NEW ARTIST: composer Alex Paxton

14 January 2025

We’re excited to announce that composer and jazz trombonist Alex Paxton has joined Rayfield Allied for general management.

He has been described as “A Magician of Sound...hyperkinetic rainbow-hued...joy & freedom” (Financial Times), “the most joyous sound I’ve heard in ages!” (New York Times), "A riotous overabundance of love and rage...an extraordinary experience” (The Wire),”a system-crasher of genre...unmistakable style...highly complex, sophisticated and extremely entertaining, virtuoso ad absurdum" (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik), and “a super nova...a brazen sensorial mash up...riot and a rainbow...brimmingly heartfelt multi sensorial, genuinely energising fizzer of a new work...super charged joy...forces us all to sit up and loosen up and buck up” (Kate Molleson, BBC New Music Show.)

Alex’s scores are published by Ricordi (Berlin) and he has won many prestigious awards for his compositions including an Ivor Novello, the Paul Hindemith Prize ("a Brit who defies every conceivable genre boundary…an extremely modern and future-oriented style”), the Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize (“Unbridled joy…sophisticated, passionate music full of pulsating energy and stylistic diversity”), the Elbphilharmonie’s Claussen Simon Composition Prize, Royal Philharmonic Society Prize, Dankworth Jazz Prize, Leverhulme Art Scholarship with London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Harriet Cohen Memorial Music Award.

Alex has released three critically acclaimed albums, most recently HAPPY MUSIC for ORCHESTRA (Delphian), and his music is frequently performed by many of the world’s leading orchestras, ensembles and festivals including London Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Klang Forum Wien, London Sinfonietta, Asko-Schönberg, Re-Mix Ensemble, Ensemble Klang, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra GB, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain, NDR Big Band, WDR Big Band, BBC Proms, Bang on a Can Long Play, Paris Festival d'Automne, MaerzMusik, Guadeamus, ECLAT, impulse Graz, Klangspuren Schwaz, Wigmore hall, Klammer Klang, and Aldeburgh Festival.

As a jazz trombone soloist, Alex has performed concerto-like pieces of his own with WDR Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, London Sinfonietta, Asko:Schönberg, Riot Ensemble, Ensemble Klang, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and ensemble x.y.

Alex’s upcoming premieres include:

5th February – “How to eat your sexuality” – a 75 minute piece for voices, ensemble and electronics, commissioned by the ECLAT Festival, Klangforum Wien and Neue Vocalsolisten, to be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni. More information here.

7th February – “World Builder, Creature” – a 23 minute orchestral piece, commissioned by the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie NDR Symphony Orchestra, to be conducted by Alan Gilbert. More information here.

27th April – New Work - a 20 minute piece commissioned by Ensemble Modern and the NDR Big Band. More information here.

28th June – New Work - a 20 minute piece written for ensemble, commissioned by Wigmore Hall and Ensemble Modern, to be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni. More information here

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