| Makers | Ensemble Klang, Elaine Mitchener, Mikhail Johnson |
| Duration | 90 min |
A Jamaican folk party, with Mikhail Johnson and Elaine Mitchener
Humour, intrigue, empathy, hope, and social commentary resonate in Mikhail Johnson’s new composition. He weaves a tale of the Jamaican folk festival Jonkonnu using a cast of characters. Johnson wrote it for Ensemble Klang and vocal phenomenon Elaine Mitchener. Fuelling the festive atmosphere, they offer adventurous explorations of life and nature through music, written by both young and legendary composers.
British vocalist Elaine Mitchener is drawn to fresh sounds, voices, and narratives in contemporary music, particularly from composers who, like herself, hail from the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. She shares her mission with Ensemble Klang, who previously showcased the pioneering composers in this programme, such as the American minimalist icon and activist Julius Eastman.
Elaine Mitchener is a British Afro-Caribbean vocalist, movement artist and composer working between contemporary/experimental new music, free improvisation and visual art. She is currently a Wigmore Hall Associate Artist; was a DAAD Artist-in-Berlin Fellow (2022) and was an exhibiting artist in the British Art Show 9 (2021-22). In February 2022 Mitchener was awarded an MBE for Services to Music. Elaine is founder of the collective electroacoustic unit The Rolling Calf (with Jason Yarde and Neil Charles).
Korzo Zaal