Guildhall alumni join Bold Tendencies 2025 programme

Bold Tendencies – a former multi-storey car park now transformed into a thriving arts space – is known for its distinctive, boundary-pushing programming. This year’s season, Déjà Vu, explores how the uncanny principles of déjà vu resonate in today’s world. 

The line-up includes a wide range of Guildhall alumni working across contemporary music and performance. The season concludes with the world premiere of Garland, an ambitious new work for orchestra and chorus – totalling 118 performers – by alumnus and previous Guildhall School Composer-in-Residence Oliver Leith (Composition 2024). The performance brings together an impressive number of Guildhall artists: 12 Ensemble, led by Artistic Director and principal cellist Max Ruisi (Cello 2010); Royal Philharmonic Society Award-winning GBSR Duo, featuring George Barton (Percussion 2014) and Siwan Rhys (Piano 2013); and vocal ensemble EXAUDI, including Emma Tring (Soprano 2002), Jessica Gillingwater (Junior Guildhall 2003), and former Guildhall staff member Dr James Weeks. Patricia Auchterlonie (Soprano 2017) also features, with Jack Sheen (Composition 2016) co-conducting alongside an amateur chorus. 

Elsewhere in the programme is The Sea, a modern opera about Palestine co-composed by Elif Nur Karlıdağ (Opera Making & Writing 2023), with sung and spoken English and Arabic intertwined with European and Middle Eastern instruments. Jean Rondeau (Harpsichord 2012) makes his Bold Tendencies debut with a performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, while Eliza McCarthy (Piano 2010), Siwan Rhys (Piano 2013), and current student Hugh Rowlands appear in a series of electronic performances celebrating composer Wendy Carlos. These will be presented on the Moog SoundLab UK – a mobile studio built around the rare, limited-edition reissue of the legendary 1960s System 55 Moog Synthesizer. 

Guildhall School – ranked number one in the UK for Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2025, and in the top four in the world for Music and Performing Arts by the QS World University Rankings 2025 – is delighted to see the diverse work of our alumni featured in this exciting programme. From contemporary opera and electronic music to ensemble performance and large-scale premieres, Guildhall alumni continue to showcase a collaborative and innovative approach in their creative careers. 

Discover world-class training at Guildhall. Explore our upcoming departmental open days at gsmd.ac.uk/opendays. 
 

Images from top: Patricia Auchterlonie performs in Last Days, composed by Oliver Leith, at the Royal Opera House © Camilla Greenwell; Oliver Leith