Be part of a musical work’s journey: from spark to flame to fire.
We’re looking for supporters to provide an initial spark, so our ambitious idea might catch fire.
Sound Ignited is the London Sinfonietta’s new commissioning campaign: Eight new works by eight essential composers, brought to life by our supporters.
We’re looking to raise £75,000. Thanks to the generous support of the Cockayne Foundation, these commissions are already taking shape. Yet there is still a huge financial gap to fill. In an era of rising cost and reduced public funding, the support of private individuals has become urgent.
Since its formation in 1968, London Sinfonietta has been a home for the musically curious, dedicated to exploring the best new music by the era’s leading composers.
Sound Ignited continues that legacy, with eight new commissions from a selection of today’s most exciting voices.
The Sound Ignited commissions are:
April and November 2025 – Laurence Osborn
November 2025 – Marius Neset
June 2026 – James B Wilson
March 2027 – Lisa Illean
April 2027 – Ailís Ní Ríain
May 2027 – Ben Nobuto
November 2027 – Allison Loggins-Hull
November 2027 – Helen Grime
We’re asking for your help in bringing these essential new works to life, and ensure that these voices are performed, recorded, and heard far beyond the concert hall.
Laurence Osborn
British composer Laurence Osborn creates bold, intricately layered music that explores the voice in all its physical and psychological dimensions. His new work Mute is a cycle of twelve ‘anti-concertos’ reflecting on silenced, altered and disembodied voices – weaving together historical fragments, myths, technology and fragile traces of recorded sound. Mute received its world premiere at the Southbank Centre on 3rd April 2025, followed by a further performance at hcmf// in November 2025.
Marius Neset
Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset joined the London Sinfonietta on 20th November 2025 for Changes – a high-octane collaboration blurring the lines between jazz improvisation and orchestral precision. Known for his ecstatic, rhythmically charged compositions, Neset’s music fuses the energy of spontaneous performance with the expansive textures of contemporary classical sound.
James B. Wilson
British composer James B. Wilson creates music that tells vivid, human stories through rich orchestral colour and emotional depth. His new work for the London Sinfonietta brings professional and young musicians together side-by-side, celebrating collaboration and shared creativity as part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary.
Lisa Illean
Australian-born, UK-based composer Lisa Illean writes delicate, immersive music that unfolds with quiet intensity. Following her Sinfonietta Short Tiding, she now creates a major new ensemble work exploring resonance, tuning, and the subtle interplay of sound and silence.
Ailís ní Ríain
Irish composer Ailís ní Ríain crafts bold, multidisciplinary works that fuse music, theatre, and visual storytelling. Her new project FIX combines puppetry, live ensemble, film, and sign language in a darkly playful exploration of disability, repair, and the human condition.
Ben Nobuto
British-Japanese composer Ben Nobuto writes energetic, genre-fluid music that collides classical form with the sounds and rhythms of the digital age. His new work for ensemble continues his playful exploration of attention, technology, and fragmented perception.
Allison Loggins-Hull
American composer, flutist, and producer Allison Loggins-Hull creates vibrant, genre-crossing works rooted in Black music, culture, and storytelling.
Helen Grime
Helen Grime MBE is one of the UK’s most distinguished composers, drawing inspiration from visual art and literature. Grime’s upcoming commission for the London Sinfonietta, set to premiere in 2027, will continue this interdisciplinary exploration – a new ensemble piece created in collaboration with visual art, featuring slow-moving video as a central element.
100% of your donation will go towards the commission and performance costs for the eight new works and will be allocated by London Sinfonietta according to need. Donation acknowledgements will be shown as part of the Sound Ignited Syndicate. For those individuals donating £1000 or more to this campaign, acknowledgement against a specific work may be requested.
This campaign is kindly supported by Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation.
