‘A memorable aspect of the night was how kind and warm the other competitors were,’ says Reylon who won Battle of the Bands in 2019. ‘[some] players...thoughtfully lent me resin for a bow I was using, and people said kind things afterwards as well. It felt more convivial than anything, which set the night apart from other competitions for me.’
A platform for original ideas and bold new music making, our annual Battle of the Bands competition is an iconic event celebrating emerging artists and innovative music making. Past years have seen everything from recorders to toy pianos, with winners going on to establish themselves professionally in the new music scene.
‘I’m used to being ineligible for music competitions because they often have specific instrumental or stylistic requirements that rule out the yangqin, but sensing the open-mindedness of Battle of the Bands, I thought I might have a shot.’
Reylon wowed the panel in 2019 with his captivating performance of Rituals and Resonances, a piece written by LSO Soundhub Associate Alex Ho. Jessica Cottis – one of the judges – commented on the performance, saying: ‘After a couple of minutes, everyone in the room just stopped. I think we were really drawn into this visceral world of colour. It was very special.’
Alongside a bottle of champagne, Reylon won the opportunity to perform at one of our events later in the year. ‘I was so grateful to have a chance to [perform] to such an attentive and supportive audience.’ His performance of Alex Ho’s work is also due to be featured on our upcoming Outside the Lines release.
Since winning Battle of the Bands, Reylon co-founded Tangram alongside Alex, a new music collective established in 2019 with a mission of opening up spaces beyond the China-West Dichotomy. Since forming, Tangram has performed at LSO St Luke’s, Hackney Round Chapel and are an associate ensemble for SOAS. ‘We reinterpret traditional repertoire, curate contemporary music from composers of Chinese descent, and explore new soundscapes on Chinese instruments in collaboration with artists from all backgrounds...We seek to imagine alternative relationships between Chinese culture and other cultures,’ says Reylon. Alongside this, Reylon also still continues to perform around the world with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.
Nonclassical’s Battle of the Bands 2020 will take place at the Victoria Dalston on 29 Jan, and the deadline for performers to apply is 4 Dec 2019.
Championing the unusual, unorthodox and unheard, our annual Battle of the Bands competition is back.