The New Winter Songbook Launch Concert
Saturday 24th January, 3pm, St Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH.
Tickets available on the door – £7 (Children/Students £1)
&Piano, Musica Kirklees & the University of Huddersfield are delighted to welcome Rebecca Lea (Soprano) and Caroline Jaya-Ratnam (Piano) to Huddersfield to celebrate the recent launch of their critically acclaimed album ‘The New Winter Songbook’ – a collection of 21 songs all around the theme of ‘Winter’ by some of today’s finest living British Composers.
One of the songs on the album, ‘Snow Day’, was composed by Michael Betteridge, who last year collaborated with young musicians in Kirklees to develop musical and lyrical ideas for the piece.
To celebrate the album’s release, Michael, Rebecca, and Caroline will return to Kirklees to perform a selection of songs from the new album, and work with a group of local student and community singers earlier in the day to learn a selection of the new songs. These songs will be performed with the participants in the concert, together with Rebecca and Caroline.
This is a brilliant opportunity to experience a collection of exciting, new songs by living and working composers, and a great opportunity for our young performers to engage with new music. Wrap up warm and embrace the season!
Soprano Rebecca Lea enjoys a busy and varied career, performing across the UK and abroad. Recent highlights include a solo appearance at the BBC Proms in a new
commission by Cheryl Frances Hoad with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a further Proms appearance with Sir Simon Rattle and the BBC Singers, a disc of music by Benevoli with solo-voice ensemble, I Fagiolini, solos with the BBC Concert Orchestra on a disc of music by Peter Warlock, step-out solos with the Sixteen at the Wigmore Hall, an appearance as ‘The Jewel Thief’ in a new music film by I Fagiolini and solos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a special Doctor Who Anniversary concert in Cardiff.
www.rebeccalea.co.uk
Prize-winning pianist Caroline Jaya-Ratnam is very much in demand as an accompanist and has made television appearances alongside singers Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazon and Danielle de Niese. BBC Radio 3 performances include numerous ‘In Tune’ broadcasts, most recently with Nadine Benjamin in Feb 2023. She has given duo recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall and has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in Proms within the London Symphony Orchestra (Gergiev) and BBC Symphony Orchestra (Bychkov/Oramo). Caroline has also worked as a repetiteur at Glyndebourne and at the English National Opera.
Michael Betteridge is a British-Canadian composer known for bold, story-driven work in opera, orchestral, and choral music. Recent commissions include The Last Bit of the Moon (OperaUpClose) and The Vanishing Forest (English Touring Opera). His work has been performed by the likes of BBC Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, with broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and 4. A champion of co-creation and participation, his work has twice been nominated in the Impact category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. Founder of LGBTQ+ low voice open access choir The Sunday Boys, he became an Associate of the Royal Northern College of Music in 2023.