Women who Inspire (March 2010)

In the past six months, I have: 

-sung the soprano solos in a piece written by a female composer for the Canterbury Festival; 

-taught singing lessons to a female composition student; 

-attended a concert in New York of music written and performed by women; 

-met with a woman composer (whose music I have sung and promoted on both sides of the Atlantic) and discussed commissioning a piece from her; 

-attended the debut recital of a wonderfully warm and gifted young mezzo soprano at Alice Tully Hall (NYC); 

-prepared a role in an opera which will have a female production director; 

-spent time with an old friend from University who has started her own musical theatre concert series... 

All these recent experiences energised me as a performer, a teacher, and a producer/promoter, but most of all it reminds me that women, as writers, performers and facilitators of music making, have always been (and always will be) incredibly creative, resilient and inspiring.
(This essay was previously published in Women In Music newsletter 07/03/2010)