Performance
In 2009 Graham Fitkin put together a stellar line-up of players to form a new nine-piece band. The music is fast, loud, with a hint of gypsy bawdiness and as The Guardian put it ‘a delight that defied all fashionable labels and simply conjured its own whirlygig of ideas with such spontaneity and control’. Ruth performs with FITKIN on bray harp and lever harp.
Graham has created a rich music full of grooves, unisons, occasional crashing polyphony and high complexity.
The players are –
John Lunn – bass
Joby Burgess – percussion
Aidy Spillett – percussion
Noel Langley – trumpet
Simon Haram – saxophone
Nick Moss – bass clarinet
Ruth Wall – harps
Alan Thomas – guitar
Graham Fitkin – piano
The Fitkin Band are performing newly commissioned work this year at three festivals – Cheltenham, Swansea and Glasgow. They were joined by the wonderful Melanie Pappenheim for these concerts.
Previous gigs include include Queens Hall- Edinburgh, London Southbank, Sound festival – Aberdeen, Bath Spa University, Great Hall – Dartington, Falmouth University, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Ether Festival – QEH London, Salisbury Festival. In 2012 the band performed a new work with the LCO at concerts as part of their track to Track series. Inspired by the 6 minute return journey of the Olympic Javelin Train from St Pancras to Stratford, Graham’s new work for the band was performed at Cadogan Hall and at St Pancras Station as well as London’s Southbank and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. The band also featured on stage at the Royal Opera House in April 2012 in Graham’s opera, HOME, directed by Jasmin Vardimon.
