Fantasia Orchestra is set to deepen its growing relationship with the University of Oxford this autumn, bringing together music, literature, visual art and academia for the world premiere of Nitin Sawhney: Orbiting Orbital.
Taking place at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities on 6 and 7 November, the ambitious new multidisciplinary work is inspired by Booker Prize-winning author Samantha Harvey’s acclaimed novel Orbital. The performances will see Harvey’s writing meet new music from award-winning composer and musician Nitin Sawhney, alongside contributions from sculptor Antony Gormley and photographer Mary McCartney.
The result is a large-scale meditation on identity, human connection and the planet, moving between intimate personal perspectives and a wider view of humanity.
Sawhney will perform piano and guitar alongside Aref Durvesh on tabla and dholak, violinist Eos Counsell and vocalists Shapla Salique and YVA. Fantasia Orchestra will be conducted by its Founder and Artistic Director, Tom Fetherstonhaugh, with six new poems by Harvey accompanied by six new pieces of music and a new cantata composed by Sawhney.
The project also extends beyond the performers, bringing academics from across the University of Oxford into the creative process, including Professor Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science; Professor Pablo Mukherjee, Professor of Anglophone World Literature; Professor Neil Bowles, Professor of Planetary Science; and Dr Carly Howett, Associate Professor of Space Instrumentation.
For Fantasia, the project marks another step in a relationship with Oxford that has developed considerably over the past year. The orchestra was involved in acoustic testing at the new Sohmen Concert Hall in November 2025, followed by a composition workshop with students at the Faculty of Music. It then returned for a ‘soft launch’ performance at the Schwarzman Centre in February 2026.
“Fantasia’s involvement in Orbiting Orbital grew out of the orchestra’s developing relationship with Oxford University and the Schwarzman Centre,” explains Executive Director Michael Garvey. “Having already worked in the new concert hall through its acoustic testing and soft launch, Fantasia was invited to come on board for the project, giving the orchestra the opportunity to work with Nitin Sawhney, Samantha Harvey and the wider creative team on the world premiere.”
The collaboration is also a natural fit for Fantasia’s approach to music-making, with the orchestra known for bringing different musical traditions and art forms together. Founded by Fetherstonhaugh while he was still in Year 13, Fantasia has spent its ten years building a reputation for cross-genre programming and ambitious collaborations, while creating opportunities for emerging musicians.
That ethos continues alongside Orbiting Orbital, as Fantasia returns to the Faculty of Music in November for another composition workshop with undergraduate and graduate student composers. The sessions offer emerging composers the chance to develop their orchestral writing and hear their work performed by professional musicians.
The Oxford programme arrives during a landmark tenth anniversary year for Fantasia. Following two performances at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in August, the orchestra continues to expand its work across the classical music landscape while maintaining its focus on collaboration and accessibility.
For an orchestra whose work has consistently challenged the boundaries between musical genres, Orbiting Orbital feels like a fitting project for its second decade: an opportunity to explore what happens when music sits alongside literature, visual art and scientific thinking, while simultaneously investing in the next generation of composers.
Orbiting Orbital takes place at the Sohmen Concert Hall, Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford, on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced from £30.80 to £61.60, with the performance recommended for ages 12+. Tickets: www.fantasiaorchestra.com