecler Terre Brulee
Helena Gascoyne Skyride
 

Katy Ayling clarinet
Catherine Knight trumpet
Jonathan Morton violin
Kate Gould cello
Andrew Zolinsky piano

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c.2.45pm
Postcard Pieces
From April to June 2020, the London Sinfonietta invited members of the public to submit short works on the back of a postcard. Inspired by the pieces of James Tenney, submissions combined conventional music notation with shapes, lines, colours and instructions to inspire a performance from a London Sinfonietta musician. Four previously unperformed pieces from this project will be given their world premiere performance here. Jumoké Fashola talks to the players and some of the public composers about the works.

Programme:

Owen (age 9) Climbing the Ladder performed by Clíodna Shanahan piano
Frankie Perry Think of Schubert performed by Clíodna Shanahan piano
Chloe (age 9) The Earth performed by Byron Fulcher trombone
Sophya Polevaya Pop! performed by Byron Fulcher trombone

Find out more about Postcard Pieces here
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c.3.15pm
London Sinfonietta’s Community Commissions
The first video stream of a community commission by composer Zoë Martlew, written for member of the public Garry Greenland and filmed at Lewisham Foodbank where he is warehouse manager. Jumoké Fashola talks to Zoë Martlew about her piece and the initiative and how it is to create music to celebrate members of the community.

Zoë Martlew Rargy performed by Robyn Blair horn

Find out more about Community Commissions here
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c.3.30pm
Dai Fujikura’s Longing from Afar
The composer introduces his piece which was created as an ensemble composition especially for Zoom – the video conferencing software that has become the go-to way of meeting and working with people during lockdown. His work has already had numerous performances around the world. This one includes members of the London Sinfonietta and of the London Sinfonietta Junior Academy, a training group in new music techniques and ideas for young musicians.  
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c.3.45pm
New Times / New Music - London Sinfonietta’s 2020/21 season 
The Covid pandemic is now firmly part of everyone’s lives – but just adds to the ever-increasing effects of climate change as fundamental challenges to the way we need to organise our society. The necessary shifts in awareness happening through the unstinting campaign of the Black Lives Matter movement are now added to political promises of levelling up and greater equality. While also celebrating the power of music in its own right, the London Sinfonietta’s new season features several pieces which address the new times we are in. And in its community and education work, the ensemble continues to make direct connections with individuals, communities and schools whose lives can be positively changed by their involvement in making art through music and performing alongside the professional musicians of the ensemble. This panel discussion talks about some of the projects in the season, while also exploring the idea of an artist’s response to the society they live in.  

With:

George Lewis Composer and co-curator of Yet Unheard concert on 28 October
Elaine Mitchener Vocalist and co-curator of Yet Unheard concert on 28 October
Laura Bowler Composer of Extinction – a new work for 2021 about climate change
Andrew Burke Chief Executive & Artistic Director, London Sinfonietta
Hosted by Jamoké Fashola
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c.4.45pm
No 50 - The Garden – by Richard Ayres, in a film created by Martha Colburn
Richard Ayres' humorous, quirky and yet deeply affecting work receives its first ever online showing in a film edited by Martha Colburn, mixing footage of London Sinfonietta’s performance in April 2019 with her own characterful animations of the storyline. Inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy, Ayre’s music and text reflects upon, amongst other things, man’s impact on the planet.  
Richard Ayres and Martha Colburn join Zoë Martlew from their homes for a live conversation about the piece, and will remain online to discuss and answer questions about the work as it is played out on YouTube for the first time.

The Garden
A film edited by Martha Colburn
Music and text by Richard Ayres
Animations by Martha Colburn
London Sinfonietta conducted by Geoffrey Paterson
From a live performance given in Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Wednesday 17 April 2019. No 50 The Garden was created to help celebrate the London Sinfonietta’s 50th anniversary and is a co-commission with the Asko Schoenberg ensemble. 

Click here to read the programme notes and text

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c.6.30pm
Sinfonietta Shorts
The London Sinfonietta has been commissioning short solo works since its 40th anniversary in 2008 and many receive a live performance tonight by members of the ensemble. As well as pieces for instruments, the programme has now expanded to include commissions of purely digital works made for replay on the devices we all use all day, every day.  

Zoë Martlew will interview composers and players throughout the evening between pieces. 
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Programme:

Gavin Higgins Dacw 'Nghariad I (world premiere) + conversation with composer
performed by Paul Silverthorne viola

John Woolrich Good Morning
performed by Timothy Ellis horn

Emma Wilde El Blanco Dia
performed by Katy Ayling clarinet

Richard Baker Risveglio
performed by Elizabeth Bass harp

Josephine Stephenson Cut Hold
performed by Kate Gould cello

Shiva Feshareki ORBIT (world premiere) + conversation with composer (Please wear headphones for the best experience of this piece)

Cheryl Frances-Hoad McQueen Sketches
performed by Byron Fulcher trombone

David Lang Lend/Lease
performed by Karen Jones piccolo and David Hockings percussion

Trish Clowes Hero
performed by Enno Senft double bass

Mark Bowden Parable
performed by Simon Haram saxophone

Created by Composer Alex Ho and Theatre Maker Elayce Ismail AMAZON + conversation with Music Theatre Wales (Please wear headphones for the best experience of this piece)

c.9pm
In Conversation – George Benjamin
The evening culminates in a live conversation with George Benjamin about his life and work, his latest projects and his powerful recent operas that have had such an impact on the music world.  Zoë Martlew talks to the composer streamed live from his west London home.  

The festival will end at approximately 9.30pm

REASSEMBLE ONLINE is supported by the many individuals who contributed to the London Sinfonietta’s campaign to help fund more work online during the time of the pandemic. With many thanks to them.

With the friendly support of The Ernst Von Siemens Music Foundation