ANCHOR
On Friday 16th of October, I will be talking to actor, writer and director Jenn Kidd about the importance of what we are singing, the potential of music in the context of a climate emergency and more generally my life as a musician and composer. There will be opportunities to hear extracts of my music and some analyses of how they came about PLUS a tiny bit of singing and a chance to mingle over a cider.
Find Out More About Anchor:
Anchor is a reflective and urgent work for SATB choir and piano that explores our deepening disconnect from the natural world. Amidst the "darkness" of a changing climate, the piece serves as both a sanctuary and a call to action. Read more about Anchor here.
Praise for Anchor:
“Lyrics implore you to reconnect with nature.” - Choir&Organ magazine
"A reflective and urgent work... taking listeners from the stillness of breath to the roar of the woods." - OX Magazine
“Its message isn’t about adding to our climate anxiety, but about finding our way back to the things that ground us.” - Round&About Magazine
“A new choral work serving as a requiem for our rivers and the plight of UK waterways... taking listeners from stillness to the roar of the woods.” - Cotswold Journal
About the Anchor Artwork
To bring the message of Anchor to life through a visual medium, I’ve also engaged renowned artist Rosannagh Scarlet Esson to create an original artwork to illustrate the front cover of the printed score. Through the trees was painted using only natural gathered materials including raw umber, burnt sienna, ochres, rainwater and wood ash.
Commenting on her involvement with Anchor, Rosannagh Scarlet Esson said:
“Jenny is a powerful and dedicated voice for nature, and I am honoured and thrilled to collaborate with her. Anchor’s poignant message is not just a call to come home, but a call to action. I wanted to create an image for it that captured both the serenity of nature as well as the ominous, destructive forces that move within and against it. I incorporated wood ash and smoke to materially represent the ‘burning’ forest, alongside rainwater, ochres and raw pigments to ground the work in a rich, earthy palette. Built up layer upon layer, the resulting work presents a dark forest scene that could be in equal parts calming and unsettling.”
