Laura Cannell & Luke Abbott | Britten Pears Arts

‘New Dreams of an Ancient World’ sees two East Anglian based internationally recognised musicians recontextualise ancient instrumental technologies to generate a new collaboration and compositional practice through sampling, reinterpretation and live performance.

During their BPA residency Luke Abbott and Laura Cannell will be expanding their individual sound worlds to create a new sonic universe together, mixing the familiar and unfamiliar into powerful new music and creating a new sonic territory.

Abbott and Cannell both make music that is firmly rooted in their East Anglian heritage, but work at the extreme ends of music technology. While Abbott works with cutting edge electronic techniques such as modular synthesis and MaxMSP programming language, multi-instrumentalist Cannell explores the instrumentation of Early Music.

The pair have similar origins, having both studied for their postgraduate degrees at the UEA around the same time, and both going on to have successful touring careers albeit in very different areas of the music industry.

Historically, environment and location have been of great importance to both artists. Abbott and Cannell are excited to be renewing and sharing their artistic practices at a place so steeped in musical history while building an exciting new musical collaboration.

Snape Residencies provide time and space for creators at all stages of their careers; a supportive environment to create, be curious, and try out new ideas. Open Sessions offer a unique chance to go behind-the-scenes and experience work-in-progress created during the Residency.

We are so grateful to our supporters, without whom none of our work would be possible. Visit Support Us to find out how you can help.

Supporters contributing towards Residencies include:
Genesis Kickstart Fund and PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund.

About Laura

Laura Cannell a Suffolk based international composer and performer whose music draws on the emotional influences of the landscape, and explores the spaces between ancient and experimental music to create a sound that is rooted in, but not tethered to the past.

She has released 7 critically acclaimed solo albums, including ‘Antiphony of the Trees’ (2022). She is regularly broadcast on the BBC and international radio, including BBC Radio 3, 4 and 6Music. She has performed live in concert on Late Junction, In Tune, Hear and Now, The Early Music Show and recorded a session at the iconic Maida Vale studios. In 2020/21 she collaborated with the writer/comedian Stewart Lee and cellist Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble/U2) on her 12 EP series and album ‘These Feral Lands’.

2022 projects include composing for Amazon Audible’s immersive audio book ‘The Woman in Black’, Latitude Festival, a residency and performance at Snape Maltings Dome Stage. Laura has performed extensively throughout the UK and Europe, including: LSO St Lukes, Unsound Poland, Flow Helsinki, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, tours to Norway, Holland, and Denmark, solo at The Barbican and Royal Festival Hall and commissions for Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Historic Royal Palaces solo and in collaboration with Mira Calix.

Laura has been interviewed in The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Wire Magazine and has toured and recorded with the cellist Lori Goldston (Earth, Nirvana) the duo have an album out this autumn. Her music has also been used in TV and Film including the BBC series ‘What We Do In The Shadows’, as well as for Netflix and internationally.

About Luke

Luke Abbott is a composer, performer and music producer based in Norwich UK. His primary interest is in improvised electronic music. He has been releasing music to critical acclaim since 2006 on labels including Output Recordings, Border Community and The Leaf Label. He has performed extensively worldwide: The Barbican, Oval Space, Berghain Berlin, Musikgabouw Amsterdam, Razzmatazz Barcelona, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Hammersmith Apollo, Womad Festival and Mutek Mexico. In a production/remix capacity he has worked with artists Nils Frahm, Jon Hopkins, Gruff Rhys and Gold Panda. He was the first musician in residence at Wysing Arts Centre and scored two feature films, including The Goob, (winning Best Music at Stockholm International Film Festival 2014). In 2016 he started the improvised music project Szun Waves with saxophonist Jack Wyllie (Portico Quartet) and drummer Laurence Pike (PVT, Liars). Szun waves have released 3 albums to critical acclaim, most recently ‘Earth Pattens’.