Stebbins/ Riot Ensemble - Chest of Toys

A BBC comedian once quoted a member of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival as saying, "The problem with new music is often that it sounds like a box of children's toys falling down the stairs." The Riot Ensemble adopted this quote with humor and presents a 'toy box' with contemporary works by Thomas Kotcheff, Monica Pearce, Michael Cryne, Utku Asuroglu, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Franco Donatoni, Jack Sheen, and music selected from their 2016 Call for Scores: Lee Westood, Yukiko Watanabe and Heather Stebbins. Led by a core group of sixteen musicians, The Riot Ensemble programs music they want to play, and collaborates with an array of other musicians and artists in concerts they plan and produce themselves. They are one of the few emerging ensembles in the UK to regularly commission and perform music by international emerging composers, and they present the young composers they commission alongside exciting and established music. "The Riot Ensemble's dedication to showcasing new music and bringing contemporary classical stylings to new audiences in unexpected venues is to be admired, respected, and imitated at every opportunity." (I Care If You Listen)