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Work With Us

We are eager to work with interesting musicians, writers and venues.  We also look forward to seeing you at our concerts and would always appreciate support in any form it might come.  We apply for and accept funding for some of our projects.  If you would like to work with or support us in any way, please get in touch using the Contact form.

 

 

Over the past eight years the Collective has been exploring the connection between music and words and the use of music and spoken word in both traditional and unusual venues.

 

Our work has included:

  • A quarterly series of themed concerts involving music and literature at St Cuthbert's Church, Earl's Court

  • A themed series called 'On Reflection' using a single instrument (cello plus loop pedal) to accompany and comment on spoken poetry or prose

  • The combining of masterpieces from the classical repertoire with premieres of new music to honour the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke

  • An exploration of the work of contemporary composers and of the great teacher of composition, Nadia Boulanger, through the music of her students and associates and her own words

  • Semi-staged performances most notably around the 1942 Arts Commune in Brooklyn where Benjamin Britten and WH Auden lived and worked, and around the writing of diarist and novelist Anais Nin

  • An exploration of music from a variety of genres including Eastern European folk music, jazz and musical theatre

Ismena enjoys performing in unusual venues and with unusual organisations:

  • Our work with Numbi Arts: A Global Conversation Locally (www.numbi.org) took us to The Rich Mix in Shoreditch

  • We collaborated with Markson Pianos (www.marksonpianos.com) to perform at the Boesendorfer Series at St Mary Magdalene, Portland Place

  • We worked with the Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation (www.rimbaudverlaine.org) to perform at Holy Trinity Sloane Square

  • We performed our theatre piece 'Anais Nin: The Lie Box' at The Forge Camden and Burgh House, Hampstead

  • We helped new Wandsworth cafe, Ostara, to draw in locals with an evening of Baroque and Spanish music and poetry

 

Future plans:

  • A concert with Oud player Baha Yetkin and reader Darris Golinski exploring the transcendental poetry of Rumi

  • A semi-staged performance about the relationship of Frederic Chopin and George Sand

  • A performance of Beethoven's late quartet op 132 with readings from The Four Quartets of TS Eliot 

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