World Premiere of Anna Clyne’s PALETTE for Augmented Orchestra
Clyne’s concerto for Augmented Orchestra receives its world premiere with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in February, followed by March performances with the New World Symphony and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Anna Clyne unveils her concerto for Augmented Orchestra, PALETTE, on February 14-15, 2025, premiered by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Stéphane Denève, in collaboration with sound designer Jody Elff and lighting designer Luke Kritzeck. The work was co-commissioned by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra Institute, BBC Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Juilliard School. Following the world premiere in St. Louis, Stéphane Denève also conducts PALETTE with the New World Symphony in Miami (Mar 1-2).
PALETTE is a 35-minute Concerto for The Augmented Orchestra (AO), integrating orchestral performance with live electronic processing and sonic manipulation through a new audio technique created by the composer in collaboration with GRAMMY Award-winning audio engineer and sound designer Jody Elff. By manipulating sounds produced by the orchestra in real-time by computer-controlled processes, AO creates an augmented sonic experience perceived as a natural extension of the orchestra and a fundamental component of the composition. PALETTE is the third of Clyne’s compositions to utilize AO, and its most ambitious use to date. Clyne and Elff debuted AO with Wild Geese at the Cabrillo Festival in 2023, and at the BBC Proms in 2024 with The Gorgeous Nothings, which produced “a subtly atmospheric effect” that “heightened the fragile beauty of the music” (Bachtrack).
PALETTE also explores the intersection of color, light, and music, reflecting Clyne’s deep interest in the dialogue between music and art. Each of the work’s seven movements explores a different color—Plum, Amber, Lava, Ebony, Teal, Tangerine, and Emerald. As part of her creative process, Clyne created a painting for each movement, exploring elements that also translate to the music—visual gestures, textures, light, color, and form —resulting in a symphonic work that is inextricably linked to the visual language of the composer.
The performances of PALETTE with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony will feature lighting design by Luke Kritzeck, former director of lighting for the New World Symphony in Miami. Kritzeck’s work spans genres including symphonic concerts, opera, dance, circus, and theater.
On Mar 15, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Ben Gernon perform PALETTE in Manchester’s iconic AVIVA Studios, the landmark new home of Factory International, for “BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in the Warehouse.” Audience members are invited to experience music from within the orchestra itself, positioned in the vast North Warehouse. Listeners will be free to move around the space, exploring the orchestra as they perform across three huge platforms, creating a dynamic soundscape. The UK premiere of PALETTE marks the culmination of Clyne’s three-season residency with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
> Further information on Work: PALETTE
Photo: Victoria Stevens