On Friday 15 August 2025 at 7pm (doors open at 6pm), the Vocal Constructivists are performing a FREE concert, ‘Somerset Dreams’, in the courtyard of Somerset House, London WC2R 1LA. We are honoured to be part of The Spell or The Dream, by Somerset House Studios artist Tai Shani.

Our programme presents works that blur traditional disciplinary, social, and aesthetic boundaries in an effort to cultivate greater sensory awareness. Using Pauline Oliveros’s ‘Deep Listening’ techniques, poetic interpolations, and theatrical movements, the Vocal Constructivists will overlap and juxtapose pieces by Barbara Alden, Robert Ashley, Carole Finer, Nye Ffarrabas, Ron Kuivila, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Michael Parsons, and the Scratch Orchestra.

Read about it here. Although Walk-Ups are welcome, you are encouraged to book (free) tickets here. Hope to see you there!

Join us for medieval fabliaux, Renaissance fragrent vines, operatic extracts, advertising slogans, music hall songs, and contemporary compositions that feature the most overlooked organ and its sensory powers. Alongside new works by Barbara and Jane Alden, we will perform nasal excavations by Lord Berners, Judith Bingham, Geoffrey Bush, Lou Gare, Charles Hutchins, Pete Morris, Dmitri Shostakovich, Nicolas Slonimsky, and anonymous. Bharatanatyam and contemporary dancer and scholar Hari Krishnan’s representation of scent will teach you how to inhale anew.

The Vocal Constructivists are extremely sad to learn that the artist Tom Phillips CBE RA, ‘the most literal man’, died on 28 November 2022. Climbing through the window to get acquainted with Irma, Grenville, the Nurse, Toge and all his friends, has been a pivotal experience on the VC journey. We continue to ‘stir the violet notes’, as the words that Phillips revealed and concealed resound and shape our ongoing collages of sounds and syllables. It was ‘an unbelievable dream’ to prepare and perform Irma in his presence, both in person and online. 

To celebrate their tenth anniversary, the Vocal Constructivists are hosting a series of events that invite you to listen, learn, share, and perform with us. The festival, through the square window playfully sequences through these activities over two days. With no entrance fees, no mud, and enough space for all who want to pitch their virtual tents (for brief or longer stays), this festival offers opportunities for creativity, participation, reflection, Q&A, and lively engagement with music-making. There are three structured “events” each day: the first involves a choice of seminars, the second features guest speakers, and the third presents Vocal Constructivists in performance. There are additional opportunities for discussion. This festival is offered in memory of Scratch Orchestra pioneer and broadcaster Carole Finer († March 2020).

Further details and schedule here

THE VOCAL CONSTRUCTIVISTS perform text and graphic scores, alongside works that extend ‘traditional’ notation, bringing a sense of play to their interpretations of experimental music. Coming from diverse backgrounds, with ages ranging from 19 to 79, the Vocal Constructivists draw on an eclectic variety of artistic influences—classical, global, avant-garde, and theatrical. In addition to performing original interpretations of experimental classics such as Cornelius Cardew’s Treatise, they have commissioned and premiered 22 works, establishing themselves as an important force in new music-making. Read our full bio here.

“a group of exceptionally gifted singers who are at one with each other” – Choir and Organ