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Guildhall Jazz Orchestra: Celtic Wheel of the Year Suite

Conductor leading saxophone player

Josephine Davies leads the Guildhall Jazz Orchestra in a performance of her latest large-scale work, Celtic Year of the Wheel Suite.

Josephine Davies has been writing for large ensembles for the past 15 years, beginning during her residency as tenor saxophonist in the London Jazz Orchestra. Deeply inspired by a range of composers from Vince Mendoza to Stravinsky to Maria Schneider, Josephine’s writing focuses on flowing melodies, rich harmonies, and creative use of instrumental textures.

Davies’ Celtic Year of the Wheel Suite is a series of 8 pieces representing the eight parts of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, bringing a much-needed celebration of nature, connection, and renewal to our fragmented times. The suite begins with Summer Solstice, the longest and lightest day of the year and moves through the metaphorical and literal wheel, becoming increasingly dark and tenebrous, before returning at the end of the cycle back to light and luminosity.

The winning entries for the Dankworth and Eddie Harvey Awards for jazz composers and arrangers will be played during this concert and the winners presented with their awards.

Promoted by Guildhall School of Music & Drama