Sharp Edges - Psappha

The leading new music and music-theatre ensemble in the North of England, Psappha was formed in 1991 by its Artistic Director (and percussionist) Tim Williams, who named it after a colourful percussion piece by Iannis Xenakis. Consolidating its reputation for technical assurance and interpretative flair in a repertoire of over 350 works, Psappha appointed its first ever Principal Conductor, Nicholas Kok, in 2007. The ensemble’s seven-strong regular membership encourages a refreshing diversity in the instrumentation of the music it plays but its performances all bear the hallmark of sophisticated co-ordination and co-operation, marked by a high degree of communication and empathy among the players. It was recently shortlisted, for the second time, for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

Based in Manchester, its distinctive concert series and mini-festivals have featured commissions and other premieres of works by a wide range of leading composers including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (Master of the Queen’s Music and Psappha’s Patron), Anthony Gilbert, Gordon McPherson, Karen Tanaka, Ronald Caltabiano, Rebecca Saunders, John Casken, Piers Hellawell, Edward Cowie and Larry Goves. The ensemble has a particular association with Steven Mackey (whose music the group introduced to the UK), featuring his music on tours and in high-profile concerts, including a co-commission with the Cheltenham Festival in 2007 and an appearance at the 2008 RNCM Mackey festival. Psappha recently presented a major survey of the music of Claude Vivier, in association with the BBC Singers with which it appeared in broadcast concerts in London and Lancaster. Along with programmes of works by György Ligeti and György Kurtág, amongst others, the Vivier concert from Lancaster was made widely available as a streaming webcast, using the latest technology. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.