Melanie Sparrow, who sings alto in the GSA Choir, writes about her experience of rehearsing Margaret’s Moon – composed by Ailie Robertson, with lyrics by Scots Makar, Jackie Kay – the first new work rehearsed by the ensemble for Composeher. There’s something about music, and about poetry, that can reach [...]
Last year Cecilia McDowall invited the poet, Seán Street, to write a text for her to set to music for Composeher. In his three poems Seán has seamlessly woven together his words with those of the remarkable nineteenth century pioneering nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. [...]
Science, medicine and healing... It is very special indeed to be a part of the ambitious Composeher project to create new choral music to be performed by the Glasgow School of Art Choir. I love writing for choral forces, large or small, amateur or professional, accompanied or a cappella. [...]
Maria Sibylla Merian... In my last Composeher blog, I introduced you to my thoughts and processes when it comes to selecting texts for my choral works. I am now thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce you to the impetus for my new piece for the Glasgow School of [...]
Judith Bishop - whose poem, 14 Weeks, is being set to music by Jane Stanley for Composeher - writes about the power of music in the following essay, A Short Meditation on Music and Meaning... 1 Towheaded is the word that comes to mind to describe him. He had tufty [...]
A servant to the text... It is a thrill to write for the Glasgow School of Art Choir. The ensemble's community spirit, its passion and dedication to choral singing and to the commissioning and enjoyment of new music is truly inspirational. Writing for many voices gives an opportunity to have [...]
Jamie Sansbury, Musical Director of the Glasgow School of Art Choir, shares a selection of music in which he has found some comfort during the Coronavirus lockdown. Read about his choices and listen to the songs below. With most people across the country at home more often than usual [...]
The personal and the universal... It is an unusual luxury to receive a vocal commission where the choice of text is left open to the composer, so this presented an exciting opportunity to spend time immersed in researching texts. I knew from the start, particularly given the nature of the [...]
Building block elements... In this video blog composer, Jane Stanley, explains her initial thoughts on her Composeher work; including some of the musical elements she is incorporating into the piece, her text selection, and the inspiration she has taken from some existing choral works. Listen to the [...]
Selecting a text... I will begin to share my Composeher journey with you by saying that contemplating my work for this project presented a unique challenge for me, in the best possible way. Usually, when composers are commissioned by an ensemble, especially a choral ensemble, the group will have some [...]