Lawrence is commissioning editor at Bachtrack. He is a composer, improviser, pianist and writer. He has taught at Cambridge, Huddersfield and Sheffield universities. He has written music for, among others the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Slagwerk Den Haag, Philip Thomas, Juliet Fraser, Ilya Gringolts, Plus-Minus, Exaudi, Apartment House and Explore Ensemble.
Mezzo-soprano Jessica Gillingwater and tenor Peter Davoren reveal how demanding being a member of the BBC Singers is – and how they approach singing such a wide variety of music.
The numbers of entrants to A Level Music has halved since 2010, reflecting a wider landscape for music and culture across the UK that is increasingly bleak.
Conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni, the BBC Philharmonic and soloists Ralph van Raat and Jess Dandy present three new works, each relating to natural environments.
Ligeti’s early life was deeply eventful and traumatic. Biographer Richard Steinitz describes writing Ligeti’s biography – and the alienated and abstracted imprint it left on his music.
Born 100 years ago, the music of Hungarian composer György Ligeti is varied and multiplicitous, displaying a voracious curiosity and a multifaceted imagination.
A pioneering composer of music for electronic instruments in the 1930s, Johanna Beyer also wrote singular chamber and large ensemble music. A portrait concert will be presented at LAC Lugano in May.
Twenty talented young conductors descend on London to participate in the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2023, one of the most prestigious in the world.
A new opera based on Orwell’s Animal Farm will shortly open at Dutch National Opera. Director Damiano Michieletto, librettist Ian Burton and composer Alexander Raskatov speak about this ambitious and fervent new project.
Cate Blanchett’s imperious performance has attracted praise and controversy. Yet in Germany, a woman chief conductor of Lydia Tár’s status seems distant.
In our statistics for 2022, Arvo Pärt is the most performed living composer. What might account for the enduring appeal of this highly personal and spiritual music?
The tragedy of the invasion of Ukraine has rejuvenated interest in Ukrainian music for many across Europe. This playlist glances the surface of a musical culture that runs incredibly deep.
The world stands agog as the US undergoes another election. These composers sought to reveal the brokenness of US politics – and the ability of the American people to come together in spite of it.
Arts Council England have issued multiple funding reductions to contemporary music organisations across England, with some seeing total reductions in funding.
Bachtrack catches up with Zimbabwean-American conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni as he visits Manchester to conduct the BBC Philharmonic – in a project exploring interactions between the orchestra and artificial intelligence.
A musical exploration of the roots of Halloween (and associated festivals La Toussaint and El Día de los Muertos) – when the dead come alive and walk among us.
