Illuminated River is an ambitious public art commission to illuminate all 14 London Bridges crossing the River Thames. Spanning from London to Lambeth Bridges, it is the longest public art commission in the world and it will last for ten years. New York-based artist Leo Villareal, designed and programmed Illuminated River’s subtly moving sequences of LED light to reveal the beauty of the existing architecture of London’s bridges and their relationship to the river that flows beneath them.

The Illuminated River Foundation approached Guildhall students to compose and produce music to be associated with the London bridges. I wrote the piece ‘Tidal Turning Point’ which is inspired by Blackfriars Road Bridge. The title of my composition is a reference to the fact that the bridge was considered to be a ‘tidal turning point’ and this was a big influence in the decoration of the bridge which can be seen in the sculptures of seabirds and fresh water birds on each side of the bridge. My piece therefore aims to be reflective of the fact that the bridge was considered a ‘tidal turning point’ with a sense of movement and lyrical dialogue, building to a climax, whilst also complementing the vision of Leo Villareal subtly changing colour palette and gentle washes of colour with gentle musical transitions to highlight the beauty of the bridge. 

This piece was recorded with the Guildhall Session Orchestra and it was my first experience of conducting which was very exciting!