On 3 May members of the London Symphony Orchestra are joined Sydney Youth Orchestras, the NSW Regional Youth Orchestra and Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the Sydney Opera House to give the Australian premiere of Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s DreamCity, conducted by Elizabeth Scott. The concert is part of the LSO’s Discovery education programme, which has been running for over thirty years.
DreamCity received its first performance from Simon Rattle and the LSO in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2021 – watch the world premiere here. The 4 ½- minute piece for strings was developed with the LSO East London Academy as a response to the experience of lockdown for young people in the city, drawing upon conversations with the young string players involved in the project, and explores themes of perseverance, uncertainty, dreams, dance and playing games. Read more about the way the piece was devised here. Witter-Johnson writes of the piece,
As a collective, I felt that we were all linked through our experiences of living in one of the world's most active and engaging cities, physically and culturally, and I wanted to reflect that in the energy of the piece, combining the elements of classical lyricism and edgy inner city vibe.
May also sees the world premiere of a new version of Witter-Johnson’s Rise Up (2019, rev. 2023) by London Youth Choirs at the Royal Albert Hall. On 9 May 1000 young singers from across London will come together to perform this grand choral version of Witter-Johnson’s 4 ½-minute song for voice and piano in a gala concert marking 10 years since LYC’s foundation.