21st-Century Choral Classics: Joanna Marsh and Joby Talbot
Friday 20 May 2022, 7.30pm
This evening Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin presents two significant choral works of the 21st century, each showcasing the versatility and virtuosity of the BBC Singers. The highly anticipated world premiere of the BBC commission SEEN is the culmination of a collaboration between composer Joanna Marsh, music producer, engineer and songwriter Glen Scott and the librettist Fiona Lindsay. Scored for choir with live electronic manipulation, SEEN reveals and reinterprets lost female voices within classical drama.
In the second half of the concert comes a contrasting titan of the repertoire. Nearly four years in the making, Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles is fast becoming a 21st-century choral classic. Inspired by the indelible impression left on the composer by the sights of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, the work is a choral dramatisation of the famous pilgrimage route, setting poetry and religious texts in seven languages.
A PDF version of this programme, including the sung texts, can be viewed here
Joanna Marsh SEEN BBC commission: world premiere c20’
INTERVAL: 20 MINUTES
Joby Talbot Path of Miracles 60’
Glen Scott electronic production
Sofi Jeannin conductor
Presented by Martin Handley
This concert is being broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 in 'Radio 3 in Concert'. It will be available for 30 days after broadcast via BBC Sounds, where you can also find podcasts and music mixes.
Biographies
Sofi Jeannin conductor
Swedish-born Sofi Jeannin studied conducting and singing at the Stockholm Royal College of Music, the Nice Conservatoire and then at the Royal College of Music, London. She is currently Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers and Music Director of the Maîtrise de Radio France, having previously been Music Director of the Choeur de Radio France.
She has worked with leading conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Bernard Haitink and Christoph Eschenbach, collaborating with orchestras such as the Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
During her time with the Maîtrise she has commissioned many new works from composers such as John Adams, Peter Eötvös, Thierry Escaich and Kaija Saariaho, as well as conducting regularly for broadcasts on France Musique and for performances at the St Denis Festival.
Recent performance highlights with the BBC Singers include world premieres by Shiva Feshareki and Nico Muhly at the 2021 BBC Proms; a collaboration with the Academy of Ancient Music and South Asian dance company Akademi exploring the dances of Rameau with classical and contemporary Indian dance; and Poulenc’s Figure humaine with jazz interpolations from BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Misha Mullov-Abbado.
Her recent and future guest-conducting engagements include concerts with the Hallé, New Japan and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras, Norrköping and Singapore Symphony orchestras and Auckland Philharmonia.
She is committed to education and has worked with the chorus and orchestra of Kinshasa, Congo, and since 2017 has been involved in El Sistema Greece. She regularly gives workshops and masterclasses around the world.
Glen Scott electronic production
British producer, arranger, composer, session musician, sound engineer and lecturer Glen Scott has been active in the music industry for over 30 years.
Born in North London, by the age of 11 he was playing Hammond organ and drums at his father’s church. At 16 he began touring with Dr Robert of 1980’s new wave pop group The Blow Monkeys. He soon established himself as one of the most in-demand session musicians in London, working in various capacities with artists such as Backstreet Boys, Eric Bibb, Mary J. Blige, James Blunt, Craig David, Shawn Mendes, James Morrison, Ron Sexsmith and Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), to name but a few.
He has since released six albums as a solo artist, and currently co-runs an independent record label, Repute Records AB, from Stockholm, Sweden.
Coming up at Milton Court Concert Hall
Sunday 9 October 2022, 5.30pm
Songs and Seasons: Spring Dreams, Summer Fire, Winter Nights
Explore Finland’s choral tradition, as Owain Park and the BBC Singers present songs and poetry by Sibelius, his pupils, and their Finnish contemporaries.
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BBC Singers
The BBC Singers have held a unique place at the heart of the UK’s choral scene for almost 100 years and have collaborated and performed with many of the world’s leading composers, conductors and soloists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The current Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers is Sofi Jeannin.
The BBC Singers promote a 50:50 gender policy for composers whose music they perform, and champion inclusivity for composers from all backgrounds. Recent concerts and recordings include music by Joanna Marsh, Cecilia McDowall, Roxanna Panufnik, Sun Keting, Errollyn Wallen and Roderick Williams. In addition, recent seasons have seen diverse creative collaborations with singers Katie Melua, Laura Mvula and Clare Teal, South Asian dance company Akademi, world music fusion band Kabantu and choreographer Duwane Taylor alongside artists from East London Dance.
As well as their annual performances at the First and Last Nights of the BBC Proms, the 2021 season saw them perform a conceptual Prom featuring composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki.
The BBC Singers are based at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, where they rehearse and record regularly for BBC Radio 3. They also perform an annual series of concerts at Milton Court Concert Hall in London. The 2021–22 season includes a Christmas extravaganza featuring festive music from the Roaring Twenties. The group also gives free concerts at a number of venues across London and appears regularly at major festivals across the UK and abroad, with the vast majority of its performances broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
The BBC Singers also offer a wide programme of innovative learning and community activities, working with schools, colleges/universities and community groups, and take a leading role in BBC Ten Pieces and BBC Young Composer. When vacancies arise, the group encourages applications from all areas of our diverse UK community.
Chief Conductor
Sofi Jeannin
Principal Guest Conductors
Bob Chilcott
Owain Park
Sopranos
Alice Gribbin
Clare Lloyd-Griffiths
Emma Tring
Olivia Robinson
Rebecca Lea
Altos
Eleanor Minney
Jessica Gillingwater
Katherine Nicholson
Nancy Cole
Tenors
Benjamin Durrant
Jacob Ewens
Stephen Jeffes
Tom Raskin
Basses
Andrew Rupp
Charles Gibbs
Edward Price
Jamie W. Hall
Jimmy Holliday
The list of singers was correct at the time of publication
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