Thursday 4th April 6.30pm
Nexus - One World Music
New experimental concerts on the first Thursday of each month at St
George's Bloomsbury, featuring established musicians from diverse
backgrounds fusing improvised modern jazz and the classical
avantgarde.
This first concert features Errollyn Wallen (voice & piano), Paul
Gladstone Reid (piano), Cleveland Watkiss (vocals) and Orphy Robinson
(marimba), in a response to and celebration of the legacy of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jnr on the 45th anniversary of his assassination.
Presented by Bonnie Greer OBE.
Tickets: £10 at the door, £8 advance reservations, £6 concession.
Email concerts@stgb.org.uk for reservations or phone 020 7242 1979
Errollyn Wallen MBE, 'renaissance woman of contemporary British
music', is as respected as a singer-songwriter of pop influenced songs
as she is a composer of contemporary new music. Communication is at
the centre of both worlds: engaging the audience, speaking directly to
hearts and minds. Born in Belize, Errollyn Wallen gave up her training
at the Dance Theater of Harlem, New York to study composition at
universities of London and Cambridge. She founded her own Ensemble X
and its' motto, we don't break down barriers in music, we don't see
any, reflects her genuine, free-spirited approach and eclectic
musicianship. She has been commissioned by outstanding music
institutions from the BBC to the Royal Opera House and has performed
her songs internationally. Errollyn's first
drama series score has just won Best Music Award for a TV Series at
FIPA festival 2013, awarded for ONE NIGHT, the BBC drama series.
Paul Gladstone Reid MBE is a creative musician, producer and
performer, driven by ideas and events that impact culture and society.
As an accomplished pianist and award-winning composer, his work
reflects musical languages and historical reflections of knowledge
that forges new directions in contemporary culture. His classical
compositions have been performed by orchestras such as The London
Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Royal
Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and The London Sinfonietta. In addition
to his Art
Music, he regularly collaborates with artists from the worlds of Hip
Hop, African Music, World Music, Pop, Rock and Electronic and has
received wide-ranging critical acclaim for creating cross-cultural
works of art.
Born in the East End of London, virtuoso vocalist, actor and composer
Cleveland Watkiss studied the voice at the London School of Singing
with opera coach Arnold Rose and at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama.His amazing vocal experiences have seen him perform with many
diverse artists from around the world such as the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Bob
Dylan, Jackie Mittoo, Keith Richards, Nigel Kennedy, George Martin,
the London Chamber Orchestra, Kassa Mady, the BBC Orchestra,Talvin
Singh, Bjork, Pete Townshend and many many more. Cleveland has also
been a multi Award winner,achieving success at the Wire/Guardian Jazz
Awards and has been voted best vocalist for three consecutive years.
Orphy Robinson has had the distinction to have been one of the few
select musicians outside America to have been signed to the legendary
record label 'Blue Note records'. His work as a composer has led to
commissions for contemporary dance companies, he represented Great
Britain at the Atlanta Olympic Games, has written for Ensemble Bash
and had music performed at The Proms in the Royal Albert Hall and for
the Romanian violin virtuoso Alexander Balanescu. Since late 2009
Robinson has been a featured soloist on marimba/vibraphone with
violinist Nigel Kennedy, performing and recording an extensive
repertoire from Johann Sebastian Bach, Vivaldi and Duke Ellington,
which has resulted in favourable press reviews throughout with
Kennedy's newly created "Orchestra of Life".
