| Background | person |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England, UK |
| Instrument | Cello |
| Genre | Improvisation · drone · ambient |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Label | Editions Mego · Ideologic Organ · Modern Love |
| Website | lucyrailton.com |
Lucy Railton is a British musician, primarily known for playing cello.
Biography
Railton studied cello at the New England Conservatory in Boston, and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she graduated in 2008.[1]
In the field of improvisational music, Railton has undertaken collaborations and shared performances with Kit Downes, Thomas Strønen, Aisha Orazabayeva, and Sofia Jernberg, among others. Railton has also appeared on recordings by numerous jazz, folk, electronic, and indie rock artists, including Bat for Lashes, Bonobo, and Jamie Cullum.[2][3][4][5]
Railton founded the new music series Kammer Klang at Cafe Oto in 2008, which she curated for ten years; she later co-founded the London Contemporary Music Festival.[5]
In recent years she has also worked with artists such as Russell Haswell, Rebecca Salvadori, Catherine Lamb, Beatrice Dillon, Kali Malone, and Kadialy Kouyate, as well as writer Laura Grace Ford and choreographers Akram Khan and Sasha Milavic Davies. She has also been involved in projects by Pauline Oliveros, Iancu Dumitrescu, Mary Jane Leach, Cally Spooner, Matmos, and Philippe Parreno. Her collaborations with some of these artists and their repertoire have led to extensive exploration of resonance, psychoacoustics, synthesis and microtonality, themes present in her own work.[6][7][8][9][10]
In addition, Railton has worked as a soloist and chamber musician, alongside playing with ensembles such as London Sinfonietta, Britten Sinfonia, and Ensemble Plus Minus. In her programs as a soloist, she has interpreted canonical works, such as those by J.S. Bach or Giacinto Scelsi, as well as pieces by lesser-known and younger composers. Her interpretation of Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus by Olivier Messiaen was released by Modern Love as a benefit single.[10]
She released a solo cello album, Blue Veil, in 2025 through Ideologic Organ.[11]
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Scelsi EP | SN Variations | Giacinto Scelsi’s “Duo for violin and cello”[12] |
| 2018 | Paradise 94 | Modern Love | Featured contributions from Beatrice Dillon and Kit Downes[13] |
| 2020 | Forma | GRM Portrait Series / Editions Mego | Split release with Max Eilbacher[14] |
| 2020 | RFG Inventions for Cello and Computer | PAN | Collaboration with Peter Zinovieff[15][16] |
| 2020 | 5 S-Bahn | Boomkat | Incorporating field recordings of Berlin S-Bahn[17] |
| 2020 | Olivier Messiaen — Louange à l'éternité de Jésus | Modern Love | 10-inch EP[18] |
| 2021 | False Positive | Lakeshore Records | Film soundtrack, collaboration with Yair Elazar Glotman[19] |
| 2021 | Lament in Three Parts | TakuRoku | Digital label of Cafe Oto[20] |
| 2021 | Subaerial | SN Variations | Collaboration with Kit Downes[21] |
| 2021 | Three Or One | ECM New Series | Works by J.S. Bach, performed by Fred Thomas, Aisha Orazbayeva, and Lucy Railton[22] |
| 2023 | Fragments of Reincarnation | Another Timbre | Collaboration with Michiko Ogawa[23][24] |
| 2023 | Corner Dancer | Modern Love | Solo album[25] |
| 2025 | Blue Veil | Ideologic Organ | Solo album[26] |
References
- ^ "Deep Listen: Lucy Railton". Somerset House. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
She studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London and the New England Conservatory, Boston
- ^ "Lucy Railton". ECM Records. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Lucy Railton - Paradise 94 LP". Strangeworld Records. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Hareuveni, Eyal (20 March 2022). "Koma Saxo with Sofia Jernberg". Salt Peanuts. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "People » Lucy Railton". Cafe Oto. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Nebieridze, George (April 2021). "Lucy Railton" (in de-DE). Amplify Berlin. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ "Credits for Lucy Railton". Tidal
- ^ "Commissioned Artworks: Unknown". Sonic Acts. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Cafe OTO → Catherine Lamb / Lucy Railton + Rebecca Salvadori / Lucy Railton + Farida Amadou / John Edwards / Lucy Railton, Wednesday 15 June 2022, 8pm". Cafe Oto. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Amplify Berlin: Open Call for Emerging Berlin-Based Musicians 1-31.1.21 at Acud Macht NEU, Berlin (2021)". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ DeVille, Chris (5 March 2025). "Lucy Railton Announces New Solo Cello Album Blue Veil". Stereogum. Archived 12 March 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ "Label Focus: SN Variations / Constructive". Kudos Distribution. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
The second release in 2016 we recorded a piece from 1965 by Giacinto Scelsi an Italian composer, performed by Lucy Railton and Aisha Orazbayeva
- ^ McDermott, Matt (18 Apr 2018). "Lucy Railton - Paradise 94 · Album Review". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Meyer, Bill (August 21, 2020). "Lucy Railton / Max Eilbacher — Forma / Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly) (Portraits GRM)". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Barry, Robert (2016-08-17). "INTERVIEW: Lucy Railton & Peter Zinovieff". The Quietus. Retrieved 2025-02-19.
- ^ "RFG Inventions for Cello and Computer | 2020 | ZKM" (in German). ZKM. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Reduziert, programmiert, exaltiert - Lucy Railton, Dominique A, Ascendant Vierge – 3 Platten, 3 Meinungen" (in German). Das Filter. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Lucy Railton – Louange à l’éternité de Jésus". Fluid Radio. 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Lucy Railton & Yair Elazar Glotman John Lee’s ‘False Positive’". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Lucy Railton, Lament in Three Parts » Cafe Oto". Cafe Oto. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Bye, Jeremy (2021-08-17). "Lucy Railton & Kit Downes ~ Subaerial". a closer listen. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "J.S. Bach 'Three or One'". Gramophone. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Interview with Michiko Ogawa and Lucy Railton". Another Timbre. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Ward, Joanna (2024-01-02). "Michiko Ogawa - Michiko Ogawa, Lucy Railton, fragments of reincarnation. another timbre, at213.". Tempo. 78 (307): 93–94. doi:10.1017/S0040298223000797. ISSN 0040-2982
- ^ Lavorgna, Michael (2023-11-17). "Album of the Week: Lucy Railton | Corner Dancer". Twittering Machines. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Eede, Christian (5 March 2025). "Lucy Railton to Release Debut Solo Cello Project via Ideologic Organ". The Quietus. Archived 9 August 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 February 2026.