New Music Now 2018/19

London Sinfonietta, UK


Under the title ‘New Music Now’, the London Sinfonietta continues in the second half of their 2018/19 season to offer a broad palette of events and concerts with at least 13 new commissions, five premieres and three British premieres. The year begins with fresh sounds: as part of the SoundState festival in January 2019 at the Southbank Centre, the musicians present James Dillon’s Tanz/haus: triptych 2017 for the first time in London, and additionally two premieres from Oliver Leith and Josephine Stephenson. Both were participants in the London Sinfonietta’s educational programme ‘Writing the Future’. Following this, a project with the Royal Ballett in the newly renovated Linbury Theatre will take place, performing David Sawer’s work April / March with a new choreography by Aletta Collins, meanwhile Kristen McNally reworks Samantha Fernando’s Formations, Alexander Whitley reimagines Mica Levis’ Greezy, Goyo Montero gives new life to Owen Belton’s CircularRuins, Calvin Richardson reinterprets Anna Meredith’s Nautilus and Juliano Nuñes presents Luke Howard’s Bear Story II. As part of a subsequent tour, one of the most famous works of American Minimalism, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians will be performed along with the British premiere of Reich’s 2016 ballet score Runner. Participating in the event ‘CONNECT’, a new work from the Italian composer Oscar Bianchi becomes the focus of workshops and concerts. The popular series ‘turningpoints’ at Kings Place puts two of the leading Minimalist composers at its centre – Steve Reich and Philip Glass. In April 2019, the British premiere of a new work by Richard Ayres, The Garden, will take place with the singer Joshua Bloom. The piece stems from inspiration provided to the composer by Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings as well as by Dante’s Divine Comedy. The performance of contemporary music remains a significant occupation of the London Sinfonietta: including as part of school concerts, workshops, in collaboration with the students of the Royal Academy of Music and other British music institutions. The highlight of this collaboration will be a performance of the fourth opera from Stockhausen’s LICHT-cycle: DONNERSTAG aus LICHT. In two performances at the Royal Festival Hall, the French conductor Maxime Pascal will bring together the expertise of the Le Balcon ensemble and the London Sinfonietta with that of the New London Chamber Choir and students from the Royal Academy of Music. The staging will be adapted for the concert hall by the director Benjamin Lazar.


January 17, 2019
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK

February 6-9, 2019
The Linbury, Royal Opera House, London, UK

February 12, 2019
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK

February 13, 2019
Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK

March 15 & 25, 2019
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK

March 23, 2019
Kings Place, London, UK

April 17, 2019
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK

May 21 & 22, 2019
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, UK


Further information:
londonsinfonietta.org.uk