Southbank Gamelan Players

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Ensemble in Residence at Southbank Centre, Southbank Gamelan Players has achieved an international reputation for collaborating with dancers, puppeteers and composers from Indonesia, Europe and the USA. The ensemble - comprising many players who have studied extensively in Java and Bali - performs both traditional Javanese repertoire and champions new music for gamelan.

Renowned Javanese musician, composer and ethnomusicologist Dr Rahayu Supanggah agreed to act as Associate Artist at Southbank Centre and works closely with Southbank Gamelan Players to devise innovative projects for the future direction of the gamelan programme.

In 1988, the Royal Festival Hall was presented with a full set of Central Javanese gamelan instruments Kyai Lebdhajiwa (The Venerable Spirit of Perfection) as a gift of friendship from the people of The Republic of Indonesia to the people of Great Britain. Since its arrival, the gamelan has become a popular and important part of artistic and educational life at Southbank Centre. Founded by Alec Roth, the gamelan programme has inspired similar education programmes throughout Great Britain and Europe - many of which rely of the expertise of the tutors from Southbank Centre.

www.sbgp.org.uk

Lemn Sissay

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Lemn has recently commenced a year-long residency with us, as Poet in Residence. He is the author of four poetry collections: Tender Fingers in a Clenched Fist (1988); Rebel Without Applause (1992); Morning Breaks in the Elevator (1999) and The Emperor's Watchmaker (2000). He is also the editor of The Fire People: A Collection of Contemporary Black British Poets (1998), and his work has appeared in many anthologies. His stage plays are Chaos By Design, Storm, and Something Dark.

Lemn is also an Associate Artists at Artsadmin. Examples of his television explorations include a six-part jazz series for BBC2, and in 2004 he presented the first National Poetry Slam and The New Brit for the BBC. His work has featured in various short films including the British Film Institute sponsored The Elevator, featuring Gary Lewis. A documentary about Lemn's extraordinary life and search for his father, Internal Flight, was recently broadcast on BBC1.

He has been commissioned to write poems by various bodies including the World Service, and his work has become public art, particularly in Manchester, where his poems appear on buildings and streets. Lemn reads his work around the world and is featured on many albums, most notably Leftism by Leftfield.

The Independent on Sunday says of his work: 'His poems are the songs of the street, declamatory, imaginative, hard-hitting.'

Read more from Lemn by visiting www.lemnsissay.com

Orchestra of the age of enlightenment

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Resident Orchestra of Southbank Centre

Principal Artists:
Ivan Fischer, Vladimir Jurowski and Sir Simon Rattle CBE

‘The OAE is quite possibly the finest orchestra in the land, period instruments or no, and thus one of the finest in the world’ (Evening Standard).

It's 1986. For some 10 years there has existed a largely London-based core of players of Baroque instruments who have played for bands run autonomously by experts. Confidence and standards have improved greatly. Music-making has been transformed.

And then a group of players forms a self-governing orchestra of period instruments - the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE). There's no single conductor. Instead, conductors or directors from violin or keyboard are appointed on a concert-by-concert basis. The OAE is quickly recognised as special, and the recording industry clasps it to its bosom.

In celebration of its 21 years, six great conductors who have played pivotal roles in the Orchestra's history have been named as Principal Artists (Ivan Fisher, Vladimir Jurowski and Sir Simon Rattle) and Emeritus Conductors (Frans Bruggen, Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Roger Norrington). And the OAE continues to thrill through its dynamic, refined and extraordinary playing.

The OAE has been an Associate Orchestra of Southbank Centre for 13 years, becoming a Resident Orchestra last season. In addition it is Associate Orchestra at Glyndebourne, and is the first period instrument orchestra to offer an apprenticeship scheme, the OAE Experience.

This season the OAE celebrates revolution. Not only examining the music surrounding the French Revolution in the four-part series The Eve of Revolution, but highlighting the revolution in music-making that the OAE started. The 2007/08 Season has concerts with all our Principal Artists, and starts with a dynamic new production of the seminal operaDido and Aeneas.

In addition the ground-breaking and award-nominated late night series, The Night Shiftreturns for a further three events.

JOIN THE FRIENDS!

You can get to know the orchestra better by becoming a Friend of the OAE. Friends receive the bulletin Enlightenment with news of concerts and exclusive events, opportunities to meet the players and free concert programmes. To join for as little as £25 simply call the OAE office on 020 7836 6690.

www.oae.co.uk

Photo: Chi-Chi Nwanoku MBE by Eric Richmond

London Sinfonietta

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Associate Artist of Southbank Centre

'A band of individual virtuosos blending into an ensemble of thrilling panache' (Observer).

In 2007/08 the London Sinfonietta presents a thought-provoking series at Southbank Centre that places contemporary music at the heart of today's culture. Featuring world premieres by Simon Holt, Karin Rehnqvist and Thomas Ades, alongside the music of modern greats such as Luigi Nono, Olivier Messiaen and Steve Reich, the London Sinfonietta is an ensemble that seeks to redefine musical experiences mixing music with visuals, dance and poetry.

www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk

London Philharmonic Orchestra

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre

The London Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates three milestones during 2007/08: the 75th anniversary of the Orchestra's first performance on 7 October 1932; the first season with its new Principle Conductor, Vladimir Jurowski, and its return to a refurbished Royal Festival Hall.

The season's musical programmes are also celebratory with works ranging from Beethoven's five piano concertos to a recognition of anniversary years for Elgar and Korngold. There are the first five symphonies of Mahler, the Ravel piano concertos, the great violin concertos, Verdi's immortal Requiemand a concert performance of Bellini's La straniera in partnership with Opera Rara. Nicola Benedetti plays the world premiere of a new work by John Tavener, and there are further premieres by Matthias Pintscher and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Leonidas Kavakos and Sergey Khachatryan head a line-up of great violinists as do Maurizio Pollini, Emanuel Ax and Richard Goode of great pianists. Conductors Kurt Masur, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky and Christoph Eschenbach feature and there are debut performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra by Simone Young. Debut soloists include Dejan Lazic, Yossif Ivanov and Marisol Montalvo.

Saint Etienne

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

"We are very pleased to have been given an opportunity to spend a year working at Southbank Centre as Artists in Residence. We're planning a series of films and events, including a Christmas music festival and a monthly club where we can meet people, exchange ideas, and bring them along on the journey with us. Collectively, the Royal Festival Hall is probably our favourite  building in London, and we'll be working on a film and music project that will capture the next chapter in its history, something we will premiere at the Royal Festival Hall the week it reopens."