Jocelyn Pook by Hugo Glendinning
Naveen Arles by Belinda Lawley
London International Gospel Choir
London International Gospel Choir
London International Gospel Choir
2 July 2017, 3.00pm, Albemarle Music Centre
9 July 2017, 2.00pm, Southbank Centre
Culture& is working with renowned contemporary composer Jocelyn Pook to stage a new production of her Anxiety Fanfare and Variations for Voices as part of the PRS New Music Biennial at Albemarle Music Centre and as part of Hull UK City of Culture 2017 on 2 July and Royal Festival Hall on 9 July. Both performances will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Jocelyn Pook is one of the UK’s most versatile composers, having written extensively for stage, screen, opera house and concert hall. She has established an international reputation as a highly original composer winning her numerous awards and nominations including a Golden Globe, an Olivier and two British Composer Awards.
Written in five movements, the Anxiety Fanfare will be performed by the Jocelyn Pook Ensemble and the singers of the London International Gospel Choir led by Naveen Arles. The performances will feature the composer on viola with vocal soloists: Lore Lixenberg soprano, Melanie Pappenheim mezzo soprano, Jonathan Peter Kenny counter tenor and conductor and George Ikediashi bass.
The concerts will feature a unique collaboration with computer scientist Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar from Aberystwyth University who has developed specially designed wearable biometric technology that will respond to the level of anxiety indicators in the vocal soloists and trigger a photographic back projection during the performances.
The Anxiety Fanfare is an exploration of the everyday experience of anxiety and extends the multi-award winning composer’s interest in the experience of mental illness, which she explored in her 2012 ground-breaking work Hearing Voices which premièred at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the BBC Concert Orchestra’s Exstatica and H7steria series.
This composition extends the musical form of the Fanfare which traditionally is a piece of ceremonial music written for brass instruments to celebrate an event or someone of great importance. In writing her Fanfare to feature a chorus, Pook celebrates neuro diversity and tackles the stigma surrounding mental health issues with both compassion and humour. The piece was first commissioned for the Mental Health Foundation’s Anxiety Arts Festival London 2014 by CEO and Culture& Artistic Director, Errol Francis.
Errol Francis, CEO of Culture& said: “We are delighted to be working with Jocelyn again on this new configuration of the Anxiety Fanfare. The performances will bring a new visual dimension to the work. The staging will feature an innovative experiment with Reyer Zwiggelaar in measuring the anxiety of performers to trigger image back projections. We are excited to be participating in Hull City of Culture and the New Music Biennial and the collaboration with the International Gospel Choir develops further the intention of the Fanfare to tap into the unique potential of professional and community voices performing together.”
The performance is made possible with support from the PRS Foundation for Music and Arts Council England.
Press Images of Anxiety Fanfare and Variations for Voices
About Culture&
Culture& is an independent arts and education charity based in London. We work in partnership with arts and heritage institutions and artists to open up who makes and enjoys arts and heritage. Our well-established heritage training and public programmes promote diversity in workforce and audience development and encourage high quality engagement with the world’s rich and diverse heritage, whilst promoting intercultural contact, dialogue and understanding.
About the New Music Biennial
The New Music Biennial is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative that supports and provides a platform for talented organisations and music creators who are pushing the boundaries of new music in the UK. New Music Biennial presents new music across all genres, from classical and chamber opera, to jazz, folk and electronic. The Biennial aims to reach new audiences for contemporary music and encourage ideas for short works no longer than 15 minutes duration which could be performed in a range of settings.
PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Biennial and residency programme is generously supported by Hull UK City of Culture, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Arts Council England, BBC Radio 3, Southbank Centre, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Cockayne, The John S Cohen Foundation, the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, The Finzi Trust, RVW Trust, The Bliss Trust and NMC Recordings.
About Hull UK City of Culture 2017
Hull secured the title of UK City of Culture 2017 in November 2013. Hull is only the second city to hold the title and the first in England. The vision of the Hull 2017 Culture Company, the delivery organisation of the project, is “to deliver 365 days of transformative culture in 2017 through a range of diverse and high-profile events and projects”. Following on from the Olympics and Paralympics, Commonwealth Games and the Tour de France in Yorkshire, Hull 2017 is the next major event in the nation’s cultural calendar.
The Culture Company is an independent organisation with charitable status, funded both publicly and privately. It has an £18m funding target, with key contributions coming from: Principal Partners – Arts Council England, BBC, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Hull City Council, KCOM, KWL, National Lottery Fund, Spirit of 2012,University of Hull and Yorkshire Water. Major Partners – Arco, Associated British Ports, Big Lottery Fund, BP, British Council, Hull CCG, MKM Building Supplies, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Sewell Group, Smith and Nephew and Wykeland Group. Hull 2017’s International Partners are: Aarhus, Denmark, European Capital of Culture 2017; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Freetown, Sierra Leone (twinned with Hull).
The PRS for Music Foundation New Music Biennial Composer Residencies and Minute of Listening strands complement and link to Hull 2017’s Learning and Participation Programme, which aims to engage all children’s and young people as participation in Hull’s year as UK City of Culture. More details about the learning programme will be announced in October.
Albemarle Music Centre
Date: 2 July 2017, 3.00pm
Location: Albemarle Music Centre
Admission: Free, Tickets: www.hull2017.co.uk/whatson/events/jocelyn-pook-anxiety-fanfare-variation-for-voices/
hull2017.co.uk
Travel Information: www.hull2017.co.uk/visit/getting-here
Address: 60 Ferensway, Hull HU2 8LN
Southbank Centre
Date: 9 July 2017, 2.00pm
Location: The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall
Admission: Free, No Booking Required
southbankcentre.co.uk
Travel Information: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visit/getting-here
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
For more information, contact:
Layla Gatens, Communications Officer
T: + 44 (0)20 7264 0001
E: layla.gatens@cultureand.org