Music

British Composition Season is a British Council Romania project which ran from 2010 until 2013. It consisted of three annual music seasons, each of which had four concerts. 

The project not only gave Romanian music lovers a chance to learn about the British school of composition, but it was also a fantastic opportunity for Romanian and British musicians to collaborate on a long-term basis, offering a new perspective on art and its role today.

The project had the support of the Royal Academy of Music in London, with Philip Cashian, the head of composition at the Academy, as curator of the season's programme. The project was also supported by key institutions in Romania: Bucharest National University of Music, Radio România Muzical, George Enescu National Museum.

Season one

The first season, 2010 - 2011, was an overview of British contemporary composers, from all generations and conceptual orientations. It included a comprehensive selection of chamber works by 31 composers performed by the Romanian ensemble Profil Sinfonietta and coordinated by Dan Dediu.

Season two

The second season, 2011 - 2012, included four concerts curated by Philip Cashian, in a refreshing selection which focused on the works of British contemporary female composers.

The chamber works format was maintained, as well as the performance of the British compositions by Romanian musicians including Profil ensemble, Archaeus ensemble and Preludiu Chamber Choir. British cellist Oliver Coates and sound designer Jonathan Green joined for the opening concert, which also featured a multimedia component.

Season three

The third season, 2012-2013, focused on connections: voice-instrument / text-music. Instrumental and choral works contributed significantly to the series and Philip Cashian selected compositions inspired by literary texts.

The series of events organised by British Council Romania to celebrate Britten’s centenary began with a performance of "String Quartet no.3".

Some of the British composers whose works were performed during the project in Bucharest honoured us with their presence at the concerts – Philip Cashian, John Woolrich, Gary Carpenter, Tansy Davies, Helen Grime, Joe Cutler, Ivor Bonnici, Samuel Bordoli, Philip Dawson.

All three British Composition Seasons have been recorded on CDs and produced in partnership with Radio România Muzical and Radio România Foundation.

The year 2013 marked 100 years since the birth of the British composer Benjamin Britten, a central figure of 20th century British classical music.

We started the Britten 100 project in January 2013 with a Benyounes Quartet concert in Bucharest as part of the British Composition Season project.

We celebrated Benjamin Britten in Bucharest once again, in June, at the Night of the Cultural Institutes, with a concert by Icon Arts Ensemble and film screenings about Britten.

The celebration continued around the country from October to December 2013, with five concerts organised in partnership with Banatul Philharmonic in Timișoara, Moldova Philharmonic in Iași, Transilvania Philharmonic in Cluj-Napoca and George Enescu University of Arts in Iași.

Rokolectiv Festival is an electronic music and arts festival which takes place yearly at the National Museum of Contemporary Art / Control Club in Bucharest. The programme features an exquisite mix of music, performances, installations and film screenings, cultivating new artists in the field of electronic music and connected arts.

We have been partners for several of the festival's editions and have contributed to bringing some of the freshest and most interesting names in British electronic music to the Romanian audiences.

If you're eager to find out more about the festival, check out the Rokolectiv archive.

We have a long tradition in promoting jazz music in Romania, and the collaboration with Jazz in the Park Festival is an important step in this direction.

In 2015, the Zoe Rahman Trio performed on the main stage of the ”Jazz in the Park” Festival, one of the most important events in Cluj-Napoca. The concert was organised by British Council Romania in partnership with Fapte Association during the third edition of the ”Jazz in the Park” Music Festival, as part of the Cluj-Napoca - European Capital of Youth agenda. In 2016 we supported the "Neil Cowley Trio" concert, while recently we have helped promote the festival and its call for young talent to Romanian and UK audiences. 

 

Dubbed "the most cutting-edge British music show out there” by The Sunday Times, The Selector is the British Council's international radio show for the best new music from the UK. The weekly programme curated by DJ Goldierocks covers all styles of contemporary music. Each show features artist interviews and exclusive studio sessions from some of the most exciting artists in the UK, with both established and up-and-coming musicians featured every week.

Find out more about the Selector here.