OPUS HORIZONS

Britten Sinfonia is renowned for its commissioning of outstanding composers and nurturing of the next generation, having helped launch the careers of many composers over its 33-year history. Join us for the annual showcase of our two composer development programmes.

In the OPUS 1 concert, you will hear six new works written for flute, viola and harp by emerging composers who have worked with our musicians and programme director Dani Howard.

In the 7pm concert Britten Sinfonia, joined by Patricia Auchterlonie (soprano), Collin Shay (countertenor) and Clare Hammond (piano), perform three new chamber concertos by composers whose careers are just taking off: George Stevenson, Leoni King and Michael Betteridge. The concert marks the culmination of their year on the Magnum Opus scheme, during which they have written for and worked with Britten Sinfonia musicians, with support from programmed directors Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Huw Watkins. 

George Stevenson's piece BLOODSHIFT imagines the pianist as a swimmer plunging into an icy-cold ensemble, capturing the sights, sounds, and extreme sensations of a winter wild swim. 

Leoni King's I Carried You Out From A Dream asks "if we loved a place, what did it give us in return, and how can we, now, prove we were there?"

bodies by Michael Betteridge is a collection of songs exploring how queer people experience themselves. It sets words by four living queer writers in order to reflect on contemporary perceptions of our own anatomy.