Vote 100: Celebrating the centenary of The Representation of the People Act

Commotio celebrates the centenary of The Representation of the People Act with a concert of extraordinary music by inspiring composers covering five generations. Much of Rebecca Clarke's music was unpublished during her lifetime, despite her being one of the first female professional orchestral players in England, and having been Stanford's first female composition student. Florence Price was the first African-American female symphonist, whose music was featured in Marian Andersons' famous concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Kapralova's career was all too short, dying suddenly aged 25 though she conducted both the Czech Symphony and the BBC Symphony Orchestra during her short life. Rolande Falcinelli's Messe de Saint-Dominique will receive its first perfomance possibly since premiere, and certainly its UK premiere. The work, written in 1947, is due for publication later this year. Elizabeth Maconchy was the first female chair of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain (now British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors). Thea Musgrave's operatic works are much celebrated, particularly in her 90th year, but her smaller choral pieces are well crafted and witty. Winner of BBC Young Composer 2013 Grace-Evangeline Mason's work has been performed at The Proms, and she is currently a composer with the Panufnik Scheme.

Join Commotio for an evening of superlative music, bringing to the fore music which deserves to be more widely heard.