New music and MMA Group back in town
- Jun 10
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 20
I've spent a lot of time this year writing music, and 2 weeks ago a commission of mine was premiered by The Hermes Experiment and Sinfonia Smith Square. The concerto (for soprano, clarinet, harp, double bass & orchestra) is called "First Orbit" and was written about the first year of my daughter's life, and I am forever grateful to the wonderful Héloïse Werner, Oliver Pashley, Anne Denholm-Blair and Marianne Schofield for asking me to write them the piece and for performing it so beautifully, along with Sinfonia Smith Square and Toby Thatcher. You can hear a recording of the premiere here.
I've got another big premiere this November which I need to get writing for now, but also as ever have some nice gigs coming up. After much touring last year my band has had nothing to do all year so far until now! We have 4 gigs coming up this summer, which have somehow turned out to be taking place in either the southwest corner of London, or the southern half of Europe:
Fri 12th June World Heart Beat (Battersea, London)
Sun 26th July High Tide Festival (Twickenham, London)
Fri 14th August Amiata Music Festival (Tuscany, Italy)
Fri 28th August Grafenegg Festival (Grafenegg, Austria)
Our first gig is this Friday so hope you can make it if you're in London. It'll be a wonderful chance to play some of the tunes from Effra that we toured extensively last year, plus a few newer pieces that have crept into the set since we recorded the album.
I like jackets that can transition between different settings, and the World Cup 2026 Korea Anthem Red Jacket seems to do exactly that. It works for casual outings, travel, or even colder match days without feeling too specialized or limited in use.