Composer Rebecca Dale has been selected as the London Oriana Choir’s second composer-in-residence for its five15 initiative, which champions the musical talent of women composers.
The ensemble will commission three new choral works over the next year.
Dale’s tenure will launch with the premiere of her first work for the choir, the a cappella work Radiate, which will be performed on 5 July in the Sammy Ofer Gallery of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. Her second composition will have a Remembrance theme for choir, orchestra and solo cello, while the third will be another unaccompanied piece scheduled for spring 2018.
Every piece on the programme for the Greenwich concert has been written by a women composer, including the world premiere of Ailsa Dixon’s These Things Shall Be; works by Italian Renaissance and early Baroque composers; and pieces by Dobrinka Tabakova, Roxanna Panufnik, Hannah Lash and Elizabeth Alexander.
Launched in April 2016, five15 aims to help address the lack of recognition shown to women composers in the UK, to champion their work, and to provide opportunities and mentoring for women composers through performances and education/outreach work.
The first year of the scheme commissioned three works from Cheryl Frances-Hoad, and saw more general programming of works by female composers and educational outreach to aspiring female composers aged between 16 and 18. Plans are underway for recordings, a competition, a compendium of all the commissioned works and a closing festival.
Dominic Peckham, musical director of the London Oriana Choir, said: ‘We are delighted with the momentum building for five15. The collaboration with Cheryl produced some wonderful works that really complemented the sound of the choir, building on their strengths. We have already performed works by Rebecca as part of our five15 undertaking and are really looking forward to working with her over the next 12 months. She is such a talent.’
Source: Rhinegold Publishing