Evelyn Glennie to premiere Echoes From The Birdcage – the culmination of her 2017 Musician in Residency at King’s Cross
Echoes from the Birdcage is the world premiere of a new composition to emerge from Dame Evelyn Glennie’s time as the PRS Foundation and King’s Cross Musician in Residence, written by Jill Jarman in collaboration with Dame Evelyn Glennie.
Echoes from the Birdcage will be performed for the first time on Friday 22nd December 2017 at the Platform Theatre in Kings Cross, with a 2:30pm matinee performance and a 7:30pm evening performance. Tickets are available to purchase online now from: http://bit.ly/EchoesFromTheBirdcage and are priced £10 (for concessions) and £18 (for adults).
Informed and inspired by the sounds collected and shared by the King’s Cross community, Echoes from the Birdcage tells a story of the place in six movements, displaying all the different aspects of the area and how much it has changed through history. In Motion; Global Chant; and The Spaces in-between are just a few of the named movements.
An amazing sound world is created by percussionist Evelyn Glennie with an ensemble of musicians, to bring to life the sounds and emotions of the transformation of King’s Cross.
Evelyn Glennie said, “These last few months have been a learning curve; connecting to the King’s Cross community has taught me so much about this place right at the heart of London, so much so that I can say my relationship and appreciation of the area has expanded through this residency. I’m proud of the piece of music Jill [Jarman] has written – Echoes from the Birdcage – and believe it will have a lasting legacy not only in the King’s Cross area, but hopefully as an inspirational piece that gets people thinking about the sound environment of their particular space.”
Maxine Shannon, Project Manager (Events & Enlivenment), Kings Cross said, “We have been thrilled to work with Dame Evelyn as the King’s Cross Musician in Residence throughout 2017 and we are looking forward to seeing the culmination of her work during the final performance in December. It has been great to see the local community playing such an active role in the evolving arts and enlivenment programme at King’s Cross, London’s new creative quarter.”
Vanessa Reed, Chief Executive, PRS Foundation said, “It has been fantastic to see Dame Evelyn Glennie and her team reach out to the schools, workers and residents of Kings Cross this year and really get them thinking about, and involved in, the creation of new music and how their local environment can provide inspiration. These collaborations have shaped Evelyn’s new piece, and we’re all very much looking forward to hearing it on 22nd December.
Listen to Evelyn Glennie discussing her residency in King’s Cross on BBC World Service here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05l6g08
Evelyn Glennie, the world renowned virtuoso solo percussionist, recently recognised as a Companion of Honour in the Queen’s New Year Honours list, was selected to be the new King’s Cross Musician in Residence by the workers, residents, and students at King’s Cross, through an online vote in 2016.
The King’s Cross Musician in Residence – a partnership between PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading funder of new music and talent development, and King’s Cross, London’s new creative quarter – was established to enable a UK-based music creator to explore, write and perform new music whilst based at the King’s Cross site in London over twelve months.
