Leoni King awarded place as resident composer with Britten Sinfonia

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Announced today, alumna Leoni King (New College, 2018) will be one of three resident composers with the Britten Sinfonia next year, on their 'Magnum Opus' scheme; the other two are the Scottish composer George Stevenson and the British Canadian composer Michael Betteridge. They will work towards new works for septet in March (premiered at the Milton Court Concert Hall), and new chamber concertos for next Autumn. Leoni's work contemplates her evolving relationship with formative spaces, drawing on eclectic influences and voicing these in a classically-trained language. It combines an intimacy of text and sound with the impulse of storytelling; ethereal yet raw. The landscapes she has lived in are the heart of her music.

Leoni graduated with Distinction in a Masters in Composition from New College in 2022, having previously studied there as an undergraduate. Her music, described as "nostalgic yet futuristic"; "gripping and sumptuous", has been exhibited at the Turnpike Gallery, featured in Ludlow English Song Weekend, performed at venues including the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, the Holywell Music Room and GIGANT Apeldoorn, and played by ensembles including Orkest De Ereprijs, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, the Castalian String Quartet and the Engegård Quartet. She was shortlisted in the 2016 and 2017 BBC Young Composer competitions, and in 2021 was a prizewinner in the Philip Bates Competition for Composers and Songwriters. In 2022 she was selected for Ludlow English Song Weekend's Young Composer Platform, and in 2023 was part of the international Young Composers' Meeting with Orkest De Ereprijs.

Find out more on the Britten Sinfonia website.