News

O flower of fire, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, was released on London Symphony Orchestra's latest album with Apple Music Classical on 16 March. Commissioned by LSO and Staatsoper Hannover, the work was premiered at Barbican Centre in October 2023 and described by the Evening Standard as "an intriguing, and skilfully crafted work."

PRISM Quartet will give the world premiere of Gilt on Sunday 21 January at First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti (MI), USA. Commissioned by the ensemble, the saxophone quartet takes its title (a play on the word 'guilt') from Hew Locke's 2022-2023 facade commission for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; four super-sized, gold, trophy-like sculptures that were displayed on the front of the building after having taken inspiration from artifacts within the Met's collection, revealing wonderfully curious, unrecognizable, striking objects.

Hannah has received an Ivor Novello Award for shouting forever into the receiver, which was commissioned by Südwestrundfunk for Ensemble Modern and Vimbayi Kaziboni, and premiered at Donaueschinger Musiktage in 2022. 

The Jury described the work as "an outstanding piece of original writing," which " is a visceral and arresting composition of great depth that resonates both in message and instrumentation."

Even sweetness can scratch the throat has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Chamber Ensemble Composition, and shouting forever into the receiver has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the Best Large Ensemble Composition category. 

"Even sweetness" was written with the support of Columbia Composers, and premiered by the Royal Academy of Music's Manson Ensemble as part of Hannah's residency there in March. Wavefield Ensemble gave the US premiere at the DiMenna Center, New York, also in March 2023. 

London Symphony Orchestra gave the world premiere performances of O flower of fire on 4 and 5 October 2023 with Sir Antonio Pappano as part of his first concerts as Chief Conductor Designate. It was recorded live at Barbican Centre, London, for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 17 October. Listen to the piece, and the full concert here for up to 30 days. 

Hannah discusses unexpected instruments, creolising sounds and the inspirations behind her new piece O flower of fire for the London Symphony Orchestra, in a five-minute read here. Its world premiere performances will take place on 4 and 5 October with LSO Chief Conductor Designate Sir Antonio Pappano. 

Hannah Kendall and Elaine Mitchener’s article, “Water long like the dead”: The interruption and flow of time in Elaine Mitchener’s SWEET TOOTH,” features in Wolke Verlag’s recent publication, Composing While Black: Afrodiasporische Neue Musik Heute, edited by Harald Kisiedu and George E. Lewis. A German-English bilingual book, it presents unique new perspectives on Afrodiasporic contemporary composers active between 1960 and the present, with essays also authored by Jessie Cox, Jane Forner, Scott Gleason, Yvette Janine Jackson, Harald Kisiedu, George E.

shouting forever into the receiver, commissioned by SWR/Donaueschinger Musiktage for Ensemble Modern and Vimbayi Kaziboni has been shortlisted for the British section of the 2023 International Society for Contemporary Music World New Music Days. The other selected composers are John Aulich, Lillie Harris, Matthew Herbert, Owen Ho and Soosan Lolavar, and at least one of the submitted works will be performed at the Festival in South Africa in November/December.

Hannah speaks to David Grundy about the current influences on her music ahead of her residency at the Royal Academy of Music 13-17 March. Read the full article on Bachtrack here. 

Weroon Weroon was written for Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who gave its world premiere at Helsinki Sibelius-Akatemian konserttisali in October 2022. Kuusisto has recorded the piece for a new Yarlung Records release, Symmetria Pario: Creation, which also features works by Clarice Assad, Harrison Birtwistle, Cecilia Damström, Adam Knight Gilbert, Ricky Kej, Yuko Mabuchi, Missy Mazzoli, and Mehmet Sanlikol, with pianist Joonas Ahonen.

Hannah is thrilled to be Composer in Residence at Royal Academy of Music 13-17 March.

Rosalind has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the Small Chamber category. Commissioned by Leeds Lieder Festival for Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams, and Joseph Middleton, it was premiered in at the 2021 Festival, and sets words by Sabrina Mahfouz. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony on 15 November.

Ensemble Modern will give the world premiere of shouting forever into the receiver at Donaueschinger Musiktage on 16 October. Commissioned by the festival, the piece’s title is a line from Ocean Vuong’s novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, describing a tiny green plastic toy solider perpetually fixed in this action. When I first read this phrase, it reminded me of the shouts and cries, not only of the Plantations, but those of the Plantation Machine, its ongoing feedback loop system, despite the passing of time.

Hannah has been selected, along with composers Alex Paxton and Diana Syrse, for the most recent ricordilab publishing opportunity with Ricordi Berlin, who will publish selected works, and support the artists in the development of their careers. Hannah is absolutely delighted, and is particularly thrilled to be associated with so many composers that she greatly admires.

After a two-year delay, Nexus will receive its world premiere with the European Union Youth Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda in August 2022. Commissioned in 2020 by the European Broadcasting Union for its 70^th anniversary year, and to commemorate Beethoven’s 250^th, the work aims to encapsulate the symbolic notion of ‘Beethoven’s Mirror’; a living composer reflecting and responding to the historical one.

Hannah is thrilled to be the Composer-in-Residence at the 29^th WCM Festival this summer where four of her works will be presented. String quartet Glances / I don’t belong here: will be performed by Nurit Pacht, Mari Sato (violins), Kathryn Lockwood (viola), and Caroline Stinson (cello) at Lulu’s Social Club on 23 July, and there will be a pre-concert talk.

Hannah's most recent work this is but an oration of loss for vocal ensemble, Ekmeles, will be premiered on Friday 27 May at the the crypt of Church of the Intercession, New York City, 7.30pm. See here to buy tickets. 

Ahead of the New York premiere of Tuxedo: Vasco 'de' Gama with the American Composers Orchestra and Marin Alsop at Carnegie Hall on 25 March, Hannah spoke to Lyndsay Werking from ACO to talk about her Tuxedo series after Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork of the same name, and why music boxes, harmonicas and dreadlock cuffs feature throughout.

Experimentalist vocalist and movement artist Elaine Mitchener, and oboist Nicholas Daniel will give premiere performances of pieces from Hannah’s Tuxedo series after Basquiat’s artwork of the same name, at Wigmore Hall on 8 March, and 20 April respectively. Tuxedo: Between Carnival and Lent for voice and ensemble, and Tuxedo: (Copper); Ivory Mask for oboe and piano explore themes of displacement.

It has been announced that Hannah will receive the 2022 Hindemith Prize for music composition. It is awarded to outstanding composers as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. 

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will give the world premiere of Hannah’s most recent piece written after Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artwork Tuxedo. Tuxedo: Plaid x Plaid will open the concert on the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on Saturday 29 January 2022, 8pm. The programme also includes Mozart Concerto for Violin No. 5 in A Major, performed with Pekka Kuusisto, and Schubert (arr. Heribert Breuer) Chamber Symphony in B-flat Major. See here for more details.

A wide-ranging discussion about the past, present, and future of contemporary music ahead of the 100^th Festival Anniversary of Donaueschinger Musiktage. Read the full article in English here, and in German here.

'Tuxedo: Vasco 'de' Gama' will receive its US premiere with San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen on 7, 8, and 9 October. The piece is the first in a series of works inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork 'Tuxedo', and was commissioned for the First Night of the BBC Proms in 2020. Here's a link to more information.

Commissioned by London Sinfonietta for principal violinist Jonathan Morton, ‘Tuxedo: Crown; Sun King’ was premiered at King’s Place on 23 June. Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Tuxedo, it is the third in a series of pieces inspired by the artwork. Watch the performance, and Hannah speak more about the work here.

Described a having a ‘marvelous array of colors’ by The Seattle Times, New York Philharmonic will perform ‘Kanashibari’ under the baton of Music Director Jaap van Zweden on 23, 24, and 25 September. The concert will also feature Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with Yefim Bronfman, and Haydn Symphony No. 92, Oxford. See here for more information, and to book.

Carolyn Sampson, Roderick Williams, and Joseph Middleton will give the world premiere of ‘Rosalind’ at Leeds Lieder Festival on 20 June, 8pm. The collection of five songs set texts by Sabrina Mahfouz. You can watch its first performance online here until 18 July 2021.

Hannah features in a recent Guardian article that explores the effects of the pandemic on artists a year on from COVID. Read the full piece here.

Ahead of the US premiere of Kanashibari with Seattle Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jonathon Heyward on 25 February, Hannah spoke to Thomas May from The Seattle Times. Read the full article here.  

Andris Nelsons will lead Boston Symphony in a performance of Disillusioned Dreamer on 11 February. The piece was commissioned and premiered by Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in 2019; Hannah’s US orchestral debut, and is inspired by a passage in Ralph Ellison’s book, Invisible Man. See here for more details.

‘…searingly impactful. It has a thrilling latent danger, a sleek command.'

          New Statesman

‘…forceful, aphoristic…strikingly scored.’

         The Guardian 

‘…a taut, beautifully shaped piece…’

The Hallé has commissioned a new work from Hannah for their 20/21 Winter Season.

‘Where is the chariot of fire?’, which takes its title from Lemn Sissay’s poem ‘Godsell’, will be broadcast from Hallé St Peter's, Manchester, on Thursday 14 January 2021. Conducted by Jonathon Heyward, the performance will be available online until 14 April 2021. See here for more details.

Hannah had the great pleasure of being asked to contribute to the TAK Editions Podcast by TAK Ensemble. She is a huge admirer of experimental vocal and movement artist Elaine Mitchener, and was delighted that the invitation provided the opportunity to speak with Elaine about her practice in more detail. Listen to their conversation here. 

Hannah speaks to Neil Fisher from The Times ahead of the performance of her debut opera, The Knife of Dawn, at Royal Opera House on 24 October. Read the full article here. 

London Sinfonietta, conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni, will perform Verdala as part of Southbank Centre’s Inside Out season on 28 October. Co-curated by George Lewis and Elaine Mitchener, the concert will celebrate the music of black composers. The ensemble commissioned and premiered the work for its 2018 appearance at BBC Proms commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I. The Verdala was one of the ships that brought the British West Indian Regiment from the Caribbean to Europe to participate. It will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

London Symphony Orchestra will perform The Spark Catchers under the baton of Kerem Hasan in a live concert for a small socially-distanced audience on 7 October, and streamed on LSO’s YouTube channel on 18 October. See here to watch the performance, which also includes Strauss: Le bourgeois gentilhomme – Suite, and Bartók: Dance Suite.

Hannah’s one-man chamber opera The Knife of Dawn will be presented on Royal Opera House’s main stage on 24 October, as part of ‘New Dark Age’. This new production follows its premiere in 2016 at London’s Roundhouse.

In this programme, Hannah explores a selection of music from Mahan Esfahani’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, to Tania León’s 'Alma' for solo flute, to British Jazz group Sons of Kemet’s ‘My Queen is Harriet Tubman’ from their album Your Queen is a Reptile.

Tune in to BBC Radio 3 at 1pm on 26 September to listen to the full selection, or on BBC Sounds here.

Hannah will be London Oriana Choir’s final five15 Composer-in-Residence. The project was created to commission 15 new pieces by five women composers to further promote their music, and create additional repertoire.

On 28 August, Hannah’s new piece ‘Tuxedo: Vasco ‘de’ Gama’ for BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo, will open the series of live concerts presented as part of the 2020 Proms.

Hannah has been commissioned by The Riot Ensemble and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival to write a solo work, 'Tuxedo: Hot Summer No Water' for cellist Louise McMonagle as part of Zeitgeist, an online gallery that presents contemporary work through a digital lens, launched in response to the global lockdown caused by COVID-19. There will also be new works by Matthew Grouse, Anna Appleby, Tanya Auclair, Tonia Ko, and Heloise Tunstall-Behrens.

Shiyeon Sung will conduct Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in two performances of ‘weaves flowers and leaves’ next season. Commissioned and premiered by Ealing Youth Orchestra in 2019, the concerts on 8 and 10 April 2021 will be its US debut.

See here for more information.

Hannah has been commissioned by Leeds Lieder Festival to write a new piece for its 10^th Anniversary. ‘Rosalind', for Soprano Carolyn Sampson, Baritone Roderick Williams, and Pianist Joseph Middleton will have its premiere at University of Leeds, School of Music on 19 April. Setting poems by Sabrina Mahfouz, originally written for James Cousins Company, the collection of five songs are an intimate exploration of a most dynamic Shakespeare character. Hannah will discuss the work in more detail in a pre-concert discussion.

Reviews for Chineke!’s Spark Catchers album released on NMC (January 2020), featuring Hannah’s ‘The Spark Catchers’ recorded live at the 2017 BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall:

‘The best music of all comes with the authoritative control of structure and timbre in Hannah Kendall’s The Spark Catchers, recorded at its taut Proms premiere in 2017, when it was conducted by Kevin John Edusei.’ THE TIMES

The Music Jury of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation has selected a number of international composers and music creators, including Hannah, to receive prestigious Civitella Ranieri Fellowships for 2020 and 2021.

Hannah has been featured on the Greater Than 11% podcast, which interviews women within the creative industries each week. Speaking to Renne Vaughan Sutherland, Hannah discusses her early start in classical music, becoming a composer, and her creative process and practice. Listen to Hannah’s, and all other episodes here.

Hannah joined Trombonist Peter Moore and Soprano Fatma Said as a guest on BBC Two’s Proms Encore on 10 August. Presented by Katie Derham, the episode focusses on the next generation of classical musicians. Watch the full episode here.

Russian ensemble Musica Viva will perform ‘Kanashibari', Hannah’s piece for chamber orchestra, as part of the UK-Russia Year of Music 2019. Alexander Walker will conduct a programme of British works in Moscow’s new concert venue, Zaryadye Hall. It will also feature Thomas Adès’ ‘Three Studies from Couperin’, and James MacMillan’s ‘The Sun Danced'. See here for full concert details.

‘Kendall’s score is wrought with great skill, making effective use of suspenseful pauses. Sections of menacingly coiled rhythms erupt with volatile energy, framing a central oasis that seems to float free, cheating time. Where many young composers are content to merely establish a vague atmosphere through evocative use of timbre, Kendall develops her ideas with rigor and imagination.’ MEMETERIA BY THOMAS MAY

'2 rising classical music stars make their Seattle Symphony debuts.' By Tom Keogh 

Minnesota Orchestra will perform 'The Spark Catchers' in celebratory New Year concerts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day under the baton of Osmo Vänskä. The programme will also include exciting works by Britten, Elgar, Maxwell Davies, and performances by Saxophonist Jess Gillam. See here for more information.

Players from London Symphony Orchestra gave the UK Premiere of Hannah's first String Quartet, 'Glances/I Don't Belong Here' at LSO St Luke's in March, as part of fellow composer Daniel Kidane's curated series with the Orchestra. Watch the full performance here. The concert also featured a new piece 'Winged' by Daniel, and Shiva Feshareki's 'Venus'. 

Kreutzer Quartet violist and researcher Clifton Harrison has curated the video series Identity and Aesthetic: Five British-Caribbean Composers, for Sound and Music and The British Music Collection. Hannah is proud to have been involved with Eleanor Alberga, Hannah Catherine Jones, Shirley J. Thompson OBE, and Erollyn Wallen MBE. The filmed interviews explore the interests, lives and works of each music creator, and Hannah's can be watched here.

‘…there’s no mistaking the skill with which Kendall deploys her forces. “Disillusioned Dreamer” teems with passages of brilliant instrumental color and well-judged rhythmic punctuation. Her harmonies boast surprising edges and a rich inner life…’ SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

‘Her music also packed worlds into a spare, nine-minute frame, in which nothing was wasted.’ SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE

Glances/I Don’t Belong Here: will kick-off performances of Hannah’s works in 2019. JACK Quartet will give its world premiere at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York on 9 February, and members of London Symphony Orchestra will give its UK Premiere at LSO St Luke’s on 22 March, in a concert curated by composer Daniel Kidane.

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra will give the world premiere of ‘Disillusioned Dreamer’ at Zellerbach Hall, California, in what will be Hannah’s US orchestral debut, on 31 January 2019. The piece takes its title from a line in Ralph Ellison’s classical novel Invisible Man, which is the inspiration behind the new work. Conducted by Jonathon Heyward, the concert will also feature Britten’s ‘Four Sea Interludes’, and Bernstein’s ‘Age of Anxiety’ with pianist Andrew Tyson.

Hannah is thrilled to be Composer-in-Residence with Ealing Youth Orchestra during its 60th Anniversary Year this season. As a former player, EYO was incredibly important during Hannah’s formative music-making years.

The Orchestra will be performing The Spark Catchers at William Perkin School, Greenford on 17 November, and at St Barnabas, Pitshanger Lane on 15 February. They will also premiere a new work, 'weaves flowers and leaves', at the 60th Anniversary Gala concert at St Barnabas, Pitshanger Lane, on 29 June. 

Hannah had the great pleasure of presenting Prom 15 for BBC Four in July, which featured the BBC Philharmonic. Introducing an exciting programme of Beethoven, Brahms, and a premiere by Tansy Davies, Hannah enjoyed interviewing Tansy about her new orchestral suite ‘What Did We See?', Pianist Paul Lewis on performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, and Conductor Ben Gernon on Brahms's Symphony No. 2. Watch the episode on BBC iPlayer here.

Hannah has been commissioned by London Sinfonietta and 14-18 NOW to write a new work for the ensemble in commemoration of World War I. ‘Verdala’ will be premiered at the Roundhouse, as part of the BBC Proms on 21 July, conducted by George Benjamin, and will highlight the British West Indian Regiment’s involvement in the War. See here for more details. 

Hannah has written a new aria ‘Hiraeth’ for National Opera Studio as part of their 12:40 commission-set, where 12 composers and librettists have produced new songs for each of NOS’s Young Artists. Hannah has had the pleasure of working with writer Tessa McWatt again, who also wrote the libretto for her chamber opera The Knife of Dawn; Bass-Baritone Emyr Wyn Jones; and Pianist Satoshi Kubo. The results of the collaboration will be showcased at Hoxton Hall on 14 and 15 June. See here for tickets. 

On 12 May, Philharmonia Orchestra will premiere ‘Baptistry’ under the baton of Edward Gardner, opening the 40th anniversary concert of the Newbury Spring Festival at St Nicolas Church. The work takes its inspiration from Sam Gilliam’s artwork of the same name, which conjures a sense of celebration, newness, regeneration and growth. 

Co-commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival, in addition to Newbury Spring Festival and Philharmonia Orchestra, ‘Baptistry’ will have its second performance at on 29 July at Hereford Cathedral, conducted by Elim Chan. 

CoMA Ensemble and London Sinfonietta will give the world premiere of Hannah’s ‘Onset’ on 3 March as part of CoMAFest, a national festival of contemporary music for all. ‘Onset’ is inspired by a line from Kate Tempest’s ‘Let Them East Chaos’. 

Seattle Symphony will give the US Premiere of ‘The Spark Catchers’ next season. The orchestra will give three performances in June 2019 under the baton of Jonathon Heyward. ‘The Spark Catchers’ was premiered by BBC Radio 3 for Chineke!, who gave the wold premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in August 2017 as part of the BBC Proms.

Hannah will join BBC Radio 3 Editor Edwina Wolstencroft and BBC Philharmonic General Manager Simon Webb in a pre-concert discussion on composer George Walker’s ‘Lilacs’ at Bridgewater Hall on 11 February. BBC Philharmonic will give the UK premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work with tenor Joshua Ellicott. Hannah, Edwina and Simon will also have the opportunity to speak about inclusion in classical music, and how each are working towards better inclusion in the industry. 

Hannah has been commissioned by New Music in the South West to write a new piece for pianist Tomáš Klement, commemorating the life and work of Dr Martin Luther King Junior in this, the 50th anniversary year of his death. ‘Processional’ has taken inspiration from Norman Lewis’ abstract artwork of the same name, depicting the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March. It will be premiered at the Victoria Rooms in Bristol on 4 February, performed again at St Michael’s in Bath on 11 February, and in Shaftesbury on 30 June. 

Hannah’s ‘On the Chequer’d Field Array’d’ (2013) has been recorded by pianist Andrew Matthews-Owen for his debut solo album, ‘Halo’, released last month. The disc also includes works by composers Joseph Phibbs and Dobrinka Tabakova, and Andrew’s playing is described as ‘a marvel’ by Gramophone Magazine. 

Andrew McGregor follows Hannah as she creates ‘The Spark Catchers’, her latest work commissioned by the BBC for Chineke!, from her living room studio to a performance at The Royal Albert Hall in London. Listen here. 

'...a confident piece'. CLASSICAL SOURCE 

'...imaginatively intricate flashes of sound.' FINANCIAL TIMES

'...Chineke! and conductor Kevin John Edusei opted for a programme of miniatures. The most important of these was Hannah Kendall’s BBC-commissioned world premiere The Spark Catchers, rhythmically incisive, the score dancing above a solemn chorale played by the horns.' THE GUARDIAN 

‘The Spark Catchers’ was premiered by Chineke!, Europe's first professional majority black and minority ethnic orchestra at Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 30 August. Inspired by Lemn Sissay’s poem of the same title, the new work opened the programme, and can be heard here. Also, the concert will be televised on BBC Four on 8 September. Watch here.

Hannah joins Sean Rafferty on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune on 29 August to speak about her debut Proms commission, ‘The Spark Catchers’ for Chineke! ahead of the premiere on 30 August. The programme also features two of Hannah’s pieces ‘Vera’ and ‘Regina Caeli’. Listen to the programme again here. 

‘I’m a millennial composer! I have to make money to survive.’ Hannah speaks to Fiona Maddocks on surviving financially as a composer in London, her forthcoming Proms debut, her jazz musician grandfather – and her dream collaborator…Read the full article here. 

Hannah had lots of fun appearing on the latest episode of BBC Two’s Proms Extra with composer/sitarist Anoushka Shankar and baritone Roderick Williams, presented by Kate Derham on Saturday 19 August. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak about some of the fantastic concerts  at the Proms earlier in the week. Watch the episode here. 

Hannah joined Chi-chi Nwanoku, double-bassist and founder of Chineke!, Europe's first professional orchestra made up of a majority of black and minority ethnic musicians ahead of their Proms debut on Wednesday 30 August, which will include Hannah’s new work ‘The Spark Catchers’. Listen to the programme again here.

Andrew McGregor follows Hannah as she creates ‘The Spark Catchers’, her latest work commissioned by the BBC for Chineke!, from her living room studio to a performance at The Royal Albert Hall in London. Listen here. 

Hannah appears on the cover of this month’s Classical Music Magazine, with accompanying feature article, ahead of the premiere of her latest work ‘The Spark Catchers’ at the BBC Proms on 30 August. Read the full article here.

Hannah is pleased to announce that BBC Radio 3 has commissioned her to write a new orchestral piece for Chineke! and that it will be premiered at the 2017 BBC Proms on 30 August. The new work ‘The Spark Catchers’ is inspired by the incredibly dynamic and energetic poem by Lemn Sissay, and will be conducted by Kevin John Edusei. Hannah is very excited that this will be her Proms debut. 

Please see here for full concert, and booking details.

Hannah’s chamber opera ‘The Knife of Dawn’, which premiered at Roundhouse’s Sackler Space, London in October 2016, attracted an audience that was 45% black, Asian and minority ethnic through employing Positive Action; promoting inclusion with content and casting. The Arts Marketing Association used the production as a case study, and the full report can be read here.

Hannah has been a huge admirer of the fantastic work that PRS Foundation does to support new music, and encourage talent development across all genres, and is delighted to have joined its Board of Trustees along with Caroline Norbury MBE (CEO Creative England), Julian Nott (Film and TV composer) and Mark Poole (Chartered Accountant and PRS Board member).

See here for more information on the announcement.

It was with great pleasure that Hannah delivered a provocation on 'Diversity: The Need for Change' at the 2017 Association of British Orchestras conference in Bournemouth on 26 January, specifically focussing on the importance of having a diversity of voices amongst composers. See below to read Hannah's talk in full.

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As part of the 2017 International Women's Day Celebrations, BBC Proms Inspire is inviting young female composers to take part in a special project in February with Hannah, and special guests, culminating in a live performance to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3's In Tune on 8 March.

'Dramatically intense and atmospheric, a powerful snapshot of a poet incarcerated in British Guyana.' The Stage 

A live recording of ‘The Knife of Dawn’ premiere will be broadcast in full on BBC Radio 3’s Hear and Now on Saturday 22 October at 10pm, and will remain on BBC iPlayer for a month afterwards. Do tune-in if you were unable to see the sold-out performance at Roundhouse’s Sackler Space on 6 October. 

The programme will also include interviews with Hannah, explaining more about the work, and music by Samantha Fernando, Shiva Feshareki and Daniel Kidane. 

Hannah's new opera 'The Knife of Dawn', which will premiere at Roundhouse's Sackler Space on Thursday 6 October, has sold out. 

Please contact the Roundhouse's Box Office on 0300 6789 222 for returns. 

See here for the full listing. 

Hannah is pleased to announce that she has been selected as a 2016 bursary recipient of the Opera Awards Foundation, which supports any artist working towards a career in opera. 

The Foundation does fantastic work in supporting aspiring operatic talent, and Hannah is thrilled that her passion for opera and music theatre has been recognised by the organisation.

Hannah is hugely grateful to Arts Council England and Minerva Arts Foundation for their generous support towards her new opera The Knife of Dawn. 

Arts Council England’s invaluable Grants for the Arts funding programme for individuals, art organisations and other people who use the arts in their work offers awards from £1,000 to £100,000 to support a wide variety of arts-related activities. 

Tickets are now on sale for Hannah’s new chamber opera ‘The Knife of Dawn’, based on the life and works of Caribbean/Guyanese poet Martin Carter. It will premiere at Roundhouse’s Sackler Space on Thursday 6 October 8pm. See here for tickets, and see here for more information on the production. 

Hannah is looking forward to running a BBC Proms Extra Inspire Session on Saturday 6 August 2016 for young musicians aged 12 - 18! Exploring the music of one of today's most exciting composers, Helen Grime, there will also be the opportunity to create a collaborative musical response with a team of fantastic professional musicians. The session is free, and will take place 11am - 3pm. See here for more information.  

'LMM believes that music should be shared with everyone, and we aim to give LMM award holders the tools and experience to do just that.

Hannah is delighted that Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance will partner on her new opera 'The Knife of Dawn'. Through the partnership, secondary school students will have the opportunity to challenge the concept of opera through a series of workshops in the lead-up to the premiere in October 2016.

'Into pieces' has been commissioned by CoMA for the nationwide 2016 Contemporary Music for All Festival in March. Inspired by six poems by Richard Watkins, players from CoMA London, CoMA Sussex, and London Sinfonietta will premiere the work, conducted by Gregory Rose, at Kings Place on Friday 4 March. Richard will also read each of the poems behind the creation of the piece.

Composer's Note:

Six poems by Richard Watkins, Peace; Night; Memories; Love; Seven Years and Autumn, are the inspiration behind each of the short movements that make up Into pieces.

''Diversity is a reality: inclusion is a choice’. Bold, powerful words that have stuck with me ever since I heard them quoted by Stephen Frost, former Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the 2012 London Olympics.'

Hannah was absolutely thrilled to have appeared in a special Christmas 2015 tournament of University Challenge for alumni.

Representing the University of Exeter with Composer George Stiles, Naturalist Nick Baker and Actor Barnaby Edwards, the team competed against Magdalen College, Oxford on Christmas Eve 2015.

Watch the episode here.

Juice Vocal Trio will premiere 'Not Hands Like Mine' in a lunchtime concert at Dora Stoutzker Hall at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on Friday 27 November. 

The trio is set to the poem by Martin Carter and taken from Hannah's opera 'The Knife of Dawn', based on Carter's life. It will be premiered in October 2016. 

Hannah would like to thank The RVW Trust for supporting her new opera 'The Knife of Dawn'. 

The RVW Trust is one of the most significant sources in the UK of funding for contemporary and recent British music. Hannah has always been grateful to the Trust for its support during her postgrauate studies in Advanced Composition at the Royal College of Music, and is delighted about its continued support towards her professional career.

Having been thrilled to have been shortlisted for the this year's Women of the Future Awards in its 10th anniversary year, Hannah is absolutely delighted to have won the Arts & Culture Category.

The Awards are a vital platform for supporting and highlighting female talent in the UK, and Hannah is incredibly pleased to have received such an accolade. Huge congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted!

Hannah is pleased to announce that The Ambache Charitable Trust is supporting her new opera 'The Knife of Dawn'. 

Hannah is delighted to have been shortlisted for this year's prestigious Women of the Future Awards under the Arts and Culture category. 

Founded in 2006, and celebrating 10 Years, the awards were conceived to provide a platform for the pipeline of female talent in the UK. 

See here for the full 2015 shortlist:

'Their Kingdom, The Air' was commissioned by Cheltenham College as part of their commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was premiered in a special evening service by the Choir in the beautiful setting of the College's stunning 1840's Chapel. Here is a clip from the service, with Hannah speaking about the piece.

The work for choir and organ is a setting of two lines from 'The Few' by Edward Shanks (1892 - 1953).

'This was their kingdom, the air, and it bore them like kings,

Hannah has written an article on unconcious bias for International Arts Manager Magazine as part of their Women in the Arts special. Having never knowingly experienced discrimination, Hannah asks: would she know if she had? 

Read the article in full here. 

Continuing the 2015 International Women's Day celebrations, BBC Radio 3 is featuring five women composers under the age of 35 on its 'Composer of the Week' programme each day during the week commencing Monday 9 March, including Hannah on Wednesday 11 March at 12pm, repeated at 6.30pm. Listen again here.

Choir and Organ Magazine has given five stars to The Choir of Merton College, Oxford's 'The Marion Collection' featuring Hannah's 'Regina Caeli'. The piece was commissioned by the choir for the College's 750th anniversary celebrations in 2014.

An article by Ellie Austin for Radio Times Magazine asks 'Where's the female Beethoven?'. The piece features Hannah, composer Charlotte Bray, and BBC Radio 3 presenter Sara Mohr-Pietsch, who urges the classical music industry to have an open debate on the gender imbalance amongst composers ahead of International Woman's Day.

Hannah is delighted that PRS for Music Foundation is supporting her new opera 'The Knife of Dawn' through their Women Make Music programme. 

The Marian Collection, an album of choral works by Delphian Records performed by the Choir of Merton College, is due to be realeased this month. It features Hannah's 'Regina Caeli', which was commissioned by the choir as a set with new pieces by Judith Weir (newly appointed Master of the Queen's Music), Kerry Andrew and Dobrinka Tabakova in celebration of Merton's 750th anniversary.

Hannah is absolutely delighted to be involved in Libertine's campaign to help redefine women's media. Have you ever stood in your local newsagents perplexed at the front pages of women's magazines?  - Then Libertine is for you. Support their crowdfunding campaign, and a great team of women at the forefront of a new media movement! Click here for more information and to watch the campaign video featuring Hannah.

'Regina Caeli' has been commissioned by Merton College Choir for the Merton Choir Book, a collection of 55 pieces written especially for the 750th anniversary celebrations of Merton College, Oxford. Conducted by Benjamin Nicholas, the choir will also premiere new works by Judith Weir, Kerry Andrew and Dobrinka Tabakova in a concert at Gloucester Cathedral as part of the 70th Cheltenham Music Festival. See here for more information.

Classical Music Magazine writer Clare Stevens has selected Hannah's piece as one of her premieres of the year for 2013. 'I was entranced by the crystaline soudworld of On the Chequer'd Field Array'd, a triptych for solo piano...premiered by Andrew Matthews-Owen at the Purcell Room back in May, which somehow managed to be both episodic and contemplative.'

'What is the Future of Classical Music?'  - An article by Richard Morrison in 'The Times' featured Hannah and other young composers Matthias Pintscher, Nico Muhly, Edward Nesbit, and Alissa Firsova on Wednesday 27 November 2013.

'Kanashibari', the Japanese term for sleep paralysis, will be performed by Southbank Sinfonia on Thursday 26 September at St John's, Waterloo as part of the ensemble's 'Rush Hour' series at 6pm. 

Hannah's really looking forward to the first performance of 'The Great Dark' on Monday 10 June with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Foyles Future Firsts.

Book tickets here!

The piece takes its title from the poem by Martin Carter, a Guyanese political activist and one of the leading Caribbean writers of the 20^th Century. The piece is presented in three movements, focusing on different ideas derived from cosmology and Caribbean folklore in the text.{C}

'...Hannah Kendall’s new piece was about chess. The three movements of On the Chequer’d Field Array’d, for solo piano, depict the three stages of a chess game: the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. Hence, it moves from a frenetic, combative initial phase, through an engrossing but rather slow, methodical section, to something a little more decisive at the end. Without a score, any further commentary from me would be like a critique of a chess game from someone who doesn’t know the rules, but – as with watching a chess game – there was much to admire in the way of skill, precision and depth of thought. Pianist Andrew Matthews-Owen, apparently a close collaborator with Kendall in the creation of this piece, gave a dynamic, sensitive reading.'

Paul Kilbey | Bachtrack

Hannah thoroughly enjoyed being involved in 'Soundings' at the Austrian Cultual Forum this year. Soprano Charmian Bedford and pianist Mary Dullea gave a superb and incredibly dramatic premiere of 'Incident' on Wednesday 15 May and Theresia Schmidinger (clarinet), Darragh Morgan (violin), Reiad Chibah (viola) and Robin Michael (cello) an exciting and energetic performance of 'Vera' on Thursday 16 May.

'Two world premieres by outstanding young composers are at the heart of this concert,

performed by some of the leading exponents of contemporary chamber music.'

Wednesday 15 May 2013 | 7.15pm

Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will give the second perfomance of Shard at Lighthouse, Poole on Saturday 2 March, 7.30pm, following their superb premiere of the piece at the 2012 Cheltenham Music Festival. The Orchestra's Young Condutor in Association, Maxime Tortelier, will be conducting.

Hannah is delighted to have been selected to participate on the Leverhulme Young Composers' Programme with the London Philharmonic Orchestra over the upcoming season.

Following the premiere of 'Middlegame', the Richard Thomas Foundation has commissioned Hannah to write two further movements to describe a whole game of chess - the opening, middlegame and endgame. The expanded three-movement piece will be premiered at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre in May 2013. 

Middlegame has been commissioned by the Richard Thomas Foundation and will be performed for the first time by pianist Andrew Matthews-Owen at Gallery Libby Sellers on Friday 20 July 2012. The piece takes inspiration from the gallery's current exhibition, GAMES, and the artist Marcel Duchamp's writings on chess.

Hannah has written an article for Maestro Magazine on Cheltenham Music Festival's 'Bandwagon' initiative, which offers an innovative apporoach to providing young children with a vibrant and exciting experience of classical music by taking it directly to them in their primary schools. See here for the full article.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will give the first performance of Shard, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, on Sunday 15 July 2012, 5pm at Cheltenham Town Hall.

Pavlik Morozov, a short opera scene with a libretto by Freddie Machin, will be premiered and performed over three evenings at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre 16-18 February as part of the Exposure: Opera  series. Exposure: Opera shows the best new writing by opera composers from a diverse range of backgrounds. Fragments of new scenes will be presented alonside slices of fully-completed works, world premieres and future commissions in development.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here for the full article.

Vera for clarinet, violin, viola and cello will be performed at Yellow Lounge London (Old Vic Tunnels) on Friday 2 December. Established seven years ago in the Berlin club scene, the Yellow Lounge brings classical music bang up-to-date. Other live acts will include performances by Janine Jansen and Alice Sara Ott, as well as works by Dai Fujikura.

The St Augustine Priory Chapel Singers will perform a musical setting of Psalm 111 and anthem set to words by Julia Hague, which have been especially written by Hannah for a mass celebrating the St Augustine Priory centenary at Westminster Cathedral on Friday 21 October 2011.

'...intricately and skillfully wrought.'

Paul Driver, The Sunday Times | Sunday 10 July 2011

Click here for the full review.

‘The real meat of the concert came in the two works Neil Thomson conducted for strings alone. Hannah Kendall’s Citygates was brand new, a musical impression of her commute from north London to the City. It was impressive for its compactness and for making its points in an entirely musical way.’
Andrew Clements, The Guardian | Monday 4 July 2011 
 
Click here for the full review.

Citygates for string orchestra, commissioned by the Cheltenham Music Festival with funds provided by The Steel Charitable Trust, will also be performed at the Festival’s Schools Concert on Monday 4 July following its premiere on Friday 1 July at Cheltenham Town Hall. Hannah will also be developing a minimalist-inspired interactive composition for the audience of young people aged 7-14 with percussionist Sacha Johnson.

The Cheltenham Music Festival’s Festival Academy string ensemble will give the first performance of Citygates for String Orchestra on 1 July 2011, 7.30pm at Cheltenham Town Hall. Hannah will also take part in a pre-performance discussion with composers Joe Duddell and Joseph Phibbs.

The Painting Music Ensemble is an innovative group which performs music to live art. They will give the first performance of Iscariot Blues for oboe, cello and piano at the Bangor New Music Festival on 30 March 2011, with artist Maria Högbacke creating an instant interpretation of the music.

Hannah will be joining conductor William Carslake in leading the Cheltenham Music Festival’s first ever Bandwagon 5-9 July. The Bandwagon is a pop-up ensemble of young, talented musicians from Gloucestershire secondary schools and offers an innovative approach to providing young children with a vibrant, exciting experience of classical music, by bringing it to them and enabling them to experience at first hand the passion, inspiration and enjoyment that live music can bring.

The BBC Singers and Onyx Brass 26 March 2010 performance of Fundamental at St Leonard’s, Hythe will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 2pm on 13 April 2010, following an interview with Hannah and Poet Rick Holland: BBC Radio 3, Afternoon on 3 | 13 April 2010.

A John Armitage Memorial Trust commission, the new work for the BBC Singers and Onyx Brass which will be performed in two concerts on 25 March 2010 at St Bride’s, Fleet Street and 26 March 2010 at St Leonard’s, Hythe, conducted by Nicholas Cleobury. The music is set to the words of Rick Holland and Fundamental comes from Rick’s soon to be published collection Story the Flowers.

Nathan Vale and the Philharmonia Orchestra will give the first performance of The Unreturning, conducted by Richard Baker. Set to three poems by Wilfred Owen, the new work will be performed as part of the Music of Today series on 25 June 2009, 6pm.

The latest album of the Choir of Selwyn College Chapel, Cambridge, A Lover’s Complaint, which features Hannah’s Nativity will be the cover CD of Choir & Organ’s March / April 2009 issue.

Hannah will be writing a monthly update for the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM’s Hear Here! blog  in the lead-up to the premiere of The Unreturning at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Music of Today series on 25 June 2009. The new work will be performed by tenor Nathan Vale and the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Richard Baker.

Labyrinthine for two violins and violas, written in collaboration with choreographer Symeon Kyriakopoulos, will have its first performance at The Place, the UK’s leading centre for contemporary dance on 19 January 2009. The performance will be part of the annual Resolution! Festival.  

The choir of Selwyn College Chapel, Cambridge have released an album of new works for choir and organ, A Lover’s Complaint, featuring Hannah’s Nativity for female voices. The recording also features works by Kerry Andrew, Joe Duddell, Timothy Jackson and others.

Juice Vocal Ensemble, a trio of female voices and described as being ‘…the 21st century’s answer to the the King’s Singers’ by The Times will give Never Seek to Tell they Love, set to words by William Blake, its first performance at the National Portrait Gallery on 6 December 2008.

Hannah will be the composer in focus in the October / November issue of Choir & Organ speaking about writing for voices, taking a closer look at Nativity for female voices, and whether she would ever be tempted to write for the organ!

The choir of Selwyn College Chapel, Cambridge and professional female vocal group Aurora Nova are to perform Nativity as part of their festive concerts. The choir of Selwyn College Chapel will perform the work, with Nicholas Cleobury conducting, at Westminster Abbey on 3 December 2008 and again on 4 December 2008 in their chapel at the University of Cambridge.

The BBC Singers’ 11 April 2008 performance of Nativity at Canterbury Cathedral will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 9pm on 21 June 2008.

Nativity for female voices and set to words by John Donne, will be performed by the BBC Singers, conducted by Nicholas Cleobury at St Bride’s, Fleet Street on 10 April 2008 and again at Canterbury Cathedral on 11 April 2008 at the opening concert of the Sounds New Festival.

Vera for clarinet, violin, viola and cello will be premiered at the V&A, the world’s finest museum of arts and decorative design, in a concert of new works by postgraduate and former students at the Royal College of Music on 4 April 2008. 

London, for mixed ensemble, has been selected to be performed by the highly acclaimed Ensemble 360 in a concert of new works at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at the University of York on 5 July 2007. The concert will feature along with other works by living composers in the Fifth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900, a series of lectures, seminars and discussions on twentieth-century music. 

Joe for solo cor anglais will be premiered by Michael O’Donnell at the National Portrait Gallery on 10 November 2006.

The work is a musical interpretation of Richard Boll’s award-winning photograph of the same title. The new work will be part of a series of new works for solo instruments; all illustrating different portraits on display at the Gallery as part of the fourth annual Photographic Portrait Prize.