Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance has announced the details of its autumn 2018 performance programme, in which 25 of the 37 works (68%) are by female composers. 

In March 2018, Trinity Laban announced ‘Venus Blazing’, an initiative in which the conservatoire pledged that at least half of the works performed at its 60+ concerts in 2018/19 would be by female composers. The initiative was named after a 2011 work by composer Deirdre Gribbin and led by faculty members Dr Sophie Fuller and Jonathan Tilbrook. 

The conservatoire’s autumn season will include a production of Thea Musgrave’s opera A Christmas Carol, as well as works by Kaija Saariaho, Judith Weir, Elizabeth Maconchy, Meredith Monk, Rebecca Dale, Sofia Gubaidulina, Imogen Holst, Judith Bingham, Emily Howard, Lili Boulanger, Eleaner Daley, Louise Farrenc, Grace Williams, Errollyn Wallen and Grazyna Bacewicz.

The series will also feature a performance of music by May Lou Williams, Maria Schneider, Marian McPartland and Nikki Iles at the London Jazz Festival.

Dr Fuller commented: 

Our diverse programme for autumn, which spans countries, decades and genres…is music that is here to be heard and celebrated and, we hope, will help change people’s idea of what a popular concert programme should look like in the future.

Visit www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/venusblazing for the full concert listings and further details.