Launching Nico Muhly’s appointment as Kings Place Composer-in-Focus for 2027, this special concert sees Muhly join acclaimed viol consort Fretwork and countertenor Iestyn Davies for a programme exploring the roots of his musical imagination.

Spanning five centuries, the programme places music by Byrd, Ferrabosco and Purcell alongside Muhly’s own compositions, drawing connections between Renaissance consort music, English song and contemporary composition. At its heart is the enduring In Nomine tradition, which inspired generations of composers and continues to resonate in Muhly’s work today.

Byrd’s moving Ye Sacred Muses, Purcell’s O Solitude and Fantasia Upon One Note sit alongside Muhly’s My Days, Slow (In Nomine in five parts), Four Traditional Songs and Old Bones, illuminating a continuing dialogue between past and present. Performed by Fretwork and Iestyn Davies, with Muhly himself joining them, the concert opens his year as Composer-in-Focus at Kings Place by revealing some of the traditions, sounds and ideas that have shaped his music.

Programme:
William Byrd Ye Sacred Muses
Canon Fantasia
Henry Purcell O Solitude
Fantasia Upon One Note
Nico Muhly My Days
John Tavener In Nomine
Nico Muhly Slow (In Nomine in five parts)
Four Traditional Songs
Alfonso Ferrabosco II Hexachord Fantasia
Nico Muhly Old Bones

Performers:
Iestyn Davies countertenor
Fretwork