A Musical Summer in Cambridge

 Hello everyone!

As summer approaches, new plans are lining up: I'm happy to be joining St Catharine's Girls' Choir, Director of Music Edward Wickham, and soprano Naomi Rogers on Friday 3 July at 6.15 pm in St Catharine's College Chapel, Cambridge.

It promises to be a lovely evening of music: Songs for a Summer Evening will feature works by Bridge, Britten, Bizet, Donizetti, Bernstein and more!

St Catharine's Girls' Choir was the first college-based choir for girls in the UK, breaking with 900 years of tradition and setting a precedent which has been followed by several other institutions both here and abroad. The choir has given performances in such distinguished venues as St Paul's Cathedral, St David's Hall, Cardiff and St John's, Smith Square, and has sung services in the Cathedrals of Ely, Lichfield and Gloucester. The choir has toured to the USA and throughout Europe, and is regularly asked to participate in major choral/orchestral works such as Britten's War Requiem, Mahler's Third Symphony, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius and Holst's The Planets. The girls have made several appearances on BBC Radio, including a special edition of Radio 3's The Choir with opera star Sarah Connolly. The choir have made a number of commercial recordings, released under the Resonus Classics label.

To secure your ticket, visit https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/.../reserve-concert-tickets

Also, a friendly reminder that in 10 days we will visit Antarctica (only virtually, for now...): if you haven't already, head to https://bit.ly/fromthefrozenworld to reserve your ticket for Voices from the Frozen World, featuring Naomi, pianist Patrick Hemmerlé, marine ecologist Jen Freer, and music by Edward Nesbit and me! (Saturday 20 June, 7 pm, Old Divinity School, Cambridge)

Hope to see you there!

Listening to Antarctica: Voices from the Frozen World

What does Antarctica sound like?

It is a simple question, but a difficult one to answer. Antarctica is a place most of us will never see, and yet it plays a crucial role in the systems that sustain life on Earth. It is remote, but not separate. Silent, but not empty.

Voices from the Frozen World is a concert built around this tension: between distance and connection, imagination and knowledge, sound and science.

At its centre is a collaboration between music and research. The programme brings together works inspired by the Antarctic landscape and its histories, performed by soprano Naomi Rogers and pianist Patrick Hemmerlé, alongside contributions from marine ecologist Jennifer Freer (British Antarctic Survey), whose work focuses on the fragile and complex ecosystems of the Southern Ocean.

The musical programme includes a range of works, each approaching Antarctica from a different angle.

In Antarctica is a song cycle by Edward Nesbit, which draws on the diaries of Scott’s expedition, offering a human perspective on exploration, endurance, and perception at the edge of the known world.

Alongside it are two of my own works:
Cumha an Nàdair is inspired by Irish sean-nós singing and Scottish keening — a form of vocal lament once performed at funerals. Reimagined in a contemporary context, the piece extends this idea of lament beyond the individual, towards a growing awareness of the damage we are doing to the natural world.

A Tale of Light and Fear, based on a poem by Jennifer Freer, turns instead to the microscopic scale. It explores the daily vertical migrations of plankton in the Southern Ocean, where light becomes both a source of life and a source of danger. What emerges is a world structured by rhythms that are invisible to us, yet fundamental: cycles of light and darkness, growth and predation, movement and stillness.

Alongside the music, Jennifer Freer will offer some insight into the scientific context behind the programme, bringing into focus some of the processes that lie behind its images and ideas.

Rather than attempting to “represent” Antarctica, this concert is an invitation to approach it indirectly: through sound, through text, and through the knowledge that reshapes how we hear both.

In the end, it is less about a place than about how we come to perceive it.

More info and tickets can be found here. I hope to see you there!

Italian Journey (or: a small way of returning home)

There is something curious about working on a programme like Italian Journey while living abroad. Certain pieces begin to shift in meaning: they are no longer just repertoire, but places. Venice, Naples, Rome, Mantua — not so much as points on a map, but as states of mind, colours, ways of breathing.

The idea behind the programme is simple, almost obvious: to move across Italy through some of its most iconic opera arias by Verdi, Donizetti, and Puccini, and then to change scale completely, turning to the Italian romanze da salotto of Tosti and Respighi. From the theatre to the salon, from something public and outward to something more intimate, almost private.

And yet, each time we return to it, the journey seems to acquire a slightly different meaning. Perhaps distance has something to do with it. Or perhaps, more simply, it is a way of missing home.

Ralph Woodward and I will bring this programme to Moulton on Saturday 2nd May at 7 pm, at St Peter’s Church.

If you happen to be nearby - or even not so nearby - it would be a real pleasure to see you there, and to share this small journey for an hour or so.

Further details and tickets can be found here. Hope to see you there!

Christmas Concert at St Mary's - Newmarket

 I’ve just returned from Italy, where together with Anna Viola and Federico Lovato we performed again our Puccini programme — a joy to share such passionate music with wonderful colleagues and audiences.

Now I’m preparing for my next concerts here in the UK: as mentioned, on Friday 29 November I’ll be part of A Night at the Opera at the Bateman Auditorium in Cambridge, and then, on Saturday 13 December at 7.30 pm, comes our Christmas Concert at St Mary’s Church, Newmarket.

 

 

Pianist Ralph Woodward and I will perform music by Donizetti, Puccini, Tosti, and a selection of festive songs and favourites. The concert is organised in support of the Alzheimer’s Society.

It would be wonderful to share this musical moment with you. Feel free to bring friends or family — the more, the merrier!
For more details and to secure your place please visit https://bit.ly/christmasconcertstmarys

We hope to welcome you for an evening of music, warmth and holiday cheer!

🎶 A Night at the Opera – Coming to Cambridge This November 🎶

Hi everybody,

I had the chance of spending a fantastic summer in Italy singing, being close to family and friends and eating fantastic food!

 

Now I'm back in the UK and I'm absolutely thrilled to invite you to our upcoming concert, "A Night at the Opera", taking place on Saturday 29th November at 7:30 PM in the beautiful Bateman Auditorium at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

This special evening will feature a carefully curated selection of arias and duets from some of the most beloved operas in the repertoire. Expect an enchanting journey through the Italian greats – including Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, and Puccini’s La Bohème – as well as timeless works by Mozart and the fiery spirit of Bizet’s Carmen.

I’ll be performing alongside an exceptional lineup of artists:
🎤 Soprano Naomi Roger – known for her radiant voice and compelling stage presence
🎤 Baritone Ted Day – bringing depth and elegance to every performance
🎹 Pianist Ralph Woodward – whose artistry at the piano ties everything together with grace and sensitivity

Together, we aim to create an evening full of passion, humour, heartbreak, and of course… music that stays with you long after the final note.

Whether you're a lifelong opera lover or simply curious to experience these masterpieces live, A Night at the Opera promises something truly special. The venue, Bateman Auditorium, offers an intimate and acoustically rich space—perfect for immersing yourself in the magic of live performance.

🎟️ Tickets & Info

Visit our event page here to learn more about the performers, and to secure your tickets. Seats are limited, so don’t wait too long!

We can’t wait to share this music with you. See you in Cambridge!

 

 

A Tale of Light and Fear - Now online!

I'm happy to share that my new piece A Tale of Light and Fear is now available on all major streaming platforms!

This work is based on a poem by my dear friend Jen Freer, a marine biologist at the British Antarctic Survey. Her text brings to life the strange and fragile world of lanternfish, krill, and other deep-sea creatures in the Southern Ocean — the same environment she studies in her scientific work.

The piece was first performed in Italy in August 2024, with a beautiful premiere by soprano Sara Pegoraro and pianist Tullia Melandri. This winter, I had the chance to record it in studio with two exceptional artists: soprano Naomi Rogers and pianist Patrick Hemmerlé. Naomi is a British soprano with a growing international career in opera, concert and contemporary music. Patrick is a French pianist based in Cambridge, known for his wide-ranging repertoire and poetic touch, particularly in lesser-known Romantic and early 20th-century music. I actually wrote this piece with Naomi’s voice in mind, and it was a real pleasure to hear it take shape in the studio with both of them.

These are the links to listen to A Tale of Light and Fear on Spotify and on YouTube.

As always, thank you for listening — and feel free to share your thoughts if you do!

 

 

 

Next Concert in Cambridge

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our concert in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago because Ralph Woodward was ill. But we are ready for the next one!

On Saturday 15th February 2025 at 7.30 pm, we will be performing in Cambridge one more time at the URC Downing Place: Anthony Howell - A Life in Poetry and Music.

Ralph and I will be joined by cellist Riccardo Pes to celebrate the multifaceted genius of Anthony Howell, a poet, novelist, dancer, and performance artist.

Anthony was born in 1945 and his first collection of poems called Inside the Castle was published in 1969. Since then, numerous other collections of poems, novels, and essays appeared - amongst the latest are Incomprehensible Lesson (versions of poems by Fawzi Karim); Consciousness (with Mutilation); Songs of Realisation; The Step is the Foot: Dance and its Relationship to Poetry; The Distance Measured in Days. Anthony is also a tango teacher (after being in his youth part of the Royal Ballet) and was the founder and director of The Theatre of Mistakes, which created notable performances worldwide in the seventies and eighties at venues such as the Paris Biennale, the Sydney Biennale, the Paula Cooper Gallery, the Tate, and the Haywood.

At the core of the concert programme are the pieces based on Anthony Howell's poems composed by Michael Nyman, the popular composer of the soundtrack to the 1990 film The Piano, and Battista Pradal, my old composition teacher. Nyman wrote these songs as part of the cycle Body Parts for voice and piano in 2010, while Pradal composed his suite of pieces for the unusual tenor & cello duo in 2019. Pradal's songs were dedicated to Riccardo Pes and me, and we performed them in London and in Italy. Riccardo and I will also perfom a piece I wrote especially for this concert, a new setting for tenor and cello of a poem by Anthony called Not Getting On.  

The rest of the program is also related to Howell's work: Field and Schumann had a key role in his exploration of the relationship between tango and classical music, while the songs by Vaughan Williams and German are based on poems by R. L. Stevenson and R. Kipling, who Anthony admires.

The concert will also include some of Anthony Howell's poems, read by the author himself.

 

Click here for more info and to reserve your seats!

Stay tuned, something else is also cooking and should be ready before Christmas... Don't forget to check out my Facebook and Instagram pages!

Next Concert - 'Fathers and Sons'

 Since last week I've been back in the UK after a fantastic summer spent in Italy: nice hot weather, being close to my family and friends and able to get to the beach with only a couple of minutes walk, and of course concerts (both being on stage and in the audience - a special one was when Sara Pegoraro and Tullia Melandri gave the first performace of my A Tale of Light and Fear, they did an amazing job and the audience was quite happy) - ah, it was amazing! I've also been lucky enough to find some nice weather on my return to England and spend the weekend before resuming my lessons exploring a couple of National Trust places with Claudia and our little Nora.

But now it's time to work, see again students old and new, and get ready for the Autumn and Winter concerts. The first one will take place on Friday, November 8th at 7.30 pm at URC Downing Place in Cambridge. We planned a fantastic night with my good friend and excellent pianist Ralph Woodward and the theme of our recital is Fathers and Sons. The programme will feature some Lieder by Schubert, Loewe, Mahler, and Wolf which, in various ways, offer an insight into the relationship between fathers and sons. Moreover, there will be songs composed by three generations of Mozarts (grandfather Leopold, the one and only Wolfgang Amadeus whom we all know, and his son Franz Xaver), plus one written especially to be part of this programme by the Italian composer Emilio Ghezzi.

For more info and to get your tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/fathersandsonscambridge

Hope to see you there!

A Tale of Light and Fire - First Performance!

 Hi everybody!

Save the date - I'm very happy to say that on Sunday 4th August in Pordenone (Italy) soprano Sara Pegoraro and pianist Tullia Melandri will be the first to perform my A Tale of Light and Fear, the song I wrote based on the beautiful poem by my friend Jennifer Freer!

I'm honoured that two fantastic musicians such as Sara and Tullia decided to include my piece in the programme of their next concert!

I can't wait... and if you happen to be in Italy next weekend please join us!

Summer Summer Summer!

Another summer is nearly here and we are getting ready to finally enjoy some nice weather - hopefully! - and for many musical events.

To begin with, in just a few weeks, at the beginning of July, my and my friend and colleague Alice's students' concert is planned: a garden party to have fun and share with old and new friends the musical progress made in the past few months!

After that, a few more lessons and then it will be time to go to Italy, where family, friends and many concerts are in line - including an hommage to Puccini on the 100th anniversary of his death, a concert performance of Elisir d'amore and my first performance of a wonderful and moving piece by Britten, his Canticle III, Still Falls the Rain.

But first - a quick trip to Italy in 10 days, to sing the chamber orchestra version of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, with the Windkraft Ensemble under Kasper de Roo. Cannot wait!

Our 'Italian Journey' in Egham

 Hi everybody,

in just a few weeks I'll have the chance to embark once again on our Italian Journey together with pianist Ralph Woodward!

On Sunday 16th of June at 3 pm we will perform at the United Church in Egham, for the Egham and District Music Club. The programme will include arias from operas set in Italy, some salon songs by Tosti, Respighi and Puccini, and some Italian piano music.

Here's a little teaser of the concert

Ralph and I look forward to seeing you in Egham!