Programme
Alive With Closed Eyes
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Little Moon Man
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A Chance to Hear the Rain
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Skin
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If I Miss a Star
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Facetime
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Host Reprise
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Interval (20 minutes)
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One of Those People (arranged by Jude Lane)
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Waves (arranged by Scott Stroman)
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The Therapist / Under the Tree (arranged by Ryan Mackenzie)
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For You (arranged by Jude Lane)
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Sky Thinking (arranged by Ryan Mackenzie)
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Tenderness (arranged by Sam Gale)
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New Tree 109A (arranged by Jude Lane)
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Roots (arranged by Sam Gale)
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All compositions by Lauren Kinsella & Chris Hyson
Guildhall Studio Orchestra
Voice
Lauren Kinsella
Rosa Witts
Olesa Zgurskaia
Urte Gineleviciute
Alexandra Cojocariu
Jasmine Anderson
Emily Masser
ajay b. bop
Alastair Eddie
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Woodwinds
Lara Ali
John Kelly
Amy Williams
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Trumpet
Benny Tayler
Trombone
Tom Hornby
French Horn
Henry Ward
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Guitar
Alex Allen
Dan Fawcett-Tuke
Piano
Ben Liu
Tom Ross
Bass
Alex Gold
Theo Gray
Drums
Adam Leather
Tom O’Connor
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Percussion
Kia Lares
Harp
Arwen Withey-Harrison
Strings
Nicole Petrus Barracks
Esther Park
Helena Logah
Iza Stefańska
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Ensemble Tutors
Brigitte Beraha
Oli Rockberger
Colm O'Hara
Described by the Journal of Music as “one of Ireland's most renowned improvisers”, Colm O’Hara draws from many styles and genres in his approach to new and improvised music. O’Hara performs regularly with some of Ireland’s leading Jazz groups such as The Dirty Jazz Club and Redivider, world music group Yurodny, new music group Crash Ensemble and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTE Concert Orchestra, Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra and Irish National Opera. As an ensemble leader in his own right, The Colm O’Hara 10tet, a group containing 10 of Ireland’s leading improvising musicians, closed The New Music Dublin festival 2022 in the National Concert Hall to critical acclaim.
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As a composer O’Hara’s works have premiered in the UK, Germany and Dublin, and his Piece for Improvising Youth Orchestra came 7th in the Keuris International Composers competition 2014.
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Also heavily involved in music education in Ireland, O’Hara is Musical Director of Manor Kilbride Music School, Lecturer in Aural Development and Composition Techniques at Royal Irish Academy of Music, Lecturer in Brass at DCU and Artistic creator for Commonground, a community arts project working in Dublin 8. Recorded on over 30 albums, including Lisa O’Neills All of This is Chance, The Villagers’ The Art of Learning to Swim, O’Hara released his own debut Unruly Behaviour in 2018.
Lauren Kinsella
Lauren Kinsella is an Irish vocalist based in London. Her work as a composer, improviser, collaborator and performer has been described as “truly captivating” (For Folk’s Sake), “stunning” (BBC Radio 3) and with “inventive curiosity and imagination” (Irish Examiner).
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A regular performer at many of London’s celebrated venues and festivals including Kings Place, Cafe Oto, the Vortex, the Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre, Songlines Encounters and the London Jazz Festival, she has also performed at several European festivals including Unerhört Jazz (Switzerland), InJazz (Netherlands), Cool Britannia (Vienna), Klaeng (Cologne), Down With Jazz (Ireland), Ankara International Music Festival (Istanbul), 12 Points (Porto), Dublin Literary Festival (Ireland), European Jazznights (Oslo), Jazzy Colours (Paris), Belfast Literary Festival (UK), Südtirol Jazz Festival (Italy) and the Cardiff Poetry Festival (Wales).
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She specialises in improvisation and her unique style of vocalisation involves exploring the different types of vocabulary connected with vocal and instrumental sound. From singing to speech, utterance to lexicon, syllabic deconstruction to stream of consciousness, Lauren’s work celebrates the human voice in multi-faceted ways. “A modernist, Kinsella is pushing vocal improvisation into new areas” (AllAboutJazz)
Kinsella also works as a soloist with several celebrated composers from contemporary classical (Ian Wilson, Ed Bennett) to film (Harry Escott) and writers (Cherry Smyth, Sally O’Reilly).
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She has released several acclaimed albums on Edition Records, WideEarRecords, Diatribe and Two Rivers Records. Shortly after Snowpoet’s first release on Two Rivers Records, a band led by Kinsella and bassist Chris Hyson, Kinsella was awarded UK Vocalist of the Year (JazzFM 2016). Snowpoet’s most recent release on Edition Records Thought You Knew was hailed by the National Public Radio USA as one of the best jazz albums of 2018.
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Her work continues to be reviewed in Germany, UK, France, USA, Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria and Ireland with her music featuring on BBC Radio 2, Radio 3 and Radio 6, RTE Lyric FM, Jazz FM, BBC Radio Scotland, Le Bande Passante, Sverigesradio and ORF.
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Lauren received her MA in jazz singing and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, upon which she was awarded the Kenny Wheeler Prize. She currently lectures at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, The Royal Academy of Music and Leeds College of Music. She has taught masterclasses in improvisation at several universities including Newcastle University, Dublin City University and Huddersfield Contemporary University.
Chris Hyson
Chris Hyson is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who sits at the heart of a creative scene in London bursting with ideas and individuality.
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Over the last decade he’s built a formidable reputation for his refreshing perspective, taste and integrity as a producer who enhances the music and serves the song. As a result, many London-based artists have sought out Chris to produce their music, most notably Jordan Rakei for Ninja Tune.
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Citing influences from James Blake, Björk and Radiohead, Chris’ music is uplifting, soaked in sun-drenched harmonies combined with the darker sub-tones of a melancholy that deeply enriches the musical and emotive narrative.
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Since 2015 Chris has released a series of solo EPs, collaborating with Jordan Rakei, Alison Sudol, Magic Lantern as well as two albums with Snowpoet, the evocative, adventurous London-based band with vocalist Lauren Kinsella. This body of work has collectively reached over 2 million streams online, and gained recognition and radio play across major UK stations including BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 6 Music, Jazz FM and Classical FM.
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Tracks from the Snowpoet’s self-titled debut album were championed by BBC 6 Music, and a full-band performance of the record was broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall on BBC Radio 3, as part of the 2016 BBC Proms.
2018 brought Snowpoet’s stunning second album, Thought You Knew, a unique & fresh offering that was dubbed by Clash Music as “a multi-faceted jewel” drawing influence deeply from jazz yet imaginatively and “wonderfully retrained”. The album brought with it a full-band European tour across 19 dates, and solidified the duo’s status as an emerging, exciting frontrunner on the contemporary music scene. The record exclusively received rave 4 and 5 star reviews, and gained traction and national recognition via airplay on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 3.
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As a performer, Chris has shared the stage with various acclaimed artists across genres, including English singer/songwriter Mara Carlyle (EMI), renowned drummer/producer Richard Spaven, Mercury Prize shortlisted folk artist Sam Lee, Mercury Prize nominated British rapper TY, three-time GRAMMY Award winning artist Bill Laurance, project of Australian-born London-based singer/songwriter Jamie Doe ‘The Magic Lantern’, Rough Trade Records artists Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, and Sony artist and Jazz Singer Hailey Tuck, with whom he appeared live on Jools Holland in 2018.
Forthcoming Events
Guildhall Jazz Voices featuring Cleveland Watkiss
13 May 2026
Milton Court Concert Hall
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An uplifting evening of vocal virtuosity and rich harmonies from Guildhall’s jazz vocal ensembles, featuring special guest Cleveland Watkiss.
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Junior Guildhall Big Band and Jazz Ensembles
16 May 2026
Silk Street Music Hall
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Junior Guildhall’s Big Band and Jazz Ensembles, conducted by Oliver Weston, present an evening of vibrant jazz performance showcasing the energy and musicianship of the School’s outstanding young players.
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Guildhall Jazz Orchestra: Porgy and Bess
21 May 2026
Milton Court Concert Hall
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Guildhall Jazz Orchestra welcomes internationally acclaimed trumpet soloist Ingrid Jensen for a performance of Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ luminous 1958 reimagining of George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.
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Photo © David Monteith-Hodge
Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Founded in 1880 by the City of London Corporation
Chair of the Board of Governors
The Hon. Emily Benn
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Principal
Professor Jonathan Vaughan FGS
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Vice-Principal & Director of Music
Armin Zanner​ FGS
Contact Us​
Silk Street,
Barbican,
London,
EC2Y 8DT
+44 (0)207 628 2571
Guildhall School is provided by the City of London as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation.
For assistance with digital programmes, please contact digitalprogrammes@gsmd.ac.uk
