In a world-premiere, award-winning sound recordist, Chris Watson (Cabaret Voltaire, David Attenborough’s long-term collaborator on the ‘Life’ series and recent collaborator on Chernobyl by Oscar winner Hildur Guðnadóttir) and award-winning composer Claire M Singer (known for her experimental approach to organ and her critically acclaimed releases on Touch) will present their new, multichannel diffusion work for field recordings, organ, the London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir.

Be completely immersed in Union Chapel as you have never seen it before. This audiovisual 360 experience will bring Watson's soundscapes from the habitats northwards of the Antarctica to the Arctic accompanied by a score by Singer which resonates with each place. The Chapel will be transformed into a moving image canvas by visual artists Jim Horsfield and Adam Moffatt-Seaman and together the music featuring brass, strings, voice, electronics and organ located around the gallery of the chapel will interweave with the field recordings taking the audience on an immersive audiovisual journey through the beauty of our natural world.

Originally due to premiere in March 2020 this piece has taken on new life and poignancy over the lockdowns, as nature reasserted itself in our cities and so many of us began to recognise the importance of the natural world to our own wellbeing.

“I’m genuinely excited by the prospect of collaborating with Claire and the LCO in creating a global journey through a range of acoustic landscapes” – Chris Watson

Both on the 39 year running innovative audio-visual label Touch, this is Watson and Singer’s first collaboration. Separately known to draw inspiration from their deep connection with space and place their two sound worlds are merged together for one night at the internationally renowned festival of experimental organ music, now in its fourth year.

 “Chris’ field recordings are extraordinarily beautiful and inspiring. They project a strong sense of place full of intricate melodies and abstract textures. It is hugely exciting to create a musical response to these masterpieces with Union Chapel’s great 1877 Henry Willis organ and the London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir” – Claire M Singer

Please note: There is a ticketed pre-concert Q&A with Watson and Singer led by Wire magazine’s Editor Derek Walmsley, exploring the process of writing the new work. Tickets here

Chris Watson is a founding member of the influential Sheffield based experimental music group Cabaret Voltaire. He is also famously known for his sound recordings of wildlife and habitats around the world. His television work includes many programmes with David Attenborough notably The Life of Birds which won a BAFTA Award for ‘Best Factual Sound’ in 1996 and Frozen Planet which also won a BAFTA Award for ‘Best Factual Sound’ (2012). His 2003 release Weather Report was voted as one of the 100 best albums to hear before you die by The Guardian.

Excerpt from the 90 minute work derived from rehearsal recordings during the writing process..

Claire M Singer, founder of Organ Reframed is known for her experimental approach to the organ and her critically acclaimed releases on the prolific experimental label Touch. Her debut album Solas was described as ‘… timeless and genuinely magical’ – The Quietus. In 2017 Singer was a recipient of the inaugural Oram Awards for her innovation in sound and music and most recently her commission from the London Contemporary Orchestra, gleann ciùin, for organ and mixed ensemble has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award (Large Chamber Work). Recent projects include the score for Tell It To The Bees directed by Annabel Jankel, starring Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger. The score features Singer on organ and cello alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra, which won the Festival Castell de Peralada Award for best music at the BCN Festival in 2019. Most recently in December 2021 her solo organ work The Molendinar featured in The New York Times '5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Organ' 

London Contemporary Orchestra is a leading global orchestral group focused on playing, commissioning and developing new music and artistic output. Alongside working with well-known artists, LCO focus on developing a diverse next generation of players, conductors and composers by creating opportunities for them to work at the highest professional level.

Formed in 2008 by co-artistic Directors Robert Ames and Hugh Brunt, the LCO has collaborated with a wide array of musicians, artists, creative figures, platforms and venues such as: Radiohead, Frank Ocean, Jed Kurzel, Jonny Greenwood, Steve Reich, Justice, Terry Riley, Thom Yorke, Mica Levi, Actress, Beck, William Basinski, Richard Reid Parry, Goldfrapp, James Lavelle, Secret Cinema, Vivienne Westwood, Nike, Bill Morrison, Conrad Shawcross, Ron Arad, Hannah Perry, NTS, Boiler Room, DAZED, Resident Advisor, Meltdown Festival, Barbican, Southbank Centre, Roundhouse, Printworks, Tate Modern and BBC Proms.

Excerpt from the 90 minute work derived from rehearsal recordings during the writing process..

*Please note: If you would like to purchase the festival pass you must add all three Organ Reframed paid events for the discount to be applied at the checkout*

Organ Reframed 2022 is brought to you by Union Chapel Project in partnership with the London Contemporary Orchestra with generous support from Arts Council England, PRS for Music Foundation, The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and the Three Monkies Trust.