emma leads blue planet orchestra in premiere

On July 9th 2017 Emma led a 26-piece string section as part of the Blue Planet Orchestra in the world premiere of Roland Perrin's Rio Amazonas at Saffron Hall. The strings played alongside a jazz trio and Hertfordshire Chorus and girls' choir.

Rio Amazonas is an exuberant, exciting and thought-provoking mix of jazz harmonies, Brazilian grooves, baroque counterpoint and symphonic architecture which combine to provide a new category of contemporary music: classical music with a groove.

Composer and pianist Roland Perrin was commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus to write this piece inspired by the Amazon River and region; its topography, its multitude of insects, the mystery of its remote tribes, and the experiences of the different people arriving from afar. Performed by a heady mix of jazz trio, massed choirs, and string orchestra – Rio Amazonas left. audiences reflecting on the need for humanity to learn to dance with the natural world rather than trample it underfoot.