Nu Civilisation Orchestra with Nubya Garcia: Focus

Saxophonist Stan Getz was already a heavyweight on the jazz scene with a 25-year career to his name when he approached acclaimed arranger and composer Eddie Sauter for what would become a groundbreaking collaborative piece of work.

Recognising Getz’ ability to improvise and weave between the music, Sauter composed a suite for a string orchestra and rhythm section, consciously leaving space for Getz to fill.

‘Getz and Sauter’s Focus is a truly elegant “third stream” creation,’ says Gary Crosby OBE, co-founder of Tomorrow’s Warriors. It’s ‘the near-perfect balance between jazz and classical music. Nubya’s part will be wholly improvised to capture the spontaneity and musical essence that Sauter’s compositions sought to bring from Getz.’

Tomorrow’s Warriors alum Nubya Garcia is a multi-award-winning saxophonist who has headlined stages both in the UK and internationally, including a 2021 Proms performance at the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury 2022. Her album Pace was Mercury Prize nominated.

In the first half of the concert, NCO presents the world premiere of two new works for string orchestra commissioned by Tomorrow’s Warriors, from Black British composers Oleta Haffner and NCO’s Peter Edwards.

Nu Civilisation Orchestra was founded in 2008 by artistic director Gary Crosby OBE. It’s led by musical director, Peter Edwards. The orchestra has earned a reputation as a shapeshifting, cutting-edge ensemble. Refusing to be bound by genre or scale, it metamorphoses into a new format as each new project is unveiled.

NCO has performed extensively across the UK, including a BBC Proms debut in 2019, and a national tour in 2021 for a creative exploration of Marvin Gaye’s seminal masterpiece, What’s Going On, five decades after its release.

Photo credit: Jessica Eliza Ross

At the end of 2022, the Orchestra, featuring ESKA on vocals, embarked on a six-date tour performing Joni Mitchell’s Hejira and Mingus albums.