I am a soprano, specialising in the gnarly edges of contemporary classical music. Most of what I sing is brand-new — much of it written especially for me — but I began my career singing early music and I still keep that in that mix. I am happiest singing music written before 1759 and after 1958. As a writer and speaker, I offer a performer's perspective on topics such as collaboration, recording new works, not being a muse and embracing failure. I am artistic director of eavesdropping, a platform in East London for the sharing of new music and new ways of thinking about music; co-director of all that dust, a little independent label for new music; and programme director of VOICEBOX, a new initiative for contemporary vocal performance. I was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Southampton. 

The 2024-25 season includes performances at Bludenzer Tage, Donaueschinger Musiktage, TRANSIT in Leuven, Rainy Days in Luxembourg, Archipel in Geneva and Aldeburgh Festival. Premieres include new works written for me by Carola Bauckholt and Kristine Tjøgersen (with violinist Hannah Weirich) and Pascale Criton (for voice and electronics), as well as a brand-new project exploring the lament which seeks out the cracks between genres and traditions to create a ritual of letting go. Happily, Mark Knoop and I continue to tour one of our best-beloved pieces, Øyvind Torvund's Plans for Future Operas: look out for performances in Oldenburg and Stavanger. I was very happy to be invited to contribute an essay to the latest Sounds Now publication, on the topic of 'Engaging': their very beautiful booklet can now be read or ordered online. Though the pilot year of VOICEBOX has concluded (watch the beautiful little overview here), I will also be teaching at the Academy of Contemporary Music, co-hosted by Künstlerhaus Boswil and Hochschule der Künste Bern, at Darmstadt Summer Course 2025 and at the Académie Voix Nouvelles at Royaumont.