VIDEO RECORDINGS
“I had held onto the ‘classical singer’ identity for so long that I’d lost touch with myself.”
I performed this piece as part of my final Master’s presentation at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands. I began with it because it represented where I started my Master’s journey - with the dream of becoming an opera singer.
Over time, I realised that dream didn’t fully fit who I am. I had held onto the ‘classical singer’ identity for so long that I’d lost touch with myself.
The rest of my presentation became an exploration of new possibilities - different ways of singing, collaborating, and creating - discoveries I might never have made if I had stayed only within the classical world. I still love singing classical repertoire, but I’ve learned to give myself permission to explore other styles too - and that has been incredibly freeing.
… “Her soul is a garden, of wildflowers and lotus blooms. She’s beautiful, untamed, and rooted in her own truth.”
Die Stille Lotosblume by Clara Schumann gave me the opportunity to explore themes within the piece creatively, while also pushing the boundaries of what is considered “the done thing” in the classical world. If you listen to the end, you’ll hear that I change the lyrics to the feminist quote mentioned above, making reference to the explicitly female, sexual imagery of the lotus flower as used by poet Emanuel Geibel.
Altering the lyrics of such a well-known German Lied felt daring, and it allowed me to push the boundaries of the genre in a new and personal way.
“I composed the song ‘And The Rain It Falls’ for an individual who had shared their life story with me, making it a deeply meaningful experience to interpret and bring the feeling of their story to life through music.”
The presentation ended with a piece I wrote as part of a collaborative project with WerkPro titled Social Portraits. I composed the song And The Rain It Falls for an individual who had shared their life story with me, making it a deeply meaningful experience to interpret and bring the feeling of their story to life through music.
For this piece, I explored a different vocal quality so that my voice would blend with the male vocalist. By this point, my costume was completely stripped back, symbolising the journey I had taken throughout my Master’s.
“We began by exploring the image and sound world of whispering trees, which gradually unfolded into chain reactions between musician and dancer within a multi-dimensional, semi-improvised piece.”
Chain Reactions was created as part of a group project in collaboration with the amazing Poetic Disasters Club dancers at Club Guy & Roni. I wanted to weave something classical into the piece, so we chose “An Evening Prayer” from Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel und Gretel.
We began by exploring the image and sound world of whispering trees, which gradually unfolded into chain reactions between musician and dancer within a multi-dimensional, semi-improvised piece.
Bremf Live! Showcase
As part of Horizon Voices, Freya sang Music for a While by Purcell and Go ye my Canzonet’s by Morely (with Lindsey James) for the Brighton Early Music Festival 2022 Showcase.
Horizon Voices
Horizon Voices is a professional vocal ensemble seeking to broaden musical horizons through a programme of education workshops, outreach projects and interactive performances. https://www.horizonvoices.com/
For the full Bremf Live! 2022 showcase performance, follow this link… https://youtu.be/7AXXRy2LgtU?t=2377