Phaedra Ensemble
Phaedra Ensemble is a London-based collective pushing the boundaries of contemporary chamber music making in bold and creative ways. Known for their innovative performances, they curate cutting-edge new music alongside modern classics from the last 50 years.
Their collaborations include performances with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw at the Barbican, vibraphonist Masayoshi Fujita (Erased Tapes), Mercury Award-nominated British-Asian singer Susheela Raman, as well as long-standing collaborations with UK artist The Magic Lantern and multi-sensory dance company Bittersuite, with whom they have created four large-scale immersive experiences.
Phaedra’s ongoing VOX project, which has included eight concerts to date, explores the radical use of the human voice in music and performance. It has led to a dozen new collaborative commissions, performed alongside works by composers such as Leo Chadburn, Jennifer Walshe, Florent Ghys, Cassandra Miller, Kevin Volans, and David Lang, among many others. Phaedra celebrates a new upcoming recording with composer Meredith Monk.
The 24/25 Season kicks off with a three-night run at Arcola Theatre's Grimeborn Opera Festival performing Edward Jessen's Plantation A. . . a work they developed alongside 2019 Arnolfini City Fellow Holly Thomas. They also return to the Arnolfini, Bristol, with further invitations to Music in the Round, developing a new partnership with Lotte Betts-Dean.
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"Cross-genre collective Phaedra are part of a new breed of ensembles tearing up the rules of classical and creating a trailblazing hotpot of sounds in their wake."
M Magazine
"It's both charming and chilling. The Phaedra Ensemble seems fascinated by American culture, social and political matters and the human voice, incorporating readings and natural speech into their work."
London Jazz News