What are we crying out about?
“Classical Music” in the most mainstream sense hasn’t been around for that long, arguably only 400 years, and for most of that time it wasn’t really thought of as “classical”. Much of the music that the orchestra plays is taken from the classical canon but there was a time when all of this music was new. New music wasn’t considered something niche but part of what going to hear live performance was all about. We are crying out to make this true again!
New music and commissioning young composers is at the centre of what this orchestra does and at many concerts a new commission or second performance of a new work is at the centre of our programme. Just as once hundreds of people went to hear Beethoven’s fifth symphony for the first time, our aim is to enliven the music we know and allow ourselves to hear it in a new context as well as hear new music in a fashion that doesn’t make it niche or separate. Come along and enjoy our concerts…for crying out loud!
More about us:
Founded in 2013 by James Henshaw with the aim of supporting and developing young performers, Outcry gives new talent, often emerging from conservatoires, the opportunity to work in a professional yet nurturing environment, helping them to embark on their careers. The orchestra specialises in delivering high-level performances with a wide range of programming including symphonic repertoire, world premières from young composers, curated and bespoke concert series and festivals, and large choral works. Over the last decade the ensemble has grown ambitiously yet sustainably, through the patronage and professional governance of its Trustees: Sir Richard Aikens, Richard Humphreys, Lindsay Henshaw, Lisa Erickson, Paul Ashley, Peter O’Connor and Gavin Millar QC.
Outcry has made appearances across the UK with recent notable venues including Temple Church, Tate Modern, and St Mary Abbots; the orchestra has also toured Europe. The ensemble’s recent festival Beethoven 251 played to sold out audiences and standing ovations, raising over £40,000 for freelance musicians and their development. Outcry has developed a strong relationship with section principals, collaborating with them frequently on solo work and concertos, which helps to create a distinctive sound, character, and identity for the orchestra. Since its inception, dozens of musicians have used Outcry as a platform to careers in professional orchestras, including principal positions in the BBC symphony, LSO, LPO, Royal Opera House and English National Opera and leader of Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Outcry is renowned for a pioneering approach to programming and performs either a world premiere or a work by a living composer at many of its concerts. They approach modern music with the mixture of passion and rigour that you’d typically expect to experience in performances of mainstream repertoire, and apply the explorative-analytical approach normally found in contemporary music to their performances of the ‘standard’ repertoire.