London Sinfonietta
Encyclopedia
The London Sinfonietta is an English
chamber
orchestra
founded in 1968 and based in London
. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and jazz musicians. Through regular collaborations with choreographers, video artists and film-makers, the ensemble places new music at the heart of contemporary culture, reaching out to new audiences and embracing the technical challenges of pushing musical boundaries.
founded the orchestra in 1968. Atherton was its first Music Director, from 1968-1973. Michael Vyner
served as the Artistic Director from 1972-1989. Paul Crossley
took over and served from 1988-1994. Markus Stenz
served as Music Director from 1994-1998. The composer Oliver Knussen
was Music Director from 1998–2002 and is now the Sinfonietta's Conductor Laureate. The Artistic Director of the ensemble from 1998-2006 was Gillian Moore following 10 years as the ensemble's Education Officer.
, Iannis Xenakis
and Luciano Berio
to the more recent additions of Magnus Lindberg
, Thomas Adès
, George Benjamin
, Steve Reich
, Tansy Davies
, Dai Fujikura
, Jonny Greenwood
, Django Bates
, Roberto Carnevale
, Kenneth Hesketh
and Mark-Anthony Turnage
. In August 1969 the ensemble premiered John Tavener
's The Whale. In 1970 it recorded the work for The Beatles
' label Apple Records
.
London Sinfonietta concert performances are increasingly being conceived as the centrepiece of a cluster of related projects and events. These often combine new technology and new media with live music-making in both educational and performance contexts, giving a platform for artistic work inspired by the ensemble’s repertoire.
Innovative ways of promoting contemporary music to new audiences include collaborations with Warp Records
(with concerts seen by over 25,000 people across Europe) and Jonny Greenwood
from Radiohead
. The ensemble’s young ambassadors scheme won the 2006 Royal Philharmonic Society
Audience Development award for its success in bringing large and diverse audiences to performances of Luigi Nono
and Iannis Xenakis
among others.
and guest conductors such as Diego Masson
, Pierre-André Valade, Martyn Brabbins
and George Benjamin
. Since August 2008, the ensemble's headquarters have been based at the new Kings Place
complex in Kings Cross, London
, also home to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
and The Guardian
. The ensemble has been performing concerts at the venue since October 2008. The London Sinfonietta is also a regular fixture at the BBC Proms. Concerts in London are complemented by a busy national and international touring schedule, with a priority of taking the best of British and international music to venues and festivals worldwide.
's song cycle Voices
under the baton of the composer. The orchestra was featured on EMI
's 1988 3-CD authentic recording of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat
. It has recently been expanded by releases on the London Sinfonietta Label, focussing on live performances of otherwise unavailable repertoire. These CDs include 50th birthday tributes to Oliver Knussen
, and Toru Takemitsu
’s Arc and Green. Between 2006 and 2009, the London Sinfonietta Label in conjunction with the Jerwood Foundation
and NMC Recordings
released the Jerwood Series: 6 CDs featuring London Sinfonietta players' performances of new compositions by young composers, which include Richard Causton, Dai Fujikura
, Ian Vine
and Larry Goves
. In 2006 a collaboration with Warp Records
, featuring recordings of the music of Warp Records artists, such as Aphex Twin
, as well as modern classical music composers, such as John Cage
, was released as Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters
.
, a 50th birthday tribute to Oliver Knussen
, Cyclops 2000/A Reliquary for Igor Stravinsky
by Charles Wuorinen
, and the 6 CDs in the Jerwood Series, a project supported by the Jerwood Foundation
which showcases new works by young and emerging contemporary composers.
All recordings on the London Sinfonietta Label are distributed and sold in partnership with NMC Recordings
, a British label which specialises in recordings by living composers.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
chamber
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
founded in 1968 and based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and jazz musicians. Through regular collaborations with choreographers, video artists and film-makers, the ensemble places new music at the heart of contemporary culture, reaching out to new audiences and embracing the technical challenges of pushing musical boundaries.
Directors
Nicholas Snowman and David AthertonDavid Atherton
David Atherton OBE, is an English conductor.-Background:Atherton was born in Blackpool, Lancashire in a musical family. He was educated at Blackpool Grammar School. His father, Robert Atherton, was the Music Master at St Joseph's College, Blackpool and was also a conductor...
founded the orchestra in 1968. Atherton was its first Music Director, from 1968-1973. Michael Vyner
Michael Vyner
Michael Vyner was an English arts administrator.Formerly employed by the music publishers Schott Music, he became Musical Director of the London Sinfonietta in 1972...
served as the Artistic Director from 1972-1989. Paul Crossley
Paul Crossley
Paul Crossley is a British pianist.Born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, his piano teacher was Fanny Waterman in Leeds. While a student at Mansfield College, Oxford, he was discovered by Olivier Messiaen and his wife Yvonne Loriod, who heard him play and immediately invited him to come to Paris to study...
took over and served from 1988-1994. Markus Stenz
Markus Stenz
Markus Stenz is a German conductor. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln with Volker Wangenhein and at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa....
served as Music Director from 1994-1998. The composer Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
was Music Director from 1998–2002 and is now the Sinfonietta's Conductor Laureate. The Artistic Director of the ensemble from 1998-2006 was Gillian Moore following 10 years as the ensemble's Education Officer.
Repertoire
The ensemble has commissioned and performed many works by both emerging and established composers. Its list of over 200 commissions reaches from its early support of Harrison BirtwistleHarrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
, Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
and Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
to the more recent additions of Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He is currently the composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.-Education:...
, Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London...
, George Benjamin
George Benjamin (composer)
George William John Benjamin, CBE is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher....
, Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, Tansy Davies
Tansy Davies
Tansy Davies is a British composer.As a youth, Davies sang and played guitar in a rock band. She developed an interest in composition in her teens, and subsequently began music studies at the Colchester Institute in French horn and composition...
, Dai Fujikura
Dai Fujikura
is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Dai Fujikura left home in Osaka at 15 and went to study at Dover College in the UK, his adopted home. His initial ambition was to compose music for cinema...
, Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
, Django Bates
Django Bates
Django Bates , is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. He currently lives in Copenhagen where he is a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and leader of the StoRMChaser orchestra.-Career:Django Bates was born in Beckenham,...
, Roberto Carnevale
Roberto Carnevale
Roberto Carnevale is an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.- Biography and career :Born in Catania, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the University of Catania and he attended the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena...
, Kenneth Hesketh
Kenneth Hesketh
Kenneth Hesketh is a British composer of contemporary classical music in numerous genres including opera, orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo...
and Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage is a prolific English composer of classical music. His initial musical studies were with Oliver Knussen, John Lambert, and later with Gunther Schuller...
. In August 1969 the ensemble premiered John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
's The Whale. In 1970 it recorded the work for The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' label Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
.
Ethos
The London Sinfonietta consciously aims to blur the boundaries between an artistic experience and an educational one, acknowledging that much of its work – whether on the platform or off – embraces an element of both. This results in an innovative strand of collaborative work with young artists, enabling the ensemble to introduce its music to new audiences and partners.London Sinfonietta concert performances are increasingly being conceived as the centrepiece of a cluster of related projects and events. These often combine new technology and new media with live music-making in both educational and performance contexts, giving a platform for artistic work inspired by the ensemble’s repertoire.
Innovative ways of promoting contemporary music to new audiences include collaborations with Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
(with concerts seen by over 25,000 people across Europe) and Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
from Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. The ensemble’s young ambassadors scheme won the 2006 Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
Audience Development award for its success in bringing large and diverse audiences to performances of Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono
Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and remains one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century.- Early years :Born in Venice, he was a member of a wealthy artistic family, and his grandfather was a notable painter...
and Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
among others.
Residence and Festivals
The ensemble is a resident ensemble of the Southbank Centre, where it performs much of its London season under both its Conductor Laureate Oliver KnussenOliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
and guest conductors such as Diego Masson
Diego Masson
Diego Masson is a French conductor, composer, and percussionist.The son of artist André Masson and brother of the singer and actor Luís Masson, Diego Masson studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatoire...
, Pierre-André Valade, Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins is a British conductor. He studied at Goldsmiths College, London University, and later was a conducting student of Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory....
and George Benjamin
George Benjamin (composer)
George William John Benjamin, CBE is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher....
. Since August 2008, the ensemble's headquarters have been based at the new Kings Place
Kings Place
Kings Place is a building in London’s Kings Cross area, providing music and visual arts venues combined with seven floors of office space, a home for The Guardian newspaper since December 2008 and the headquarters of Network Rail...
complex in Kings Cross, London
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
, also home to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and has its headquarters at Kings Place...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. The ensemble has been performing concerts at the venue since October 2008. The London Sinfonietta is also a regular fixture at the BBC Proms. Concerts in London are complemented by a busy national and international touring schedule, with a priority of taking the best of British and international music to venues and festivals worldwide.
Recording
An acclaimed discography includes seminal recordings of many 20th-century classics, including the premiere recording of Hans Werner HenzeHans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
's song cycle Voices
Voices (Henze)
Voices is a musical composition by the German composer Hans Werner Henze.Written between January and June 1973, it is a collection of 22 independent songs which may be performed individually, with alterations to the instrumentation...
under the baton of the composer. The orchestra was featured on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's 1988 3-CD authentic recording of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
. It has recently been expanded by releases on the London Sinfonietta Label, focussing on live performances of otherwise unavailable repertoire. These CDs include 50th birthday tributes to Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
, and Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
’s Arc and Green. Between 2006 and 2009, the London Sinfonietta Label in conjunction with the Jerwood Foundation
Jerwood Foundation
The Jerwood Foundation is a major United Kingdom funder of arts, education, and science.The foundation is particularly noted in the arts for establishing the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and associated projects such as the Jerwood Space for dance and exhibitions, the Jerwood Painting Prize, the...
and NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.-History:The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended...
released the Jerwood Series: 6 CDs featuring London Sinfonietta players' performances of new compositions by young composers, which include Richard Causton, Dai Fujikura
Dai Fujikura
is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:Dai Fujikura left home in Osaka at 15 and went to study at Dover College in the UK, his adopted home. His initial ambition was to compose music for cinema...
, Ian Vine
Ian Vine
Ian Vine is a British composer. Vine spent his formative years in Libya and Hong Kong. He studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music with Anthony Gilbert and privately with Simon Holt .One can detect traces of Near and Far Eastern modalities as well as gestural and formal...
and Larry Goves
Larry Goves
Larry Goves is a British composer.A Phd student at the University of Southampton, his tutor is Michael Finnissy. In addition to Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, he has studied privately with Richard Barrett and Simon Holt...
. In 2006 a collaboration with Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
, featuring recordings of the music of Warp Records artists, such as Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
, as well as modern classical music composers, such as John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, was released as Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters
Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters
Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters is a 2-CD set consisting of live performances by the London Sinfonietta, released by Warp Records in 2006...
.
London Sinfonietta Label
The London Sinfonietta Label is the official record label of the London Sinfonietta. To date, nine recordings have been released, including Arc and Green by Tōru TakemitsuToru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
, a 50th birthday tribute to Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
, Cyclops 2000/A Reliquary for Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
by Charles Wuorinen
Charles Wuorinen
Charles Peter Wuorinen is a prolific Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. His catalog of more than 250 compositions includes works for orchestra, opera, chamber music, as well as solo instrumental and vocal works...
, and the 6 CDs in the Jerwood Series, a project supported by the Jerwood Foundation
Jerwood Foundation
The Jerwood Foundation is a major United Kingdom funder of arts, education, and science.The foundation is particularly noted in the arts for establishing the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and associated projects such as the Jerwood Space for dance and exhibitions, the Jerwood Painting Prize, the...
which showcases new works by young and emerging contemporary composers.
All recordings on the London Sinfonietta Label are distributed and sold in partnership with NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label which specialises in recording works by living British composers.-History:The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1988, with financial assistance from the Holst Foundation. NMC is an abbreviation for "New Music Cassettes", which refers to the intended...
, a British label which specialises in recordings by living composers.