I have always loved words. I never imagined that writing might become part of my creative practice though, so it's something of a surprise now to have assembled such a collection of essays. A pivotal moment was the generous offer of a Hartley Residency at Southampton University in 2019. I so enjoyed the reading, the thinking and the writing, but also the sense of contributing to a wider conversation. Too few performers share their perspectives, I feel, so I now encourage many that I encounter — and especially women and other less-heard voices — to write. I write for myself. I am not writing within or for academia, so I have been free to develop my own style and follow my own strange avenues of thought. No essay ever really tidily concludes an idea, and the process often reveals surprises. I put everything significant that I write here, and also publish on Substack. Big thanks to the various friends that regularly read first drafts and offer so much wise feedback and encouragement.

Please do get in touch if you would like to use or cite any of my work: a lot of the writing is quite personal.

IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (OLD TO NEW)

These two documents are designed to a) help composers I am working with understand a bit about my voice, and b) offer any composer a few insights into writing for the voice in general. Both documents have been recently revised. 

In February 2019 I was invited to take up a two-day Hartley Residency at Southampton University. For this I wrote a paper on collaboration, subsequently revised and attached here in the version I presented at the conference 'Collaboration is more refreshing than new socks' organised by CREATIE and Mixed Currents in December 2019 at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp.

As part of the Hartley Residency, I also wrote a short position paper further exploring some issues of authorship in collaborative work. An updated version of this, entitled 'Sharing the spoils of a shared practice', was published in TEMPO Vol. 73 No. 290 (Oct. 2019).

For the eavesdropping symposium in April 2020, which was held online as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I wrote a short and quite personal essay sharing my experience of lockdown.

This is also available as an audio file, read by me, on YouTube.

In the middle of one night during lockdown (2020), I wrote some very candid words about menstruation, about the taboo that still surrounds the menstruating body, and about some of the physical and emotional challenges that come with this monthly experience.

In January 2021 I presented a recorded version of this essay as part of the Fragility of Sounds lecture series, organised by Pia Palme and Christina Lessiak and hosted by the Kunstuniversität, Graz. Subsequently published in Sounding Fragilities: An Anthology (Wolke, 2022).

This is also available (abridged) as an audio file, read by me, on YouTube.

Berliner Festspiele / MaerzMusik – Festival for Time Issues invited me to contribute to their 2021 digital festival. 'Inside Out' is a strange video essay made with filmmaker Jessie Rodger. Best to watch the film, which is available on YouTube.

Britten Pears Arts invited me to contribute this short essay to their 2021 'Interlude' booklet.

This short TED-style talk was presented at Cheltenham Music Festival's 2022 'Composium'.

In December 2022, at the end of a difficult year, I wrote this essay reflecting on validaton and vulnerability. Part analysis, part confessional, it explores the performer's relationship with promoters, the press and the audience as well as concepts such as the inner critic, the inner mentor, persistence and exposed vulnerability.

What is repertoire? What is my repertoire? How did this come to be?! Written in August 2023, just for the hell of it, and published on Substack.

PART I of a triptych of essays on archetypes. This paper had a mind of its own — I knew I wanted to interrogate the muse but I wasn't expecting it to take the turns it did. Presented at the Darmstadt Summer Course 2023 and published by Schott in 2024.

PART II of a triptych of essays on archetypes. Presented at the Fourth International Conference on Women's Work in Music 2023, at Bangor University. 

PART III of a triptych of essays on archetypes. Published on Substack on Halloween 2023.

A short essay written as an opening salvo to launch the eavesdropping festival forum, exploring 'Experiments in Failure' and held at Cafe OTO on 23 & 24 March 2024. 

'The Practice of Play' reflects on ways in which we can rekindle playfulness in our music-making. Published on Substack on 17 May 2024.

I was invited by Sounds Now to contribute an essay on the topic of 'Engaging'. Written in June 2024 and published in a beautiful booklet, alongside contributions by Mo Laudi and Sofia Jernberg, in October 2024. 

'On the Record: an alternative approach to recording new works' questions the practice of recording premiere performances and offers some guidelines for an alternative approach. Published on Substack on 28 June 2024.

This essay celebrates the glorious pluralism of new music today and explores the ways in which the explosion of compositional aesthetics has gone hand in hand with an explosion of vocalities. Written in October 2024 but developed in various masterclasses over the course of the year — thanks to all who contributed feedback.

A short essay that critiques the dominant approach to audience development and yearns for an upward spiral of risk-taking, curiosity and adventure. Published on Substack on 6 March 2025.

The first in a little series of essays documenting the development of a very particular and personal project, ‘Lament: a ritual of letting go’. Written in March 2025 and published on Substack and, eventually, in the Aldeburgh Festival book.

My opening salvo for the eavesdropping festival forum, on the topic of 'Experiments in magic', presented at Vortex Jazz Club on 29 March 2025. 

Please do get in touch if you would like to use or cite any of my work: a lot of the writing is quite personal.