Walduck Jackie
Jackie is a composer and vibraphone player, whose work explores the exchanges between written and improvised music and the musicians that create it. She works with classical, contemporary and jazz musicians from beginner to professional, and collaborates with dancers, artistis and film-makers in a range of contexts to create new work. In 1998, City University awarded her a PhD in collaborative composition. She was invited by the British Council to work in Oman in 2001-3, where she developed a creative strand for the Omani music curriculum, as well as composing the first ever collaborative piece with children and Omani musicians. Her film score for The Dress was premiered at Cannes in 2007. Recent collaborations have been with Kala Ramnath, Amjad Ali Khan and musicians from Shivanova.
"As an improviser, composer, workshop leader, and researcher: a never-ending enquiry into music as interaction is the beating heart of my work."
In 2008 she formed Ignite with Wigmore Hall Learning a new type of chamber ensemble, working through improvisation. As Wigmore Hall's Learnign Ensemble in Residence, Ignite engages people of all ages from the Westminster community with the creative and interactive aspects of chamber music making. The band has become an energetic and adventurous ensemble, commissioning over 20 new improvised works from leading composers, and breaking new ground at Wigmore Hall with the first late-night concerts, Open House days, and large-scale community projects. Beyond Wigmore Hall, Ignite is making its mark as a fiery new music ensemble, performing at Kings Place, NAtional Portrait Gallery and Whittington Chamber Music Festival.
2015 sees the launch of Tactile, an ensemble of sighted, partially sighted and blind musicians, all working blindfold. We will create music without visual cues, exploring the gift of darkness, as well as creating tactile scores for improvisation with artist Viyki Turnbull. All performances will take place in darkened spaces, immersing the audience in a world in which the visual is extraneous to sound.
