Watch composer Luke Bedford, writer Glyn Maxwell and director John Fulljames talk about Bedford’s new opera Seven Angels at rehearsals in London.

Watch on the Opera Group website

Rehearsals are underway here at the Jerwood Space in London for Luke Bedford’s new opera Seven Angels.

The Opera Group is conducted by Nicholas Collon, John Fulljames is directing.

Seven Angels premières in Birmingham with the BCMG on 17 June, followed by a tour of Cardiff, Glasgow, Brighton, Oxford and London as well as a special appearance at the Latitude Festival in July.

This Saturday, Luke Bedford’s new piece for the Wigmore Hall (where he is composer-in-residence) will be given its world première.

Igor, The Bird Who Couldn’t Sing – for clarinet, piano and narrator – is based on the children’s book by Satoshi Kitamura. Clarinettist Michael Collins and friends are the performers.

See also Luke’s Willy and Hugh, a previous commission for the Wigmore Hall, and based on Anthony Browne’s bestseller children’s book of the same name.

British artists flock to set up home in liberating Berlin

Charlotte Higgins reports in the Guardian on a growing number of young (and not so young) artists who have chosen Berlin as their home.

“When you say you are a composer it feels really normal in Berlin”, says Luke Bedford. “In Britain people often don't seem to think you can actually be a composer; people are rather confused by it and think you must write music for TV, or something.”

The full article is here.

Here’s a full list of works by Luke Bedford.

His new opera, Seven Angels, will be premièred by the Opera Group and BCMG this June.