Hampstead Arts Festival - ADD EVENT

BIRDSONG / Cân yr Adar

BIRDSONG / Cân yr Adar is a collaborative project conceived in 2016 by composer/pianist Gwilym Simcock, vocalist and guitarist Kizzy Crawford and the Welsh chamber orchestra Sinfonia Cymru. The music was inspired by the natural beauty of the Celtic Rainforest of Carngafallt. In November 2016 BIRDSONG / Cân yr Adar toured throughout Wales and had its English premiere at the EFG London Jazz & Hampstead Arts Festivals. It was also the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary.

Gwilym Simcock

Pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock is currently touring as part of guitarist Pat Metheny’s new quartet, along with bassist Linda Oh and drummer Antonio Sanchez.
Gwilym was the first BBC Radio 3 New Generation Jazz Artist. His 2014 album with bassist Yuri Goloubev, Reverie at Schloss Elmau, received 4 stars from the FT and Guardian newspapers. His many commissions include Cumbrian Thaw for the LSO, premiered by the LSO with Mark Anthony Turnage conducting, Contours for the Aronowitz Ensemble, Simple Tales for Britten Sinfonia soloists, Move! for The City of London Sinfonia and Progressions for the BBC Proms. His solo album Good Days at Schloss Elmau was a finalist for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

Kizzy Crawford

"Real talent" Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1        "Wonderful" Richard Coles, BBC Radio 4

A Welsh speaker with Bajan heritage, 20 year old Kizzy Crawford's solo career began just a few years ago. In that time, Kizzy has developed an increasing sophistication in her songwriting and performance, which is complimented by her soaring voice that boasts both range and charisma.

Her ambition as a black Welsh artist is to make her mark by fusing bilingual soul-folk jazz and she's already getting recognition for her work with airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru as well as live TV performances on S4C, Children in Need for BBC 1 and the 6 Nations advert campaign. Kizzy won the 'Brwydr Y Bandiau' at the National Eisteddfod 2013. She also won a Welsh Singer-Songwriter competition receiving money to record her first EP 'Temporary Zone'  with Amy Wadge (signed to BDI Music and Ed Sheeran/Lewis Watson co-writer). 

In 2014, Kizzy singed to publishing company BDi / Bucks Music and Kizzy was later selected as a BBC Horizons12 Artist which included the opportunity to perform at many festivals and a live session at BBC Maida Vale. Kizzy was also a featured artist with Gwilym Simcock for a BBC Radio 4 music programme and she was invited to perform on The Verbs ‘Young Talent’ programme for BBC Radio 3. Kizzy has played many gigs including shows at the National Assembly for Wales during WOMEX, Glastonbury, London Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz, Hay Festival, Festival No 6, Dinefwr Festival, the Plaid Cymru Conference, Blissfields, Wakestock, Abergavenny Food Festival (where she performed her single Golden Brown live on BBC Radio 4) and the Prince Edward Island Festival, Canada. Kizzy has played as support artist for Gruff Rhys, Newton Faulkner, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and has performed alongside Cerys Matthews at the House of Commons, Westminster. Kizzy recently performed her single 'Shout Out' Yr Alwad' with a 10 piece house band at the BAFTA CYMRU awards at St David's Hall, Cardiff and she also did a live performance of her latest single 'Jungle' and chatted with Jane Garvey on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Five of Kizzy's songs have been selected as set works as part of the WJEC 2016 A Level Music syllabus, she sits in the contemporary music section alongside Gruff Rhys, The Manics and the Super Furry Animals.

Kizzy’s tracks ‘Caer O Feddyliau’ featured on an ident for S4C and her track 'Shout Out' and Welsh language version 'Yr Alwad' featured in the 2015 VISIT WALES TV & online ad campaign.  Kizzy recently performed as guest artist with BBC National Orchestra of Wales at St David's Hall Cardiff and Brangwyn Hall Swansea. Other recent tours include the collaborative project BIRDSONG | CAN YR ADAR which toured throughout Wales and at the EFG London Jazz & Hampstead Arts Festivals. The music, based on the Celtic Rainforest of Carngafallt, was written by Kizzy, Gwilym Simcock and Sinfonia Cymru in partnership with RSPB Cymru & Arts Council of Wales and was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 documentary.

Sinfonia Cymru

Daring, innovative and mould-breaking, Sinfonia Cymru is a dynamic Cardiff-based chamber orchestra dedicated to supporting outstanding young professional musicians at the start of their careers. Sinfonia Cymru presents a diverse programme each year with activities including orchestral touring, chamber music, creative learning and health & well-being projects. Unafraid to challenge the status quo, in 2013 Sinfonia Cymru launched Curate, an initiative which puts musicians at the centre of creative programming, enabling them to develop their own artistic ideas. This resulted in projects including UnButtoned (2013), Unease (2014) and The Freddie Mercury Project (2016). In 2017/18 Curate musicians will partner with Tramshed Tech, a creative/tech shared workspace in a beautiful former industrial building, in designing four events which combine eclectic live music with digital installations and film. Recent commercial engagements include two CD recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, broadcasts on Sky Arts, BBC4 and Classic FM as well as an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall for Bryn Terfel’s 50th Birthday concert. Guest artists include Benjamin Grosvenor, Gábor Takács-Nagy and Rachel Podger, and the orchestra has also performed alongside Sting and Michael Sheen.  In 2017 Sinfonia Cymru won the Cardiff Life Award for outstanding arts organisation.