Founded by Artistic Director Stuart King in 1997, CHROMA is a flexible chamber ensemble engaged in new music and revisiting classic repertoire in fresh and exciting contexts; mentoring the next generation of composers, and involving people in compelling, inspirational experiences, both as audiences and creators.
CHROMA performs chamber concerts throughout the UK, from Devon to the Shetland Islands. Championing the imaginative and sympathetic programming of contemporary works, its own commissioning programme has included Freya Waley-Cohen, Rubens Askenar, David Bruce, Deborah Pritchard, Luke Bedford, David Gorton, Philip Cashian, Claudia Molitor, Raymond Yiu and Michael Zev Gordon.
The ensemble has collaborated on many contemporary works for the Royal Opera House, including the world premieres of Tell-Tale Heart & The Doctor’s Tale (2011); Heart of Darkness (2011); The Commission/Café Kafka (2014); Through His Teeth (2014); Glare (2014) and 4.48 Psychosis (2016, revived 2018, Best Large Scale Composition Royal Philharmonic Society; Best Stage Work British Composer Awards; Best Opera UK Theatre Awards) The Firework-Maker’s Daughter (premiered with The Opera Group 2013 and revived by ROH in 2015); and the award-winning revival of Wind in the Willows (2012 ROH, 2013 Duchess Theatre, 2014 Vaudeville Theatre - Best Entertainment Olivier Awards).
Between lockdowns in 2020 CHROMA recorded the score for Current, Rising by Samantha Fernando - a hyper-reality opera experience, which opened in ROH Linbury in May 2021.
2021 also saw CHROMA’s residency in Fair Isle, Shetland with Towards Light, it’s lepidoptery-inspired music and textiles project - a creative response to climate change.
CHROMA collaborates with Polly Graham’s Loud Crowd at Bold Tendencies Peckham; Max Hoehn’s Opera21; and has long associations with Tête à Tête - premiering operas by Kerry Andrew (Dart’s Love - Best Stage Work British Composer Awards), Laurence Osborn and Na’ama Zisser among many others – and Bampton Opera, which breathes new life into little-known late 18th-century works.
CHROMA works with the Royal Philharmonic Society on workshops for women conductors and has ongoing programmes of work with student composers at Royal Holloway University of London, Royal Academy of Music and Oxford University. It also runs an annual programme in seven primary schools in Norwich.