Meet the Band… Snowpoet

Snowpoet return to grace the Turner Sims stage on Saturday 5 June – a very special concert not only because it is the first time we have welcomed audiences into the hall in 2021, but also because the band will perform their latest release on Edition Records Wait For Me live and in full for the first time.

A band built around the coveted skills of award winning Irish vocalist and composer Lauren Kinsella and producer Chris Hyson, Snowpoet formed in London in 2013 with a passion for song writing and a desire to celebrate the common ground between modern folk, sung poetry and ambient electronica.

Meet the group of incredibly talented musicians that will be playing on Saturday…

Irish vocalist, composer, improviser, collaborator and performer, Lauren Kinsella started on the British jazz scene with Laura Jurd’s Chaos Orchestra and the band Thought Fox, among others. She specialises in improvisation and her unique style of vocalisation involves exploring the different types of vocabulary connected with vocal and instrumental sound. From singing to speech, utterance to lexicon, syllabic deconstruction to stream of consciousness, Lauren’s work celebrates the human voice in multi-faceted ways. She was awarded UK Vocalist of the Year (JazzFM) in 2016.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer, Chris Hyson has released seven EPs as a solo artist and composed some notable film scores, as well as collaborating with Lauren as the other half of Snowpoet. He has shared the stage with artists such as Mara Carlyle (EMI), drummer/producer Richard Spaven, folk artist Sam Lee, British rapper TY, Grammy winning artist Bill Laurance, and jazz singer Hailey Tuck, with whom he appeared live on Jools Holland in 2018. He also works as producer for artists such as jazz vocalist and composer Emilia Mårtensson (who also teaches vocal studies at University of Southampton) and folk singer/songwriter Laura Fell.

Award-winning jazz guitarist Rob Luft has performed with Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Loose Tubes, and Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur, as well as leading his own quintet. His virtuosity has been compared to that of six-string legends Al di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia. Rob won the prestigious Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize in 2016 and was named BBC New Generation Jazz Artist 2019-2021, an accolade granted to some of the world’s most exceptional young musicians (Emma Bloxham, Editor, BBC Radio 3). He is familiar with the TS stage, having performed here in 2019 as part of an exclusive double bill.

Drummer and composer Dave Hamblett has performed with artists including Kenny Wheeler, George Garzone, Julian Arguelles, Abram Wilson, Stan Sulzmann, Ivo Neame, Phronesis, Kit Downes, Trish Clowes and Norma Winstone. An accomplished bandleader and composer in his own right, in 2013 he released his debut solo album Light at Night on Whirlwind Recordings to wide critical acclaim.

Winner of the Kenny Wheeler Music Prize, saxophonist and composer Josh Arcoleo began saxophone lessons with Pee Wee Ellis when he was just 13. He released his debut album Beginnings in 2012 to huge critical success. As well as leading his own quartet, Josh has performed with countless artists including Jamie Cullum, Joss Stone, Michael Kiwanuka, Jason Rebello, Get the Blessing and Friendly Fires.

Vocalist, violinist, songwriter and composer Alice Zawadzki works across a vast array of styles – film soundtracks, music theatre and assorted varieties of European folk music, along with many collaborations with assorted British jazz musicians – including a 2016 album of duets with pianist Dan Whieldon. She has released two stunning solo albums, China Lane and 2019’s highly praised Within You is a World of Spring.

Pianist, composer and producer Matt Robinson has worked with musicians including Flying Machines, The Magic Lantern, Josienne Clarke and Nick Costley-White Quartet. Matt is part of a new duo collaboration Solitary Creatures with Swedish vocalist and composer Emilia Mårtensson, and also one half of Indie-folk project Wanderland with singer and visual artist Natalie Wildgoose which will release its debut EP this summer.

Book your ticket for Snowpoet, Saturday 5 June

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