Young woman wearing sunglasses and a light blue t-shirt

Intern Insights: Meet the Intern & Autumn 2024 Playlist

Get to know our new Concert Promotions intern and check out her top picks this season!

July 18, 2024

Hey there, my name’s Megan and I’ll be the Concert Promotions intern for this summer! I’m really excited to have this amazing opportunity to work at Turner Sims!

I’ve just finished second year doing music at the University of Southampton. I’m a lover of all things music: I’ve composed music for a variety of different instruments, and I’ve played in many ensembles such as classical orchestras and rock, folk and jazz bands as a flute and sax player. Since coming to Southampton, I’ve really enjoyed the vibrant music scene the city has, and I feel that I’ve discovered so many new kinds of music since coming here!

One venue that I’ve spent a lot of time in is, of course, Turner Sims! I’ve always been a fan of the lunchtime concert series and seeing the variety of different artists that perform there. I’ve also had the amazing opportunity to both perform and watch my course-mates and friends perform at Turner Sims. I decided to take on this internship because I love the venue and I believe that marketing is extremely important for musicians. I want to make sure that, during my internship, I can encourage as many people as possible to come to Turner Sims and enjoy what the venue has to offer! I’m extremely grateful to the team for giving me this great opportunity and I’m excited for what’s to come!

I’ve created a playlist for the upcoming autumn season with all my favourite tracks that I’ve discovered from artists in our upcoming season at Turner Sims. What better way to get a taste of the season then to listen to some of the tunes yourself?

Check out our Autumn 2024 season brochure here.

Courtney Pine – Tico Tico

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To start us off, we have a tune from the legendary saxophonist Courtney Pine. His multi-cultural album is full of groove, energy and virtuosic soloing. For this track, Pine takes the theme from Tico-Tico no Fubá by Brazilian composer Zequinha de Abreu and adds his own jazz spin on it with sporadically fast soprano sax melodies and soloing alongside a beat that never lets up.

N’famady Kouyaté – Balafô Douma

One of my favourites from the playlist, N’famady Kouyaté’s earworm Balafô Douma seamlessly incorporates both Mandingue African and funk music. The combination of the balafon – a traditional wooden xylophone that Kouyaté’s plays, and horns creates an interesting blend of sounds. The improv sections in this track are particularly enjoyable, with the interwoven saxophone and trumpet melodies mashing well together, and the beginning of the guitar solo being particularly satisfying.
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N'famady Kouyaté - Balafô Douma (Official Music Video)

Will Gregory Moog Ensemble – Bouyancy Theory

The combination of quirky sounds from analogue synths and orchestral recordings from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales create a unique tune. Like the name suggests, the song has a floaty and lively quality to it, with moments of urgency and tension.

Angeline Morrison – Go Home

‘Of all The Sorrow Songs, this is the only one that is not specifically rooted in a particular time, place or individual’s story.  This song is for all the people who have ever been made to feel unwelcome in the place they have chosen to call home.’ Angeline Morrison

The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience is an amazing album that turns the (previously) unsung stories of black ancestors living in the UK into traditional folk songs. Angeline Morrison’s deeply beautiful voice combined with the melancholic, brooding tone of this song portrays both past and current experiences of prejudice.

The Rheingans Sisters – The Yellow of the Flowers

For a happier and more uplifting folk tune, The Yellow of the Flowers by The Rheingans Sisters is a good pick. It opens with a beautiful fiddle melody and progress to uplifting vocals. This song has a warm, reminiscent and nostalgic quality with mentions of school and childhood in the lyrics. Hearing this gorgeous folk music makes me excited to hear the sisters’ 5th studio album!
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Welsh National Opera Orchestra – Josef Strauss Delirien (Delirium) Waltz

With an opening full of dramatic suspense that turns to a lighter mood once the waltz is introduced, Strauss’ Delirien Waltz will bring excitement to the new year with Welsh National Opera’s Performance of this stunning piece. My favourite moment is the playful yet graceful flute solo towards the beginning that segues perfectly into a grandiose tutti orchestra.

Natalie Clein – Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38: I. Allegro non troppo

I was hard pressed to not include one of Brahms’ most beautiful sonatas. This expressive yet moody, haunting yet romantic piece is captured by the richness of Natalie Clein’s playing.

Check out the full playlist here:

Turner Sims Team: Spring Picks!

With the Spring Season underway, the team at Turner Sims are just as excited as the audience to welcome our amazing artists! Check in with their top picks – plus they share favourite shows they have seen here over the years…

March 5, 2024

Jessica Santer Head of Engagement and Participation

My pick of the season is The Breath. I’ve been loving listening to the haunting sound of this beautiful duet at home and can’t wait to see them live!
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The Breath - Little One (Live at the Minack, Cornwall)

David Hurlock Box Office Assistant

My first pick is Olivia Chaney. One of our Front of House Managers, Maggie created some season playlist CDs to play in the foyer. I was listening to Circus of Desire and fell in love with her vocals.

My other pick is corto.alto. I downloaded the album after listening to one track on a Turner Sims playlist and have been listening to it constantly. It is such a world away from what I’d associate with Turner Sims that I’m really excited to see where this will take our musical offering.
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corto.alto Trio - Slope (Live from Strange Field)

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My favourite ever event was Benjamin Zephaniah – it was a dream of mine to see him live, as I grew up watching him on television. I was always interested in English language and his poetry showed me how effective it can be.

Elizabeth Howard Administrator

My staff pick is The Breath – just love the vocals and folky vibe.
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The Breath - Land Of My Other | Woodburner Live

Sara Lock Head of Arts Marketing and Communication, University of Southampton

My pick for Spring 2024 is Maya Youssef. Her album Finding Home is full of heart and beautiful melodies. From the lively Jasmin Bayati to the mellow and heartfelt sound of My Homeland, it’s an eclectic and moving album. I love the idea of finding home in music and can’t wait to hear her perform live in the beautiful acoustic of Turner Sims. Jasdeep Singh Degun’s performance at Turner Sims was a standout for me. I bought his album on the night and every time I listen to it, I play the final track, Redemption (reprise), at least twice. It has fast become one of my favourite pieces of music. It makes me want to turn the volume up, close my eyes and really listen.
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My Homeland from the 'Finding Home' Album

Val Drayton Head of Operations

My staff pick is corto.alto, the current project of Liam Shortall There’s such a buzz around the Glasgow nu-jazz scene with lots of cross-pollination between individual sub-scenes creating exciting new sounds. Scottish music is surprisingly very diverse, with a Scottish folk influence on improvised music but also loads of other types of ‘jazz’ emerging, from hip-hop, soul, electronic, latin, funk, punk, heavy jazz etc. You can tell that everyone is having a lot of fun! As Liam says ‘Everyone that knows about the Glasgow music scene, knows.’ I really enjoyed Saltlines last year, a wonderful blending of folk and spoken word from Gigspanner Big Band performing with Raynor Winn. Stunning multi-instrumentalists, beautiful words and music weaving together to create a very special night.
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corto.alto Trio - Bye (Live from Strange Field)

Vic Box Office Assistant

My pick is Ute Lemper because I simply adore her voice – have already got my ticket!
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Ute Lemper - TIME TRAVELER (Official Music Video)

My best ever experience at Turner Sims was hearing my all-time favourite pianist, Alfred Brendel, play Beethoven. He had a way of making the notes melt seamlessly into each other.
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Ludwig van Beethoven : Klaviersonate Nr.31 As-dur, Op.110 - Alfred Brendel

Jo Roberts Marketing and Communications Officer

My pick this season is The Breath. I absolutely love Ríoghnach Connolly’s voice, it is so expressive. Closely seconded by Olivia Chaney – another incredible voice! The remix of Circus of Desire has been on my playlists since the day it came out.
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The Breath - Let The Cards Fall (Official Video)

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It’s hard to pick a favourite TS experience, but it was probably Painted Planets with the SÓN Orchestra and artist James Mayhew. It was the final concert in 2020 before the country went into lockdown. I took my children and will never forget how mesmerised they were – my (then little) daughter especially. She was so lit up and inspired – and spent many hours in lockdown with her paints as a result!

We want to know your favourite Turner Sims memories! What was your best-ever musical experience with us? Send us an email and let us know: info@turnersims.co.uk