Shirley Joy Thompson

The conceptual music of award-winning composer Shirley Joy Thompson has been performed and screened worldwide, and described as "superb" (Le Figaro) and "powerful and striking" (BBC Radio 3).

A visionary artist and cultural activist, Thompson is thought to be the first woman in Europe to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years. The work, 'New Nation Rising: A 21st Century London Symphony' is an epic musical story celebrating London’s thousand-year history. Nearly 200 performers – including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, two choirs, a rapper and dhol drummers – took part in its first recording.

Thompson has consistently demonstrated in her work a belief in the transformative power of music to effect social, cultural and political change