Visionary multi-disciplinary artist BISHI is teaming up with City of London Sinfonia on an iconic live performance of her work, as well as pieces by Stravinsky, Purcell, Edward Finnis, Debussy and Max Richter this coming Sunday!
For reference, City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an orchestra, rooted in “the belief that music and creativity are for anyone and everyone.” They have a unique ethos to audiences as individuals who can connect with the concert experience in their own way.
Naturally, this is a great fit for the talented BISHI, who is a vocalist, sitar player and composer born in London of Bengali heritage. Her collaborations and commissions for the stage include The London Symphony Orchestra, The Kronos Quartet, Yoko Ono’s ‘Meltdown’, and a film collaboration with fashion designer Manish Arora to name a few. She also previously teamed up with the orchestra as a Tanpura soloist on Jonny Greenwood’s Water.
The event takes place on Sunday 29 October 2023 from 6pm – 7:30pm at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG. Speaking on their intentional creative process, the orchestra says, “We put responsive, in-the-moment music-making and musician development at the forefront of all our activities, engaging audiences in shared, meaningful music experiences wherever they may be.”
City of London Sinfonia perform in various locations, but the collaboration with BISHI marks their debut at Kings Place. as part of their Sounds Unwrapped Series. They will creatively explore the acoustic possibilities of Kings Place’s elegant main auditorium, Hall One, through their signature informal performance style.
The concert will feature pieces that span the centuries from Purcell to Edward Finnis, from Debussy to Max Richter. Audience members will be able to enjoy pieces for solo instruments and chamber groups, and the songs ‘Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep’ and ‘The Good Immigrant’ from BISHI’s third album, Let My Country Awake.
We learn that BISHI has worked closely with Iain Farrington, whose arrangements featured significantly at the King’s Coronation. The performance will culminate with Terry Riley’s classic work of togetherness, In C, which unites BISHI’s voice and instrumentals and City of London Sinfonia’s musicians.
Tickets and the full programme are available here.
Header photo by Frederic Aranda; image of BISHI with sitar by Peter Ashworth.