§ 01
About
James Layton is a British composer, musician, and visual artist based in Oslo, Norway. His compositional output includes works for opera (saudade 2022), orchestra (focal 2019), chamber music (honour thy error as a hidden intention 2023), choir (veering slowly, losing identity 2023), as well as electronics (are we on other, less concrete shores? 2021), and collaborations with stage (Rock-A-Bye 2023) and visual media (time spent 2023). He is interested by minimal and simple materials which slowly unfold in his music through the use of patterns, permutations, and repetition. This work is informed by his interest in visual art, in particular, artists such as Sol Lewitt and Agnes Martin.
This work has been performed around Europe by musicians and ensembles such as Oslo-filharmonien (NO), Rei Nakamura (DE), Cikada (NO), Orkest de Ereprijs (NE), I Solisti (BE), Ensemble Spectrum (SK), Stephen Upshaw (US/UK), Robert Fleitz (FI), Standard Issue (UK), EMO Ensemble (FI), Ensemble Ernst (NO), Ostravská Banda (CZ) and ONO – Ostrava New Orchestra (CZ), and has featured at festivals such as Ostrava Days New Music (2025/2019), Ung Nordisk Musikk (2025), INN:PUST (2025), Ultima Festivalen (2024), Music We'd Like to Hear (2024), Festspillene i Bergen (2024), Bijloke Wonderland (2023), and NODO/New Opera Days Ostrava (2022).
In 2020, James founded the Into the Ocean series, an integrated recording and concert series showcasing experimental new music, primarily by emerging composers. He was awarded the Trinity Laban Innovation Award in 2019, which supported the release of the debut album Into the Ocean: The Viola, in collaboration with violist Stephen Upshaw.
He is also part of RGMS, a curated collective of artists focusing on experimental release. He has contributed pieces to both instalments of the collaborative meditation album project MOSS, as well as his own solo album, these memories are not my own, they're borrowed from my past. He studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music (MA) with Henrik Hellstenius, and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (BMus).
§ 02
Work
In progress
- first performance
- Ung Nordisk Musikk 2026 Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
- first performance
- more info coming soon
- first performance
- more info coming soon
Completed
- first performance
- 12.12.25 | James Layton | Notam, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 12'
- first performance
- 28.05.25 | Hannah Edmunds, Jonathan Bjørnseth, Einar Stefánsson, Oslo Filharmonien, cond. Patrik Ringborg | KHIO, Oslo (NO)
- instrumentation
- soprano, tenor, baritone and orchestra · 2.2.2.2 — 4.2.3.1 — perc[2] — timp — hp — pno — strings
- duration
- ca. 9'
- first performance
- 31.03.25 | Rei Nakamura | Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- instrumentation
- piano and sampler
- duration
- ca. 10'
- written for
- Rei Nakamura
- other performances
- 21.08.25 | Jenn Mong | Ostrava Days 2025, Ostrava (CZ)
- 29.01.26 | Robert Fleitz | Helsinki Music Centre, Helsinki (FI)
- first performance
- 25.02.25 | Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- roles
- co-composer + co-curator
- created with
- Wei Ting Tseng and Maren Sofie Nyland Johanssen
- duration
- ca. 25'
- first performance
- 12.12.24 | Tomas Laukvik Nannestad | Scenehuset, Oslo (NO)
- instrumentation
- solo theorbo
- duration
- ca. 8'
- written for
- Tomas Laukvik Nannestad
- other performances
- 05.09.25 | Tomas Laukvik Nannestad | INN:PUST 2025, Gjøvik (NO)
- 26.03.26 | Tomas Laukvik Nannestad | Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Arendal (NO)
- first performance
- 03.06.24 | Cikada | Universitetsaulaen, Bergen (NO)
- duration
- ca. 7'
- written for
- Cikada
- other performances
- 28.10.24 | Cikada | Auditoriet, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- first performance
- 11.04.24 | Ensemble Lime | Lindemansalen, NMH (NO)
- instrumentation
- 2 electric guitars, accordion, percussion, 3 wind/brass instruments [open], violin, viola, cello, double bass
- duration
- ca. 25'
- commissioned by
- Ensemble Lime
- written for
- Tomas Laukvik Nannestad, Marco Slaviero and Ensemble Lime
- first performance
- 01.03.24 | Orkest De Ereprijs | Gigant, Apeldoorn (NL)
- instrumentation
- alto flute, bass flute, clarinet in Bb, soprano saxophone[2](2nd db. baritone sax), horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone[2], tuba, electric guitar, electric bass, percussion, piano
- duration
- ca. 4'
- written for
- Orkest De Ereprijs
- other performances
- 21.04.24 | Orkest De Ereprijs | ACEC, Apeldoorn (NL)
- 16.10.24 | Orkest De Ereprijs | composer
- 19.04.26 | Orkest De Ereprijs | Orpheus, Apeldoorn (NL)
- first performance
- 08.12.23 | NMH Symphony Orchestra | Lindemansalen, NMH (NO)
- instrumentation
- 2.2.2.2 — 4.2.3.1 — perc ×2 — hp — strings
- duration
- ca. 5'
- written for
- Trondheim Symfoniorkest
- other performances
- 09.12.23 | NMH Symphony Orchestra | Lindemansalen, NMH (NO)
- first performance
- 27.10.23 | NMH Vokal Ensemble | Majorstua Kirke, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 8'
- other performances
- 25.08.25 | EMO Ensemble | Ung Nordisk Musikk 2025, Helsinki (FI)
- collaboration with
- Lyn De Weijer
- instrumentation
- flute, clarinet, cello, vibraphone and moving image
- duration
- ca. 13'
- for
- I Solisti
- first performance
- 27.08.23 | I Solisti | De Bijloke, Ghent (BE)
- instrumentation
- clarinet, cello, electric guitar, accordion and moving image
- duration
- ca. 13'
- for
- AREPO
- first performance
- 31.01.26 | AREPO | NyMusikk, Oslo (NO)
- first performance
- 02.05.23 | Visual Music Ensemble | Lindemansalen, NMH (NO)
- duration
- ca. 20'
- other performances
- 09.05.26 | Ensemble Ernst | Moss Kirke, Moss (NO)
- 10.05.26 | Ensemble Ernst | Norges Musikkhøgskole, Oslo (NO)
- first performance
- 04.03.23 | Kloden Teater, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 45'
- choreography
- Ida Cathrin Utvik
- scenography
- Lærke Bang Barfod
A multi-sensory dance performance for the youngest children (6–18 months) and their caregivers. An abstract universe of strange shapes, crunching sounds, rocking movement and electric guitar tones, set in a sensory landscape of textile stones.
- duration
- ca. 10'
- written for
- Ondrej Veselý
- first performance
- 28.06.22 | Ostravská banda, cond. Bruno Ferrandis | NODO Festival 2022, Ostrava (CZ)
- duration
- ca. 25'
- commissioned by
- Petr Kotík
- libretto
- Jack Burnham
- performers
- Markéta Schaffartzik (soprano), Vojtěch Šembera (baritone), Ostravská banda
'Found at the intersection between desire and expression, two halves, separated by death — now wind through the years enacting a spectral dance. There is a reckoning with the inexorable persistence of memory, and the inability to break a compulsive and damning cycle of inarticulacy...'
- instrumentation
- e-bowed electric guitar, bowed acoustic guitar, field recordings
- duration
- 10'
- other performances
- 26.03.26 | Bricolage | Scenehuset, Oslo (NO)
- first performance
- 20.10.22 | Ferdinand Schwarz and James Layton | NMH Levinsalen, Oslo (NO)
- instrumentation
- piano ×2, electric guitar ×2
- duration
- 32'
- duration
- ca. 8'
- for
- Fira Duo #
- duration
- ca. 8'
- duration
- ca. 8'
- instrumentation
- e-bowed zither, lapsteel guitar, acoustic guitar, 4-track cassette recorder
- duration
- ca. 12'
- duration
- ca. 30''
- written for
- Kompass Ensemble
- first performance
- 19.01.23 | Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 10'
- first performance
- 08.02.19 | Trinity Laban Shapeshifter Orchestra, cond. Kwamé Ryan | Blackheath Halls, London (UK)
- instrumentation
- 2.2.2.2 — 2.2.1.0 — perc — tmp — strings
- duration
- ca. 8'
- commissioned by
- Trinity Laban Shapeshifter Orchestra
- other performances
- 25.08.19 | ONO/Ostrava New Orchestra, cond. Petr Kotík | Ostrava Days 2019 (CZ)
- first performance
- 12.04.25 | Aldubáran | Nordic Saxophone Festival, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
- instrumentation
- s.sax, a.sax ×2, t.sax, bar.sax, vln ×2, vla, vc, db, pno
- duration
- ca. 11'
- duration
- ca. 6'
- first performance
- 18.02.19 | Stephen Upshaw | Edouard Malingue Gallery, London (UK)
- other performances
- 18.02.20 | James Layton | Themselves Online Concert — composer + performer
- 06.06.20 | Stephen Upshaw | Solem Quartet Online Concert — composer
- 10.03.23 | Laura M B Kumwenda | Hotboxkjelleren, Oslo (NO) — composer
- 14.11.23 | Stephen Upshaw | Cambridge University (UK) — composer
- duration
- ca. 6'
- first performance
- 07.11.25 | Ragnhild Sannes | Fana kulturhus, Bergen (NO)
- first performance
- 13.10.22 | Revaz Abramia | Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 16'
- other performances
- 27.03.26 | Damien Heemskerk | Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO)
- instrumentation
- 2.2.2.2 — 2.2.1.0 — perc ×2 — timp — hp — strings
- duration
- ca. 5'
- first performance
- 08.06.17 | Stephen Upshaw | St Alfege Church, Greenwich (UK)
- duration
- ca. 5'
- written for
- Stephen Upshaw
- other performances
- 19.09.24 | Laura Kumwenda | Ultima Festivalen 2024, Oslo (NO)
- duration
- ca. 3'
§ 03
Listen
Selected discography. More recordings on SoundCloud ↗
§ 04
Calendar
Upcoming
13.06.26
new text piece
Live Electronics Set
Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) · composer/performer
05.06.26
having never known the piano
Robert Fleitz
ISCM 16, Helsinki (FI) · composer
05.07.26
having never known the piano
Robert Fleitz
Viitasaari (FI) · composer
13.08.26
new work for NEKO3
NEKO3
Ung Nordisk Musikk, Copenhagen (DK) · composer
Past
2026
10.05.26"emerging forms" — Ensemble Ernst @ Norges Musikkhøgskole, Oslo (NO) | composer
09.05.26"emerging forms" — Ensemble Ernst @ Moss Kirke, Moss (NO) | composer
19.04.26"tilted form — four different ones" — Orkest de Ereprijs @ Orpheus, Apeldoorn (NL) | composer
27.03.26"slowly getting nowhere (b)" — Damien Heemskerk @ Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer
26.03.26"in nomine (b)" — Tomas Laukvik Nannestad @ Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall, Arendal (NO) | composer
26.03.26Other Less Concrete Shores — Bricolage @ Scenehuset, Oslo (NO) | composer + curator
31.01.26"time spent (b)" — AREPO @ NyMusikk, Oslo (NO) | composer
29.01.26"having never known the piano" — Robert Fleitz @ Helsinki Music Centre (FI) | composer
2025
12.12.25"agree to proceed" — James Layton @ Notam, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer
07.11.25"wandering (b)" — Ragnhild Sannes @ Fana kulturhus, Bergen (NO) | composer
05.09.25"in nomine" — Tomas Laukvik Nannestad @ INN:PUST 2025, Gjøvik (NO) | composer
25.08.25"veering slowly, losing identity" — EMO Ensemble @ Ung Nordisk Musikk 2025, Helsinki (FI) | composer
21.08.25"having never known the piano" — Jenn Mong @ Ostrava Days 2025 (CZ) | composer
28.05.25"I AM STILL ALIVE, ON KAWARA" [FP] — Oslo Filharmonien @ KHIO, Oslo (NO) | composer
31.03.25"having never known the piano" [FP] — Rei Nakamura @ Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer
25.02.25"listening until the light forgets itself" [FP] @ Levinsalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer + curator
08.02.25Keysers Gate Intimate Sessions, Oslo (NO) | composer + co-curator
2024
12.12.24"in nomine" [FP] — Tomas Laukvik Nannestad @ Scenehuset, Oslo (NO) | composer
28.10.24"weav" — Cikada @ Auditoriet, NMH (NO) | composer
16.10.24"tilted form — four different ones" — Orkest De Ereprijs @ | composer
19.09.24"breathless" — Laura Kumwenda @ Ultima Festivalen, Oslo (NO) | composer
05.07.24"honour thy error as a hidden intention" — Standard Issue @ Music We'd Like to Hear, London (UK) | composer
03.06.24"weav" [FP] — Cikada @ Universitetsaulaen, Bergen (NO) | composer
21.04.24"tilted form — four different ones" — Orkest De Ereprijs @ ACEC, Apeldoorn (NL) | composer
20.04.24Listening: Resonating @ Levinsalen, NMH (NO) | performer
11.04.24"a difference of differences" [FP] — Ensemble Lime @ Lindemansalen, NMH (NO) | composer
01.03.24"tilted form — four different ones" [FP] — Orkest De Ereprijs @ Gigant, Apeldoorn (NL) | composer
2023
09.12.23"vertical seconds" — NMH Symphony Orchestra @ Lindemansalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer
08.12.23"vertical seconds" [FP] — NMH Symphony Orchestra @ Lindemansalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer
03.12.23Nurmi, Schwarz, Rubli and Layton — Samtidsmusikkpub @ Kafé Hærverk, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer
14.11.23"wandering" — Stephen Upshaw @ Cambridge University (UK) | composer
11.11.23Rock-A-Bye — Ida Cathrin Utvik @ Festiviteten, Haugesund (NO) | composer
27.10.23"veering slowly, losing identity" [FP] — NMH Vokalensemble @ Majorstua Kirke, Oslo (NO) | composer
31.05.23"honour thy error as a hidden intention" [FP] — EnsembleSpectrum @ Nová Cvernovka, Bratislava (SL) | composer
05.05.23Gradient Ensemble, Music by Ferdinand Schwarz @ Majorstua Kirke, Oslo (NO) | performer
02.05.23"emerging forms" [FP] + "are we on other, less concrete shores" — collaboration with Ferdinand Schwarz @ Lindemansalen, NMH, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer + co-curator
12.04.23Divided in II, VeleUM, Music by Urban Megušar | performer
10.03.23"wandering" — Laura M B Kumwenda @ Hotboxkjelleren, Oslo (NO) | composer
05.03.23"wandering", "slowly getting nowhere", "i needed colour" and "i love the whole world" @ NMH, Levinsalen, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer + co-curator
04.03.23"Rock-A-Bye" [FP] — Ida Cathrin Utvik @ Kloden, Oslo (NO) | composer
09.02.23Metal Reeds — The Rhythms of Harmony, Music by Ferdinand Schwarz @ Majorstuen Kirke, Oslo (NO) | performer
19.01.23"i love the whole world" [FP] — Nurmi, Schwarz, Rubli and Layton @ NMH Levinsalen, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer
2022
20.10.22"these memories are not my own, they're borrowed from my past" [FP] — Ferdinand Schwarz and James Layton @ NMH Levinsalen, Oslo (NO) | composer + performer + curator
13.10.22"wandering", "slowly getting nowhere" [FP], "i needed colour" [FP] @ NMH Levinsalen (NO) | composer
28.06.22"saudade" [FP] — Ostravská banda, cond. Bruno Ferrandis @ NODO Festival 2022, Ostrava (CZ) | composer
2020
06.06.20"wandering" — Stephen Upshaw @ Solem Quartet Online Concert | composer
18.05.20"wandering" — James Layton @ Themselves Online Concert | composer + performer
18.02.20"wandering" [FP] — Stephen Upshaw @ Edouard Malingue Gallery, London (UK) | composer
2019–2017
25.08.19"focal" — ONO/Ostrava New Orchestra @ Ostrava Days 2019 (CZ) | composer
08.02.19"focal" [FP] — Trinity Laban Shapeshifter Orchestra @ Blackheath Halls, London (UK) | composer
08.06.17"breathless" [FP] — Stephen Upshaw @ St Alfege Church, Greenwich (UK) | composer