New Year: new music, new signings

10 January 2022

Percius is delighted to welcome two new artists to its roster. Violinist Emily Sun is “on the verge of international super-stardom” (The Australian), “Possessed of a superb talent” (The Australian), with “a searing and poetic tone” (The Guardian). Emily’s powerful sound and compelling, captivating interpretations have won her international renown, just as her genuine connection with audiences and engaging presence have thrilled her growing host of supporters. Emily’s debut album, Nocturnes, was shortlisted for ‘Best Classical Album 2021’ in the ARIA Awards. Her upcoming projects include a new concerto commission plus recordings and concerto performances with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players and conductors Vasily Petrenko, Dimitri Matvienko and Howard Griffiths.

Composer Taylor Scott Davis’ “inspired pen” (Opera Today) and “dreamy vocal lines [that] overlap and intensify to stunning effect” (The Wall Street Journal) recently captured many hearts with his orchestra and choir works for regular collaborators VOCES8 and Grammy-winning choir Conspirare. Taylor’s six new carol arrangements for LIVE From London Christmas were premiered on Classic FM and digitally around the globe, with over a quarter of a million views in less than a month. His upcoming projects include a new opera based on text by Mark Twain, a collection of new Christmas Suites for Bradley Ellingboe and Dr. Jennaya Robison of the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and performances and album releases of Taylor’s six new carols, more writing for the gaming community, a new Magnificat, and A Migrant’s Mass which was inspired by the image of a particularly visceral drowning in the ongoing global immigration crisis.

The New Year brings new music and new albums too - Percius is proud to unveil new Spring releases by Rachel Podger (Beethoven) and I Fagiolini (Wilbye). Rachel will return to the studio in the New Year to record a new solo disc and upcoming performances include returns to Royal Northern Sinfonia, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra and a new collaboration with BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Aside from I Fagiolini’s new Wilbye album, Draw on, Sweet Night, the group returns to the studio to record Victoria for a new album and performing project Shadowlands. Upcoming performances begin to build towards the group’s 40th anniversary in 2026 and include a tour of Re-Wilding The Waste Land and a new collaboration with St Martin-in-the-Fields. Robert Hollingworth returns to Russia to conduct Blow Venus and Adonis and directs the Clorinda Agonistes tour with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance.

Following a swathe of 5-star reviews for Ysaÿe, Jack Liebeck’s year includes his first outing as Artistic Drector for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, returns to Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North and Uppsala Chamber Orchestra. Recording plans include Glazunov concerto and Saint-Saëns.

Conductor Simon Crawford-Phillips continues his relationship with NDR alongside developing his own Västerås Sinfonietta, and return visits to Helsingborg and Gothenburg symphony orchestras. As a pianist, his new chamber projects include a collaboration with Anne Sofie von Otter and Roderick Williams, and continued work with Daniel Hope.

Following his debut at Sibelius Summer Academy conducting Handel’s Semele, Eamonn Dougan will conduct the Stabat Mater at University of York in the summer. He returns to work with the Jersey Chamber Orchestra and Thomas Tallis Society, alongside his continued work with The Sixteen and the Royal Academy of Music. Eamonn and Robert Hollingworth will jointly conduct De Profundis in a new 5-disc series with Hyperion.

Alongside his work as Artistic Director of VOCES8, The VOCES8 Foundation and LIVE From London, Barnaby Smith conducts the world premiere release of ‘Requiem Novum’ by Mårten Jansson and Charles Anthony Silvestri with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Easter. Debut conducting appearances include Bach St John Passion with the English Chamber Orchestra and Handel Messiah with Nederlandse Reisopera. Following the success of his debut solo album, Handel, he will be recording a Bach disc in the summer.

We'll also be unveiling plans for #LIVEFromLondon Easter, and on, very soon.

We’re hugely grateful for your support of Percius artists as we look towards the New Year with hope. Please do contact us to talk about ideas, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter for regular news.