Saskia Horton

Biography

I am a jazz/classical crossover composer writing for live orchestra, strings, film and dance works. I have been composing professionally for 7 years since arranging Keaton Henson's Romantic Works for String Quartet for a show at the Vaults festival 2014. I played violin classically for 10 years & Jazz for 5 having completed grades 1-8 & a Bachelor degree in Jazz. In my younger years, I played with London Schools Symphony Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra between 2011-2013 and attended prestigious chamber music course - MusicWorks at 16 & 18.

Between the years 2015-17 I played for FKA Twigs as a violinist and performer in her show 'Congregata' at the Roundhouse, ROOMS [Commissioned by Veuve Cliquot for their 250th anniversary], the 'Do you believe in more'  Nike Ad and Berlin Fashion Week 2017. From 2017-202 I founded Jazz Fusion band ''Nihilism'' which I managed as well as playing in for 5 years. During that time, we recorded and self-released our Debut 'EP "Exposition'' on all platforms and performed at venues such as Royal Festival Hall, London Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scotts & the Jazz Café. From 2019-2020 we were also Roundhouse resident artists.

I co-composed and recorded 2 albums (Inexpressible Infinities, Astigmatic Records & Delusions & Realities, Gearbox records) with Levitation Orchestra [2018-2020] creating long form Jazz-Classical crossover suites, which we last performed before the pandemic, at the Church of Sound. Over the Lockdown without access to gigs/performances I wrote 3 string quartets which I have just received funding to record from Help Musicians. As I became disabled and chronically ill diagnosed with CFS/ME composing became one of the most accessible forms of creativity for me. 

In 2021 I secured £12K funding for multi-disciplinary performance collective House of Absolute to work in conjunction with the Philharmonia Orchestra as ''Artist in Residence'' between 2020-22. On the residency, I worked as a composer writing my first full-length Orchestral score for a short  film we produced, 'Secrets of the Treaties' [screened on 1st Dec 2022 at the Royal festival hall] whilst being mentored for composition by award-winning composer, Bobbie-Jane Gardner.

Composer Website