Juice Vocal Ensemble
juice are an experimental vocal trio who perform an incredible mix of sounds from Central African-inspired riffs to vocal percussion; ethereal harmonies to growly drones. Their unique sound is an avant-garde mix of classical, world music, jazz, pop and folk, weaving a love of the theatrical and unusual word-setting into largely original works and improvisation.
juice (“The 21st century’s answer to the Swingles or the King’s Singers ” – The Times) are at the forefront of the UK’s experimental/classical scene, performing new vocal music which draws on world music, jazz, folk, pop, improvisation and theatre. They have featured on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. They have performed at the South Bank and Wigmore Hall to excellent reviews and appeared at countless new classical series including BMIC Cutting Edge, OutHear at King’s Place and Blank Canvas. In 2007, they were the first UK prize winners in the history of the internationally-renowned Tampere Vocal Festival.
juice have had their music choreographed to by Maurice Causey from the Nederlands Dans Theatre; have devised their own live vocal score to the 1916 film The Danger Girl (BFI Southbank, Latitude Festival, King’s Place with the Bird’s Eye View Film Festival); have performed live for a London College of Fashion Graduate Show; and have worked with internationally-renowned beatboxers Shlomo and Beardyman. Their debut album has just been released on the ‘Nonclassical’ label, which presents forward-thinking contemporary music alongside remixes by the likes of Hot Chip and Thom Yorke. The album includes the first recording of Elisabeth Lutyens’ 1974 piece, Of The Snow.
“The irrepressible Juice Vocal Ensemble – an all-female trio of astonishing variety, spark and brilliance… Eighteen immaculately achieved tracks, spanning Elisabeth Lutyens to Gabriel Prokofiev via folk song and avant garde, enchant and enthrall… Seek it out.” Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
juice regularly commission new works. In 2010, they received funding from the Britten Pears Trust, The RVW Trust, the Arts Council England and the PRSF to enable them to commission 14 new pieces, including their project Laid Bare – 10 Love Songs. This saw juice commission ten diverse UK-based composers, including Gavin Bryars, Anna Meredith, Errollyn Wallen, the folk artist Jim Moray and artpop tyke Micachu to create an utterly diverse songbook which spans fiendishly difficult contemporary writing through to ethereal folk song settings. The Vale of Glamorgan Festival presented the world premiere in September and juice give the London premiere at King’s Place in October.
Concerts this season also include the York Late Music Festival and a lunchtime recital for International Women’s Day on 8 March at St Botolph’s in the City of London. In March they made their US debut, at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and in New York, and performed for Voices Now at the Roundhouse.
