Alan Bush: An Introduction to a Radical Composer

Free, onsite event, booking essential! Doors open 10.30am. Event finishes at 4.00pm.

2025 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of British composer, Alan Bush. A leading composer, and teacher, Alan Bush's legacy has been shaped by the impact of the Cold War, meaning his music and theoretical ideas are often overlooked.

Alan Bush’s intellectual discussions were highly polemical and influential, looking at how music and society interact with each other. In an event, in partnership with Marx Memorial Library, Ben Lunn (Workers' Music Association Secretary) will host a discussion which looks at Alan Bush’s polemical works, as well as consider their implications and influence today.

Following the lecture, the MML will share items from their archive of writers and theorists who influenced Alan Bush’s theoretical ideas, like Christopher Caudwell and Ralph Fox.

And to close the day, there will be a sharing of the archival radio production of The Sugar Reapers by Alan Bush.

This is the 2025 annual joint event by MML and SCRSS (Society for Co-operation in Russian & Soviet Studies).

About the Workers' Music Association

In 1936 the Workers’ Music Association (WMA) was founded as an organisation dedicated to the musical activities of the working class, enabling them to have access to all forms of music, and promoting a working class voice within it. We are a democratic organisation, where all our members can voice their opinion and vote on the work that we do. For further information: www.workersmusic.co.uk

This event, and all our other Alan Bush events, are made possible thanks to generous support from the Arts Council of England and Alan Bush Music Trust