Joan Armatrading announces her first ever symphony

Armatrading's "Symphony No. 1" will be debuted in a world premiere, performed by the Chineke! Orchestra at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in November.

"I have always known that I would write a classical piece at some point in my life. One day, I was in my studio and out of the blue I decided that this was the day," she reveals. "I started with the melodic second movement - it felt to me like writing a song. I then wrote the first movement and, finally, I wrote the other three movements in 2022. All in all, to write the complete symphony took roughly five months. It has no theme as such but aims to be uplifting.

“As usual I stayed in the way of composing that I have done when I write pop songs. I'm just myself. I didn't write the symphony thinking I wanted it to be like anyone but Joan."