Always on
This project successfully funded on 22nd May 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
This project successfully funded on 22nd May 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
To support the recording of Out of Eden by London Choral Sinfonia.
The Piece
Out of Eden represents a new approach to the environmental crisis, drawing on my background as both an environmentalist and composer. It repurposes texts from the Bible, juxtaposing them in novel and creative ways to draw out an environmental narrative which is explicitly spiritual. The song of the last Kauai O’O, a bird that went extinct in 1987, forms a leitmotif that runs throughout the work and binds the piece together. Across the seven movements, the piece takes the listener on a cathartic journey through grief and shame to a vision of hope for the future. The music itself is hugely dramatic, dynamic and colourful, keeping the listener hooked on an enthralling 40-minute journey of immense scope.
The Recording
The recording is taking place on 19th and 20th May 2025 in Islington, with a stellar cast of musicians. Soloists Katie Bray, Ed Lyon, Hugo Herman-Wilson and Michael Foyle, will perform alongside London Choral Sinfonia, conducted by Michael Waldron. The producer is Adrian Peacock, one of the most experienced choral producers in the country, and the album will be released on Orchid Classics in Spring 2026. The remainder of the disc is made up of two settings of Kathleen Raine's poetry, and a suite for vibraphone, piano and organ which is inspired by Chief Seattle's 1854 speech, and also addresses the environmental crisis from a spiritual perspective.
The Budget
The overall budget for the recording is £35,000, of which we have already raised £25,000, thanks to a number of very generous donors. The £35,000 accounts for the 41 musicians who will be performing on the recording, the producer and engineer, the venue hire, the hire of a superb grand piano, and the production costs of the disc (mixing, mastering etc). This Crowdfunder campaign will enable us to get the recording over the line, so that the piece can be shared with a global audience and speak its message for years to come.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made