Dr Shirley J. Thompson

Transcription

1 Short BIOGRAPHY Dr Shirley J. Thompson Composer, Creative Director, Conductor Cultural Activist, Academic, Violinist, Film Maker The music of composer Shirley J. Thompson is performed and screened worldwide and often described as beautiful and powerful (Le Figaro). A visionary artist and cultural activist, Thompson is the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years. New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony performed and recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is an epic musical story celebrating London s thousand-year history, and one in which the RPO is accompanied by two choirs, solo singers, a rapper and dhol drummers, a total of nearly 200 performers. This extraordinary work was originally commissioned for the Queen s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the concept was latterly assumed as a framework for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. She has also composed extensively for TV/film, theatre, dance and opera production. In 1995 she launched and directed The Shirley Thompson Ensemble at London s South Bank Centre, her own ensemble of instrumental soloists, singers, dancers and visual artists. It was with this group that she created ground-breaking compositions which seamlessly integrate contemporary classical music orchestration with improvisation, as well as fusing contemporary popular music and world music styles. She also developed compositions that integrated video imagery and contemporary dance for the concert stage. Through her original compositions she has subsequently become a leading exponent of music performance with multi-media. Further to her interest in multi-media performance she has devised innovative arts education programmes, including the exemplary, Newham Symphony Schools Spectacular for children ranging in ages from 7-17 years. The latter programme, devised in 2002, led to the introduction of the national education scheme, Every Child A Musician, being adopted in the London borough in Music by Shirley J. Thompson has been commissioned for several royal engagements, including Commonwealth Day performing for HM Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in 1999, with her ensemble again for HM Queen Elizabeth s summer party at Buckingham Palace in 2001, and opening the newly built Stratford Cultural Quarter with the London Gala Orchestra performing the Newham Symphony with Prince Edward and Countess Sophie of Wessex in attendance. In 2000 she was commissioned to compose a large-scale work to commemorate the Queen s Golden Jubilee in This work evolved into the symphony, New Nation Rising. An aficionado of dance, Thompson has created music for contemporary choreographers, including commissions for the Royal Ballet School s choreographic workshops. Her most famous dance score for solo cello and string orchestra, Shift, forms a part of the awardwinning ballet, PUSH starring Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant, whose international

2 tour has led to performances at major venues in over 30 countries including: Sadler s Wells and London Coliseum, England; City Center, New York, USA and Marinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia. Music for the theatrical stage includes her score for the play, The Lodger (Theatre Royal, Stratford East) and A Child of the Jago, an opera in two acts presented by the South Bank Centre with sponsorship from the Arts Council. A Child of the Jago earned her a nomination for the Woman of the Year award in recognition of her contribution to the Arts in Other notable compositions and performances include The Woman Who Refused to (2007) for the opening of the Parliamentary exhibition, British Slave Trade: Abolition, Parliament and People; Spirit Songs (an operatic trilogy including The Woman Who Refused to Dance, Dido Elizabeth Belle and Queen Nanny of the Maroons (2007) performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre. To commemorate 100 days of Barack Obama s Presidency, Thompson was commissioned by South Bank Centre to compose Voice of Change (2009) and this was performed by Principals of the BBC Concert Orchestra. In February 2012 Thompson s Mandela Tales, was premiered in the Purcell Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall by the Shirley Thompson Ensemble. The work features a number of stories from a variety of regions and traditions across Africa with storytelling, original live music, video projection and dance. Shirley J. Thompson had a successful South African premiere of Mandela Tales, performed by the Gordonstoun School in Cape Town, for the GREAT British Week of Culture in February In January 2014, Shirley J. Thompson conducted the premiere of her new choral commission, Westminster Anthem at Westminster Abbey, to commemorate 175 years of the University of Westminster. Performers included the Westminster Abbey Organist, Daniel Cock, Westminster Chorus and Westminster Brass. In February she was Composer-in-Residence, for the Lynn Conservatory, New Music Festival in Florida where the Lynn Philharmonia gave a number of orchestral performances of her works. She returned to present a showcase performance of Heroines of Opera, a new chamber opera production for solo voice and chamber orchestra, at the Women of the World Festival 2014 at the South Bank Centre in March well as presenting the work at St Paul s Cathedral and the House of Commons. She showcased another of her operatic works, Dido Elizabeth Belle at the Victoria & Albert Museum as part of The Other Georgian Story in June and enjoyed another run of PUSH at the London Coliseum in July August. Shirley J. Thompson is Reader in Composition and Performance at the University of Westminster and has served for over 10 years on several national arts institutions, including the Arts Council of Great Britain. She is a member of BASCA s Classical executive and has been named in the Evening Standard s Power List of Britain s Top 100 Most Influential Black People in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

3 Shirley J. Thompson: Conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra Principals, London 2009 Online references include: Shirley J. Thompson Vimeo Music & Design Show-reel Shiurley J. Thompson website Shirley J. Thompson website Composer in Residence Lynn Conservatory New Music Festival

4 Shoot the Messenger: Vox Afrika Trailblazing composer Barack Obama: 100 days (UK event ) Dr Shirley J. Thompson Cutting Edge Composer Instigated Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Tour to Jamaica (2012) Music is Great Mandela Tales Performance in Cape Town Africlassical TV Must Champion Black Winners - Not Just the Stereotypes: Shirley Thompson Exists! Mandela Tales premiere, South Bank Centre MUSIC is GREAT ukinsouthafrica.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=news&id=

5 Mandela Tales review Presenting and chairing sessions at University of Cambridge conference (April 2012) New Nation Rising: A 21 st Century Symphony is extraordinary First female composer to conduct and compose a symphony in 40 years BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival profile and contribution British Parliament commission to compose work to commemorate 250 Years of the Law to Abolish the trade in enslaved African persons

6 Article in publication Moving Worlds commemorating 250 Years of the Law to Abolish the trade in enslaved African persons Profile and premiere of PUSH at Mariinsky Theatre, Russia Music Tank profile Oxford University Press Composers s-performance-westminster-hall- -palace Performance of PUSH at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Arts Festival /PUSH-PROGRAM-A5-12P-FA-9bfd51aa-129d-4096-b992- cd38e540c3d7.pdf

7 Contribution to book, Fifty Shades of Feminism Opening performance for Afro Europe Conference October peans/01%20conference%20schedule%20sept% pdf University of Cambridge Journal review of Symphony Shirley J. Thompson: Conducting the Shirley Thompson Ensemble

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