8 Jun 2025
Mercury Songs
Emily Levy and Matthew Bourne
An experimental piece by a five-piece ensemble that recast British folk traditions for today
Performer-composers Emily Levy and Matthew Bourne presented a new work that recast British folk traditions for today.
Award-winning performer-composers Emily Levy and Matthew Bourne’s new work for five-piece ensemble, with experimental orchestration and rich vocal textures.
Mercury Songs is inspired by Bradford-born Julia Varley, a 20th-century activist for women’s and worker’s rights. It is a subversive reimagining of British folk traditions in a post-#MeToo world.
About this event
All events across New Music Biennial 2025 were free.
Events included two performances of the same work and a short interview with the creative team in between the two. This enabled audiences to experience the second performance with greater insight into the creative process.
About New Music Biennial
New Music Biennial is a three-day festival celebrating the best new music across all genres from the country’s most exciting composers – and in 2025, for the first time, it came to venues around Bradford.
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