Contemporary Vocal Sünds

A playful evening of vocal performance with boundary-pushing singers Eleanor Westbrook and Oskar McCarthy, celebrating the radical spirit of 20th and 21st-century vocal music.

The programme explores pioneering works by Cage, Xenakis, and Aperghis, alongside daring reinterpretations of older music and contemporary works from both established and emerging composers. Featuring Ben Smith on piano, plus a balloon and a toy glockenspiel.

Eleanor Westbrook is an expressive interdisciplinary performer working at the intersection of opera, physical theatre, clowning, and experimental music. She has appeared across the UK and Europe, from the Edinburgh Fringe to Southbank Centre, and collaborated with companies such as Belarus Free Theatre, Waste Paper Opera Company, and Kneehigh Theatre. Her original works have been featured at Soho Theatre’s Fool’s Moon and the De La Warr Pavilion. Known for her visceral energy and surrealist storytelling, Eleanor is committed to reimagining classical forms through a contemporary lens. She is artistic director of TUFT, producing large-scale performance events in Hastings Castle and Caves, and is currently developing a multidisciplinary production of Titus Andronicus.

Oskar McCarthy is a dynamic actor-singer performing new music and old music in new ways. He has premiered operas by Avner Dorman, Robert Reid Allan and Bertie Baigent, and commissioned new work including Laura Bowler’s Lines, Letters and Disinformation for baritone and tape, performed at Snape Maltings and Café OTO. He has recorded works by Meredith Monk and Ion Marmarinos, improvised operatic monologues with composer/violist Zeo Fawcett, and collaborated with Rufus Elliot on durational six-hour vocal installations. A VOICEBOX alumnus, he trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and recently worked with the Royal Opera House’s Opera Lab, part of the Jette Parker Programme. He is co-Artistic Director of Festival Voices, performing at venues including Kings Place, Bold Tendencies, and Southbank Centre.

Join Ellie and Oskar on a voyage into the squelching heart of Contemporary Vocal Sünd.