In Focus: The Climate Agenda

This year, the Royal Northern College of Music is taking an in-depth look at the relationship we have with the planet we live on, asking ourselves what role could, and should, musicians and creative artists have in response to the climate emergency.

Part of The Future is Green, the In Focus: The Climate Agenda takes place across two days. Students and guests from Riot Ensemble will delve into the connection between music and climate change through contemporary chamber works by a range of composers, including a focus on the music of Seattle-based composer-activist Gabriella Smith. 

The conservatoire is excited to host the world première of a new commission by RNCM alum Asteryth Sloane, alongside new works by their students.

Experience powerful activism, breathtaking landscapes, and poignant reflections on our planet’s fragility.

RNCM Brand New Orchestra
Wed 1 May 2024, 7.30pm
Experience Gabriella Smith’s Tumblebird Contrails with RNCM’s Brand New Orchestra, a piece inspired by sandy beaches and the ocean.

Carrot Revolution!
Thu 2 May 2024, 1.15pm
Join RNCM students as they discover Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution, a string quartet celebrating new contexts for old ideas, and Bryce Dessner’s Pulsing, a movement from a ballet suite that explores the juxtaposition between beauty and destruction.

Endless Space
Thu 2 May 2024, 6pm
Journey through Americana, ice mountains and melting glaciers, and the perils of uranium mines with student chamber groups before a performance of Nico Muhly’s poignant Endless Space— a striking reminder of the vulnerability of our times and the uncertainty that lies ahead.

Riot Ensemble and RNCM New Ensemble
Thu 2 May 2024, 7.30pm
Delve into new music about our planet’s fragility by our composition students and then join the trailblazing group Riot Ensemble for a thrilling programme that includes a work by Benjamin Graves inspired by protected marine areas in Indonesia.