To celebrate the selection of this year’s New Voices cohort, we caught up with all the selected artists and composers for a quick chat.

Here, we speak to New Voices 2022 composer Chris Jacquin. Text.

Can you tell us about your musical influences?

My main influencer is the person who kicked started my musical journey and career, my school music tutor, David McNiven. David helped me realise that I was able to compose and perform music despite my disability, something I never thought was possible until then. 

My other influences range from jazz and funk-based artists such as Bill Laurance and Snarky Puppy, to Chillhop/Lo-Fi artists, L’Indécis and Jobii.  Additionally, collaborations with composers, Ben Lunn, Olivier Searle, and Malcolm Edmonstone, have greatly influenced my development as a composer.  

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on a collaboration between Drake Music Scotland and Intercultural Youth Scotland.  The collaboration has brought together Scottish Hip Hop songwriters and beat makers from different ethnic backgrounds of all abilities. The result has been the formation of a band called “Out of the Common”, who then performed at the Craigmiller Festival and the Pianodrome, both located in Edinburgh.  

Recently, I have finished a collaboration with Hebrides Ensemble which involved the commission of my latest composition, “Melancholic Spiral”, which was premiered at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. In addition, I performed the British premiere of Ștefan Niculescu’s “Echoes II” with violinist, Gordon Bragg at the Pianodrome. 

What are you looking forward to most about New Voices?