Bushra El-Turk

Born in London, Bushra El-Turk has written over 50 works for the concert hall, the stage, film, TV and live art performance. Her work is often defined by the integration of music and musicians from different cultural traditions, and the compulsion to highlight and challenge socio-cultural issues. Selected by the BBC as one of the most inspiring 100 Women of today, her pieces have been performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House, London Sinfonietta, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), Manchester Camerata, Opera Holland Park, National Opera Studio, OrchestUtopica (Portugal), Athelas Sinfonietta (Denmark) Hermes Ensemble (Belgium), Orchestre National de Lorraine (France), Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Latvian Radio Choir, Ensemble Saraband (Germany), Atlas Ensemble , Ensemble Zerafin, Orkest de ereprijs (Holland), Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, etc. In 2017, she completed an AHRC funded PhD in Musical Composition at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Michael Zev Gordon where she explored the integration of Middle-Eastern and Western art music. 2019 saw the world premiere of Tmesis for Symphony Orchestra, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Bushra’s current projects for 2021 and 2022 include a commission by YCAT (Young Concert Artists Trust) to write for string quartet, two pieces for the Aldeburgh Festival and a Research and Development project with the University of Sheffield.