I hope you are keeping well at the moment and have been able to adjust to this new normal. While I am disappointed that I have been unable to perform at some really special events this year and also my beloved work facilitating choirs has all come to a halt at present, I am pleased that I have been able to continue exploring new work, through reading and finally having the chance to dive deeply into some ideas about voice, collaboration and connection.

 

I am very much looking forward to when stages open up again and to when I can continue to connect with and spend time with my wonderful audiences. In the mean time, I’m delighted that Great Music in Irish Houses invited me to be part of their 50th Birthday Celebrations last weekend. I was so much looking forward to present a recital of music by Gráinne Mulvey including Great Women, specially commissioned by Great Music in Irish Houses to mark the 50th anniversary. This has now been postponed and I hope to share news soon of when this may take place.

 

It is so new to be performing, within my house, without an audience – it means so much to me to know that there is an audience out there listening in. I miss so much the feelings and experience of performing, the connection with other musicians, the connection with an audience, the pre and post concert chats, a feeling of a shared space of music. I know that it will be a long time before this will all return in the same normal space as before, but hope that as players, as listeners, as writers, as promoters, as composers we can create this sense of sharing the same world and can begin to find this our connection in these online formats as they begin to become more common.