Devonté Hynes + London Symphony Orchestra
£22.50+ (£10 Young Barbican, age 14-25)
- Adam Tendler, piano
Grammy-nominated Devonté Hynes is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, performing contemporary classical music that confronts the complexities of 21st century identity.
Beginning his musical career in the punk band Test Icicles, before releasing two orchestral, acoustic pop records, Hynes has gone on to release four solo albums to critical acclaim under the names Blood Orange and Lightspeed Champion, including Coastal Grooves, Cupid Deluxe, Freetown Sound, and Negro Swan. With an unprecedented talent for composing across genres, Hynes has worked with the like of Phillip Glass, Mariah Carey, A$AP Rocky, Solange, and P. Diddy on projects ranging from orchestral compositions to pop music and film scores.
Layered with existential sensitivity, Hynes' music explores the complexities and ambiguities of 21st-century identity, delving into memory, trauma, depression, and anxiety, as well as the triumphs of vulnerable communities, including people of colour and the queer and trans communities, and where they intersect.
About Devonté Hynes AKA Blood Orange
Raised in England, Devonté Hynes started in the punk band Test Icicles before releasing two orchestral acoustic pop records as Lightspeed Champion. Since 2011, Hynes has released four solo albums under the name Blood Orange: Coastal Grooves, Cupid Deluxe, Freetown Sound, and Negro Swan, as well as 2019's Angel’s Pulse mixtape, all of which have been critically acclaimed.
His songs and albums have explored memory, trauma, depression, and anxiety, as well as the triumphs of vulnerable communities, including people of color and queer and trans communities, and where they intersect.
In addition to his solo work, Hynes has collaborated with pop music superstars including Mariah Carey, A$AP Rocky, Solange, P. Diddy, and many others. In 2018, Hynes was one of four pianists invited to play alongside Phillip Glass at the Kennedy Center, and in 2020, he was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Chamber Music or Small Ensemble Performance for his work with Third Coast Percussion on their album Fields.
https://bloodorange.net/About Adam Tendler, piano
Adam Tendler is a recipient of the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and "currently the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), a "remarkable and insightful musician" (LA Times), and "relentlessly adventurous pianist" (Washington Post) "joyfully rocking out at his keyboard" (New York Times). An internationally recognized interpreter of living, modern, and classical composers, and a pioneer of DIY culture in concert music, at age 23 Tendler performed solo recitals in all 50 states as part of a grassroots tour called America 88x50, the subject of his acclaimed memoir, 88x50. He has gone on to become one of classical and contemporary music's most recognized and celebrated artists, appearing recently as soloist with the LA Philharmonic and on the main-stages of Carnegie Hall and Brooklyn Academy of Music.
http://adamtendler.com/