Commissions & Collaborations

OUR STREET
2022 – 2024

Opera written in collaboration with the people of Lewisham (now the Lewisham Creative Chorus) as part of Borough of Culture

Commissioned by Music and Theatre For All

Find out more about the journey of the project in this film.

OUTSIDE IN
2021

With set designer Lily Arnold and students from Hastings Academy.

Composition and performance as part of Wildling Festival, Hastings curated by artist Beccy Mccray

PASSING THE BUTTERFLY
2020

Immersive research project with Kenyan writer and storyteller Ogutu Muraya

Commissioned by Mahogany Opera as part of the Various Stages Festival

Explore more about the work here

WHEN THE OAK SPOKE
2019

Composition and live performance as part of a project exploring dialogue between a community and its trees.

With artist Beccy McCray, poet Emma Jolliffe and violinist Yoon-Ji Kim.

Explore more about the work here

YOURS IS OURS

for Gloria Steinem

2019

Commissioned by the Canales Project in partnership with United Nations and University of Wolverhampton.

Read the lyrics here

The World’s Beating Heart

2017

A Snappy Opera commissioned by Mahogany Opera, devised in collaboration with school kids in Tower Hamlets.

Performances ongoing across the UK, Germany and Lithuania

Meet the kids in this feature on BBC News

I WISH, I WISH

2017

Commissioned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Celebration of Schools’ Music at Snape Maltings.

Watch Gwyn conducting a live performance here.

MIX with LONDON SINFONIETTA

2016

A collaborative performance at King’s Place, exploring new arrangements of Herbert’s own songs and special pieces created in dialogue with musicians from the ensemble

Installation project, film and live performance in Stratford Station with artist Mel Brimfield.

Commissioned by Art on the Underground in partnership with The Theatre Royal Stratford East to celebrate the life, works and legacy of Joan Littlewood on her centenary.

Read more / hear the songs by downloading the free ebook here 
Watch this behind-the-scenes film of the day by Jared Schiller.

The Palace that Joan Built
2015 – 2016

Gwyneth Herbert with the London Sinfonietta

London Sinfonietta:
Notes to the New Government

The Barbican, 2015

Tick Tock Tick, co-commissioned by Royal Philharmonic and performed as part of the Festival of Britain

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Springtime for Henry (and Barbara)

2014 – 2016

With artist Mel Brimfield.

A cross-disciplinary project seeking to notionally reconstruct a fictional lost musical about the relationship between British sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.

Mel and Gwyn discuss the process as part of their residency at Site Gallery, Sheffield

Recruiting participants from the community to build a sculptural choir on wheels

Performances at Wilton’s Music Hall starring Tony Award-winner Frances Ruffelle as Barbara Hepworth, Laurence Olivier nominee Andrew C. Wadsworth as Henry Moore, and Hugh Ross as The Critic.

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