Bastard Assignments

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Since their last concert in London in November 2019, the four composer-performers who comprise Bastard Assignments have been only able to meet online (documented by their series of remote pieces: the Lockdown Jams). New working collaborations were made in situ and have produced the pieces made by Edward Henderson and Lewis Spear, who rehearsed in deserted City Lit classrooms in London; and Tim Cape and Mayah Kadish elsewhere.

Edward Henderson’s Will was previously performed once in Oslo in February 2020 before the world shut down. Source material including recordings of Berlin construction sites and the dance track I Feel Space by Lindstrøm obliquely refer to intimate and euphoric encounters. Caitlin Rowley created a collaged score that combines the striations in rocks found at Cornish beaches with patterns formed by the lines on maritime charts for her solo viola piece A Memory of Wind.

Programme:

Timothy Cape, Sorry for the late reply. Performed by Timothy Cape (percussion).

Caitlin Rowley, A Memory of Wind. Performed by Caitlin Rowley (viola).

Edward Henderson and Lewis Spear, Lewis, Sustain and Outro. Performed by Edward Henderson (piano) and Lewis Spear (electric guitar).

Timothy Cape, new work. Performed by Mayah Kadish (violin).

Edward Henderson, Will. Performed by Bastard Assignments (piano, ROLI Seaboard, saxophone, bass guitar, viola, singing).

Biographies:

"Bastard Assignments are a welcome reminder of the value of risk in artistic creation" – Tim Rutherford-Johnson, Neue Zeitschrift für Musik

"one of the most exciting forces in contemporary music" – Financial Times

Bastard Assignments are Timothy Cape, Edward Henderson, Caitlin Rowley and Josh Spear, four composer-performers making work that explores experimental music, performativity and movement. We work collaboratively and have developed a shared creative practice. We organise performances in London and show work across the UK and internationally.

In 2020-21 we performed at the Royal Academy of Music in Oslo and then embarked on an exploratory body of work we called Lockdown Jams. These were pieces made remotely over the internet and included commissions from a wide range of multimedia artists.

In 2019 we performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, SPOR Festival, and Konsertserien Periferien in Oslo, alongside two showcase performances of our work in London and multiple appearances on BBC Radio 3. 2018's highlights included touring to the USA to work with Mocrep in Chicago.

Previous years have seen Bastard Assignments perform at hcmf//, Royal Academy of Arts, LCMF, Weisslich, in Copenhagen and Århus with AUT, Frontiers Festival in Birmingham, Virtually Reality in Manchester and Nonclassical. Our performances at Southbank Centre and Wellcome Collection were broadcast live on BBC Radio 3's Hear and Now programme.

Violinist Mayah Kadish was born in Rome and grew up in London. She studied philosophy at King's College London, working for several years as a translator. She obtained her Master's degree as a violinist from the Royal Academy of Music London, and studied the baroque violin with Enrico Onofri in Sicily.

Mayah plays music from across a huge spectrum: baroque, avant-garde experimental, contemporary classical, folk, pop etc. She has played as soloist in halls such as the Barbican, Lisbon's Centro Culturel de Belem, Cologne Philharmonie, Lucerne Opera, HKW Berlin, Amsterdam Muziekgebouw, Volksbühne Berlin, Wigmore Hall, and Wiesbaden State Theatre amongst others.

She is principle violinist of London-based contemporary group Ensemble x.y as well as the Berlin-based contemporary ensemble s t a r g a z e, directed by André de Ridder, and founding member of the baroque trio sonata group La Vaghezza. Mayah often works collaboratively on making new music.

Lewis Spear studied popular music at Falmouth University. He plays guitar in the band Terra Twin.

Bastard Assignments' Website.