Sunday 25 September 2022, 8pm
We are pleased to welcome composer, percussionist, producer and instrument maker Bex Burch for a special two-day residency, presenting an intimate portrait of her core practice and special collaborations.
The first night Burch will be sharing the stage with solo percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, a double GRAMMY winner, BAFTA nominee, recipient of the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour; virtuoso double bassist John Edwards, whose staggering range of techniques and boundless musical imagination have redefined the possibility of the double bass and dramatically expanded its role; and Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser Owen Gardner. His work draws from a wide variety of music, from the traditional to the highly abstract, coalescing into a very personal and hypnotic style.
The general aim of Burch's practice is to continue to develop her own improvisational language, called 'messy minimalism'.
Employing percussion and hand-crafted xylophones in new and unexpected ways Bex Burch has carved out a unique sonic space for herself. Her restless creativity and desire to embrace new musical challenges across a range of percussive instruments have led to collaborations with a diverse range of artists such as Peter Zummo, Kuljit Bhamra, Sarathy Korwar, Tamar Osborn, Gwyneth Herbert, Leafcutter John and Luke Stewart.
"Dance to it, make love to it, stare at the clouds to it" - Iggy Pop
“They were the unexpected stars of a glitzy show” – John Fordham, The Guardian (UK)
Dame Evelyn Glennie is the first person in history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras, conductors and artists. She fondly recalls having played the first percussion concerto in the history of The Proms at the Albert Hall in 1992, which paved the way for orchestras around the world to feature percussion concerti. She had the honour of a leading role in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Evelyn regularly provides masterclasses and consultations designed to guide the next generation. She is also a leading commissioner of over 200 new pieces for solo percussion for many of the world’s most eminent composers. The film ‘Touch the Sound’ and her enlightening TED speech remain key testimonies to her approach to sound-creation.
Evelyn was awarded an OBE in 1993 and now has nearly 100 international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize and the Companion of Honour. Evelyn continues to inspire and motivate people from all walks of life. Her masterclasses and consultations are designed to guide the next generation.
Evelyn is currently embarking on the formation of the Evelyn Glennie Archive Collection. The vision is to open a centre that embodies her mission to Teach the World to Listen. She aims to ‘improve communication and social cohesion by encouraging everyone to discover new ways of listening. We want to inspire, to create, to engage and to empower’.
John Edwards is a true virtuoso whose staggering range of techniques and boundless musical imagination have redefined the possibility of the double bass and dramatically expanded its role, whether playing solo or with others. Perpetually in demand, he has played with Evan Parker, Sunny Murray, Derek Bailey, Joe McPhee, Lol Coxhill, Peter Brötzmann, Mulatu Astatke and many others.
"I think John Edwards is absolutely remarkable: there’s never been anything like him before, anywhere in jazz." - Richard Williams, The Blue Moment
I am a Baltimore-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser committed to expanding the resources of musical performance and perception. My work is guided by the generative tension between experimental and traditional approaches. The son of a musician and instrument-builder, I was exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age, most importantly to American folk music, which has had the greatest impact on my subsequent music-making...[more]
