Emma will be recording a new work for mezzo, clarinet, and piano by John Macfarlane. Hein Putter will play the piano, and John Macfarlane the clarinet. The recording will be produced by Hans Bemmelen. Emma has performed several times with Putter and Macfarlane as “Trio Colla Voce.”
Macfarlane’s arrangements are published by, among other, Boosey and Hawkes and Donemus.
The Battle of the Somme was one of the deadliest battles in human history, with over one million casualties, many of whom simply went missing.
This year marked the 106th anniversary of the battle. Emma travelled to the Somme to sing during ceremonies at the Ulster Tower, Northern Ireland’s National War Memorial, and at the Orange Memorial in Thiepval, and at the Memorial to the 16th Irish Division in Guillemont. There was a strong representation from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as France, Britain, the US, and the Commonwealth.
Each year, during the last weekend of June, the Dutch thank their veterans. Each town has a different tradition. This year in Zoetermeer, the City Council arranged a drinks reception, concert, and a parade of military vehicles for local veterans. Emma joined the Band of Liberation to sing a programme that included “I’m Dreaming of Home,” “Halleluia,” and “Land of Hope and Glory.”
Veteranen: bedankt!
On Saturday 18th June Emma will give a concert with guitarist Robert Sinha in the Sijthoff culture centre in Leiden. The programme is an exploration of song from Dowland to Sting, including songs from Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
Saturday, 18th June, 2022, 20:00, Sijthoff Culture Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Robert and Emma will also give a private concert in the salon of a retired Dutch politician.
Emma’s motet “O Lux Beata Trinitas” was performed last Sunday, Trinity Sunday, in Bath Abbey, Salford Cathedral, and the Hooglandse Kerk, Leiden. It is published by Edition HH and available through most classical music retailers, as well as directly from the publisher.
After two years of Covid restrictions, Emma was glad to return to Normandy. She sang for several American, British, and French ceremonies.
The week begin with a ceremony at the C-47 memorial, which commemorates the twenty young U.S. soldiers who died in a plane crash on 6th June, 1945. The memorial was opened last year: it is a beautiful garden near Picauville and the design invites you to reflect on their losses.
On 5th June, Emma sang for the Spirit of Normandy Trust in Colleville Montgomery, at the statue of Field Marshall Montgomery. It was lovely to see some familiar faces there. Viscount Henry Montgomery, the grandson of Bernard, gave a speech to the veterans in which he said that “Grandad… would have been proud of you.” Emma led the hymns and sang with the Jedburgh Pipe Band.
The Midnight Ceremony at Pegasus Bridge on 5th June is a beautiful occasion, led by the daughter of Major John Howard, the leader of the glider pilots who landed in the night of 5th June to secure Pegasus Bridge and the bridge over the Orne. There was a short speech and then we listened to a recording of Major Howard recollecting the journey across the channel and the landings. Afterwards, we toasted the soldiers.
On 6th June, Emma joined the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment to support the ceremony of the Royal British Legion in CWGC Bayeux cemetery. Veterans played a central role in the ceremony, reading poetry, bible readings, and the Act of Remembrance.
In the afternoon of 6th June, Emma headed to Arromanches, from where the pontoons are still visible in the sea, to sing during a ceremony at the D-Day 75 Garden. She sang the melody of Gibbon’s haunting madrigal “The Silver Swan” before the Act of Remembrance. The ceremony ended with a spectacular fly over by the French Air Force, complete with red, white, and blue smoke.
On 7th June, Emma sang in the pretty village of Grangues. There were two ceremonies: one for the Canadian airmen who died in a plane crash near the village, and the other for the French residents who died in the wars, both as military and civilians. The Canadian part of the ceremony was led by Dutch priest Marcus Vankan. British veterans traveling with the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans attended both ceremonies, and Emma joined them for lunch afterwards and performed a mini-prom to honour the Queen’s Jubilee.
In the evening, Emma sang in Caens City Hall, a magnificent former monastery, for the U.S. Veterans traveling with Best Defense Foundation. Their trip was sponsored by Delta Airlines, who chartered a flight from Georgia to Deauville especially for the commemorations, and by Michelin. It was a beautiful dinner, in which there was an open microphone so the veterans could share stories about their lives and their experiences. It was a deep honour to be part of the event and to meet the veterans who had travelled so very far, both for the commemorations and to fight for our freedom back in 1945.
Last autumn, together with pianist David Vaamonde López, Emma recorded Jannum Kruidhof‘s new mass for mezzo-soprano and piano. The videos have been edited and released. Do please take a moment to listen to it! This beautiful setting of the mass ordinary shows the innovative lyricism of Kruidhof’s music: it’s both fresh and accessible. Emma was honoured to record the composition and work with this exciting young composer.