About Joley

Percussionist Joley Cragg trained at the Royal College of Music, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Joley previously held the percussion chair on The Witches at the National Theatre, and Musical Director on Antony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare’s Globe, with half the show performed solely in BSL.

Theatre work includes Regents Park Open Theatre: (as Musical Director and Percussion/Vocals) Robin Hood:The Legend. Re-Written. Shakespeare’s Globe, London: (as Musical Director) The Duchess of Malfi, I, Joan, Henry VIII and Women Beware Women, (as percussion/drums) The Taming of the Sherew, Twelfth Night, Swive, Love’s Labour’s Lost,Romeo and Juliet, The National Theatre: Hex the Musical, 2021-22 Drums/Percussion, Olivier Award Nominated: Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear the Musical, Drums/Percussion, Antony and Cleopatra (as Percussion and deputy MD). The Royal Shakespeare Company: Cymbelline, Barbican Theatre and Queen Anne, Haymarket theatre. The Marlowe Sessions (as musical director), immersive audio recordings of all 7 Christoper Marlowe plays. As a kit deputy Joley has worked on Oklahoma! at the Wyndhams Theatre, and as a percussion deputy on The Devil Wears Prada, Elf the Musical, My Neighbour Totoro, Motown the Musical and the official Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells tour in 2023. Joley plays tuned percussion, kit and hand percussion with the award-winning company Improbable on their improvised show An Improbable Musical, and is a member of The Luminaire Orchestra.

Orchestral work includes Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan, and the Philharmonia (MOT concert with Wu Wei, Sheng.)

As a guest soloist Joley has performed with The London Symphony Orchestra, The Britten Sinfonia for the premiere of Karl Jenkins work Miserere, and performed Benjamin Oliver‘s concerto Changing Up+ for solo percussion and ensemble. The work was written for, and is dedicated to Joley.

Alongside this, Joley is a keen chamber musician and is a member of contemporary group Workers Union Ensemble, known for commissioning and performing works for their unusual line up of instruments. The ensemble have worked closely with Sound and Music, PRS for Music Foundation, New Dots and Non-Classical, and have commissioned many works by notable composers, including Joe Cutler, Matthew Kaner, Ryan Latimer and Benjamin Oliver.

Joley has featured on the Berkeley Ensemble’s album: Stabat Mater, a work previously un-recorded of the same name by Lennox Berkeley. Other recording work includes the Hex and The Witches cast recordings, playing percussion on Carrie Hope Fletcher’s 2018 debut album When the Curtain Falls and Workers Union featuring on Joe Cutlers recent album release: Elsewhereness.

Joley has a special interest in Indian music and regularly performs on the tabla. She has worked on new operas, in theatre and in contemporary settings using the instrument. Some of Joley’s compositions for the instrument are featured in Kuljit Bhamra’s book series ‘Read and Play: Indian Tabla Drums’, available now.

Joley is a Cosmic Ears and Dream Cymbals artist, and is also a member of the Trinity College London, Rock & Pop examiner panel.

“A band – tuba, trombone and percussion – perform Laura Moody’s music, under the direction of Joley Cragg: growling, resonant, nothing flutey or tinkling; everything requiring puff and swagger and frankness – and oh the dying roar that is emitted in martial defeat.” I, Joan review, Susannah Clapp, The Guardian.

“Adding to this, throughout there is a constant underscore of jazz music. Sometimes barely noticed and sometimes overwhelming bizarre and uncomfortable. This was fantastic. Joley Cragg (Musical Director) underscored this performance incredibly; the moments were lifted greatly by this music, and I thoroughly enjoyed this piece for its connection to sound.” The Duchess of Malfi, Alice Rose, North West End.

‘Joley Cragg’s brilliant, vehement performance of Iannis Xenakis’ Psappha…. ’ Paul Kilbey, Bachtrack.