Commission to Laura Bowler

Under the label ♀-Empowerment, the Basel Sinfonietta presents a programme dedicated entirely to British female composers. The programme is a portrait of female compositional art from different generations, full of energy, creativity and expressiveness. The focus is on a world premiere by Laura Bowler, which showcases her as a rising star of contemporary music. Inspired by Lucy Ellman’s essay Things Are Against Us, Bowler combines the political with the playful and, in collaboration with the renowned GBSR Duo and the Basel Sinfonietta, creates a musical theatre experience. The combination of percussion, piano, voice and orchestra promises an impressive sound world full of emotion and intensity. The essay Things Are Against Us, which inspired Bowler’s new work, is a witty and provocative meditation that questions the difficulties of everyday existence in a cheerful and tragic way. Its rhythmic micro- and maxi-structures provide a musical text. In this setting of Ellman’s text, the GBSR duo represents the “things” and the orchestra, as a representation of the global, is an extension of this. Laura Bowler stands for “us”, the human experience in the midst of a turbulent and difficult rollercoaster ride.

The commission to Laura Bowler for the Basel Sinfonietta is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further information:
baselsinfonietta.ch

Date

November 9, 2025
Stadtcasino, Basel