British Council and PRS for Music Foundation announce
residencies in China for innovative UK musicians
28 September 2011
The British Council and PRS for Music Foundation today announced that they have
selected four UK musicians to spend six weeks in China writing new music and
building new international relationships.
IMOGEN HEAP, JAMIE WOON, GARETH BONELLO AND MATTHEW BOURNE have been
chosen from around 40 applicants to take part in a residency programme organised by
the British Council and PRS for Music Foundation. The residencies are designed to
enable innovative British musicians to explore new musical territory, reach new
audiences and write new material in the context of a changing international market.
Between October 2011 and March 2012, the musicians will travel to four cities across
China: Hangzhou (East China), Xi'a (North China), Chengdu (South West China) and
Xiamen (South China). They will immerse themselves in and respond to their
environment, meet local people and share their experiences via local and international
media. The new music will then be performed publicly in China and the UK in 2012.
Grammy Award-winning singer, composer and songwriter Imogen Heap will travel to
Hangzhou where she will work with local artists and communities to create two new
tracks for her current album. She will be hosted by West Lake Music Festival, which is
working to build up the local appetite for arts and culture in a city renowned for its
beautiful natural scenery and historical relics.
BRIT school graduate and R&B/dubstep-influenced singer/producer Jamie Woon will
travel to Xi'an, home to the First Emperor's tomb and his terracotta warriors. Jamie
will be exploring the local rock scene in Xi’an and sharing his musical ideas via a
regular radio programme, performances and recording sessions.
Welsh folk multi-instrumentalist Gareth Bonello will travel to Chengdu, the capital of
the Sichuan province. Bonello, who was nominated for this residency by BBC DJ Huw
Stephens, will work with local folk instrumentalists on material for a new album
Pianist and composer Matthew Bourne will travel to Xiamen and the nearby Gu Lang Yu
Island known as ‘piano island’ since the 19th century. Bourne will be hosted by the Art
College of Xiamen University where he will give lectures and create new musical pieces
which will build on his impressive body of experimental work for piano.
Cathy Graham, British Council Director of Music, says:
The thought of these talented musicians - who between them represent a wonderful
breadth of music - taking inspiration from the cultures and environments of cities
across China is so exciting. I’m very happy that the collective experience and
- PRESS RELEASE -
expertise of our two organisations has made these residencies possible, and look
forward with huge anticipation to the music which will be created.
Vanessa Reed, Executive Director of PRS for Music Foundation, says:
We’re delighted that our partnership with the British Council has led to this
pioneering residency programme for UK music creators. To explore new musical
ideas and collaborations in a country where the market for Western artists is
still developing is a great opportunity for the creators who’ve been selected. I
look forward to following their stories and listening to the music that results
from this adventure.
Imogen Heap says:
Many eyes are on China to see where she goes. To be a part of that blossoming
journey from the inside for a few weeks will be inspiring. I’m not planning to go
to China with prepared ideas; I want to react to the unique experiences I will
encounter and I want to work with the people I meet to create new tracks for
my current album.
Notes to editors
For more information on PRS for Music Foundation, please contact Victoria Ford,
WildKat PR 020 7499 9334 victoria@wildkatpr.com
For more information on the British Council, please contact Alex Bratt on 0207 389
4872 alex.bratt@britishcouncil.org
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities
and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK
and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100
countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face
with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our
total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through
trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money
invested we earn £2.65 in additional income.
www.britishcouncil.org
PRS for Music Foundation is the UK's leading funder of new music across all genres.
Since 2000 the Foundation has awarded over £14 million to more than 4,000 new music
projects. Widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, PRS for
Music Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity by awarding
grants and leading partnership programmes that support the development of new
music in the UK.
www.prsformusicfoundation.com
For press enquiries please contact:
Victoria Ford, WildKat PR
victoria@wildkatpr.com 020 7499 9334
- PRESS RELEASE -
Dates of residencies:
Each residency is for 6 weeks
20th October 2011 Imogen Heap
24 February 2011 Matthew Bourne
14th Oct 2011 Gareth Bonello
2nd Jan 2012 Jamie Woon
Notes on cities:
Hangzhou is the capital city of Zhejiang province. With a history of more than 1,500
years, it was one of the cultural centres in ancient China, especially as the national
capital of Southern Song Dynastery when literature and arts flourished. Hangzhou has a
beautiful city landscape, with West Lake (Xihu) and its surrounding hills and woods at
the heart of the city. And the same time, it’s one of the leading cities of Chinese
economic growth nowadays. The local citizens enjoy a modern lifestyle but at the
same time keep being proud of the traditional cultural heritage of the city.
Xi’an is home to the First Emperor's tomb and his terracotta warriors as well as the
starting point of the Silk Road. In Chinese history, Xi'an was 'the city where the East
met the West'. These days, the city is famous for underground music and youth subculture. It hosts several music festivals, and is also home to many contemporary
Chinese visual arts stars.
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province - a city of bars, tea-houses, markets and
alleyways, but also one of the most important economic centres, transportation and
communication hubs in Western China. The city is home to the world's largest panda
reserve, the world's tallest Buddha statue, and one of China's four holy Buddhist
mountains. Chengdu's folk music, 'Lantern Drama', and Sichuan Opera are wellestablished, ancient traditions.
As a historic port city, Xiamen has often been under strong influence of foreign
cultures. It became a centre of British trade in the 19th century and was taken over by
Japanese invaders at the start of World War II. The nearby Gu Lang Yu Island is also
known as 'piano island', as its past residents were wealthy Chinese businessmen with
every family owning a piano. Many of the old treaty-ports and colonial buildings in
Western styles survive. The piano department at the local University Art College is
particularly outstanding, benefiting from the city's long piano tradition.
For press enquiries please contact:
Victoria Ford, WildKat PR
victoria@wildkatpr.com 020 7499 9334