Spitalfields Music

Edmund Finnis talks with careful consideration and precision. And those qualities are also reflected in his compositional process and his musical language. Jon Jacob speaks to the composer about his two premieres in the Spitalfields Festival 2021. 

Ahead of the world premiere of music by British composer Dominic Murcott and Charles Amirkhanian on Wednesday 7 July, Jon Jacob speaks to Armirkhanian about his work and what inspires minimalist composer and sound artist.  

This new work is inspired by the deeply personal story of the instrument being played, a cello built in part by Sonia’s father. Aberdeen is a new collaboration between David Fennessy, Sonia Cromarty and Tim Cooper – developed with Edinburgh-based theatre company Magnetic North – which explores memory, location, objects, and family-ties.

Commissioned for Spitalfields Music and sound, in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society, through the generous support of an anonymous donor.

Alicia Jane Turner is a composer, sound designer and performance artist whose work spans contemporary theatre, live art and experimental music. At Spitalfields Festival 2021 they stage an installation dedicated to queer spaces both real and virtual in an 1800s flat above The George Tavern in East London. In this podcast, Jon Jacob speaks to Alicia Jane Turner about their thinking behind the installation. 

As London emerges from the extended interval caused by coronavirus, Spitalfields Music and our friends at London Symphony Chorus and City of London Sinfonia pause to reflect on the impact of the last year and join in presenting two aural memorials: 'Never to Forget' by Howard Goodall, and 'After Winter' by Errollyn Wallen. 

Jon Jacob speaks to composers Errollyn Wallen, Edmund Finnis, Howard Goodall, and David Fennessey about their new works, including a tribute to those carers who lost their lives in the first wave of the COVID pandemic. 

Spitalfields CEO Sarah Gee is joined by artistic curators Errolyn Wallen, Edmund Finnis, plus singers from Dunedin Consort at the Spitalfields Music Festival launch at Hanbury Hall in East London, to introduce this year's events.