ENTWINED

About 'The Alternative Conservatoire'

LOD composer Bushra El-Turk and Joel Bell, together with a group of composers, producers, and musicians, have established an 'Alternative Conservatoire' in London over the past months. The Alternative Conservatoire is a three-month bespoke artist development accelerator course. Emerging composers are supported in developing their artistic voice and exploring new ideas within a curated
community of artists, musicians and mentors who think differently. This unique space provides a home for young, talented composers who do not entirely fit within a traditional conservatoire. Music creation is not a one-size-fits-all process, so the composers here receive training fully tailored to their individual needs, with a global perspective on music and composition.

This summer, four of the first students will travel to Ghent to present their new compositions for the first time at the LOD Studio during Bijloke Wonderland. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to listen to these emerging talents and their innovative works!

About the four composers & their work

MEES VERVUURT - 'A MYTH FOR STRINGS'

We hear creaking strings, a gentle harmony and a violin trying to play its melody while being
disrupted. In this mythical performance, five string instruments are being played in a completely
new way, from a very far distance. In a play between gentle harmonies and screaming sounds, we
stand still in the space of the breaking moment of sound.

CASSANDRA GURLING - 'AKOUSMATIKOI' (THE LISTENERS)

Akousmatikoi is an exploration of deep listening, guiding both the audience and musicians on a shared journey. By combining analog instrumentation, string arrangements, graphic notation, and text scores, Akousmatikoi forms the first piece in a series of 'AGAAMA Ensemble Mixes'.

LUKE ENGLISH - 'BODY LANGUAGE'

Body Language is an open composition that builds upon the individual and collective creative voices of the group. The score provides just enough inspiration for the performers and is further improvised live on stage. Using various cues, Luke guides the group, shaping the form of the work. Each performance of Body Language is thus entirely unique!

JAMES PRELLER - 'SLIP, CAST, KNIT, PURL'

‘slip, cast, knit, purl.’ is an ode to my family and yarn, a love letter. This piece is an exploration into the rhythmic and quiet intimacy of watching someone knit, and the power of being able to repair through yarn. I found all my old handmade childhood scarves recently, having all been eaten by moths, and my mum’s instant response was ‘that’s the problem with wool. It falls apart so easily.’ I’ve found in a way that’s what makes it as a textile so interesting to me: you make it with the holes already built into it, so how can it ever truly ‘fall apart’, and how can you ever truly repair it? That’s largely what I’ve been exploring here, through music and film: how I can repair knitting after it’s fallen apart, how I can repair music as I tear it apart, and how big a part my family and yarn play in the fabric of my identity.