A new work for string quartet and percussion by composer Emily Howard, Rhomb in Silhouette receives its world premiere on July 17, 2025 at the Royal Northern College of Music as part of the Manchester International Festival.
Commissioned and Produced by Factory International, Manchester, the new composition forms an integral part of a new artwork for the theatre, titled A Possibility, by Dutch artist Germaine Kruip. Blending sculpture, sound and light, this immersive show hands over the power of interpretation to the audience – becoming a meditation on how we see, perceive and shape our experience, both individually and collectively.
For the performance of Howard’s new work, 4 percussionists, accompanied by the sounds of a string quartet, play on visually striking brass sculptures that have been designed by Germaine Kruip, in collaboration with the renowned German brass musical instrument manufacturer, Thein Brass.
In Howard’s own words, “Rhomb in Silhouette begins in stillness, unhurried, a slow unfolding that gradually quickens, whorling with intense energy before patiently subsiding into silence. Strings breathe life into an ever-ascending melody, tracing a diagonal path across the rhomb. Metallic resonances surround the strings, summoning the sound of the rhomb from within”.
Performances of A Possibility run from July 17-20. Further information and tickets can be purchased here: A Possibility | Germaine Kruip | Manchester International Festival 2025 – Factory International
