Experiment!

29 April - 1 May 2010

This three day festival offered a rare opportunity to explore music from the finest experimental composers from the US and UK.

In the presence of Frederic Rzewski, Michael Parsons and Howard Skempton audiences heard their music and that of Morton Feldman, John Cage, Cornelius Cardew and Gavin Bryars.

Experiment! also offered the chance to:

• get up close to London Sinfonietta in an open rehearsal and music in and around Kings Place's open spaces
• be immersed in our free Foyer Music Festival with music from Steve Reich
• join London Sinfonietta’s Scratch Music Ensemble and become part of the festival

Experiment! included a European premiere by Frederic Rzewski, Eric Satie's marathon piano piece Vexations and music from the London Sinfonietta's KX Collective, this was an unusual opportunity to explore brand new and rarely performed experimental works with 'the world's finest contemporary music ensemble' (BBC Music Magazine).

The weekend culminated on Saturday 1 May 2010 with a unique gig from London Sinfonietta and experimental pop music rising stars Micachu and the Shapes.

Also, we began the celebration of all things Experimental with our London Sinfonietta IN TIME... event the week before the festival: a unique electroacoustic performance in the unlikely setting of the Midland Goods Shed, as part of Create KX's Reveal festival.

All events took place at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG and full event details can be found in the links on the right hand side of the page.

Experiment! was produced by London Sinfonietta in association with Kings Place and Create KX. Curated by Robert Worby and Andrew Burke.

London Sinfonietta and the Experiment! series is supported by:

Arts Council England
The PRSF
The London Sinfonietta Kings Place Fund
The Cripplegate Foundation
Marple Charitable Trust
Youth Music
RE:NEW Music
Culture Programme of the European Union

slideshow photos © Kevin Leighton www.kevinleighton.com