A sequence of sung, played and communally devised pieces of experimental music by Afrodiasporic composers, led by the Chiron Choir and the Always Already There ensemble.
Always, Already There: Going Beyond opens at the Barbican on Friday 23 October, kicking off the first UK edition of composer George Lewis's Afrodiasporic Incubator project. It's curated by vocalist and composer Elaine Mitchener in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and it's the start of a weekend of performances, talks and installations. The whole thing spotlights experimental music by Afrodiasporic composers, past and present, who Mitchener describes as having been tightly policed about which genres they could occupy and excluded, both imaginatively and literally, from the contemporary music space.
Going Beyond itself is a sequence of sung, played and communally devised pieces. The programme draws on work by Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Lijadu Sisters, Michael Frazier, Alice Coltrane, Hannah Kendall, Anthony Braxton and Olly Wilson, so the music runs from Hannah Kendall through to Alice Coltrane. The night is led by Chiron Choir, with solos from trumpeter Aaron Akugbo, harpist Chris Clarke, violist Laura M. B. Kumwenda and flautist Lara Aisha Ali, alongside the newly-formed Always Already There ensemble and the New Music Society from Guildhall School of Music, led by Anthony R. Green.
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It's the opening of a wider weekend, so if you want to see the rest of the Afrodiasporic Incubator programme, there's a Festival Pass available. The performance starts at 19:30 and runs for about an hour, followed by a post-show talk. Standard tickets are from £24 (£20 plus a £4 transaction fee), with Young Barbican tickets for 16-25s at £12. Members Plus and Members get 20% off, Corporate Members 25%, and groups of ten or more 20% off. It's held at St Giles, Fore St, London EC2Y 8DA.
