In first weekend of August, there was to be a festival in Hay on Wye to mark seventy-five years since the end of the Second World War.
Due to the pandemic, the live festival was replaced with a video, which includes a remembrance ceremony and performances of music from the Second World War.
Emma recorded several songs for the video together with Brian Fieldhouse and the Justinus Ensemble, including this version of “Cwm Rhondda,” arranged by Brian Fieldhouse.
Emma was interviewed on the Dutch television channel Sleutelstad about her work as a singer and a composer, and about “3 Oktober – De Musical,” a musical she has co-written with Yuri Robbers which we hope will be performed in 2024. The programme, “Licht op Leiden,” also featured Rik Kamps and the presenter was Rens Hereur.
Please note the language of the programme is Dutch.
Emma joined pianist and organist Marcel van Duyvenvoorde in the Bethel Kerk in Scheveningen to sing during the Sunday worship.
She sang “You raise me up,” “Er heeft een stem gesproken,” “Veni Creator Spiritus” and “Dank sei dir Herr” to a congregation that was strictly limited in numbers due to the pandemic.
Emma was invited to take part in the “Lichtpuntjes,” a series of videos in Dutch in which people connected to the Hooglandse Kerk were asked to talk about their work and about light.
Emma gave a short presentation about the philosophy of music, how much can add layers of meaning to text, and about music and non-duality.
Emma should have been in Northern Ireland this week to sing for the festivities and remembrance on 12th July and for the Sham Fight in Scarva on 14th July. Sadly, both events were cancelled, but a virtual event was prepared for Scarva.
Here are Emma the Justinus Ensemble singing “When I survey the wondrous cross” as part of the virtual platform worship, in an arrangement by organist and conductor Brian Fieldhouse.
The Ulster Tower, Thiepval, France, 1st July 2020
On 1st July, Emma visited France to sing for the 104th commemorations of the Battle of the Somme, organised by the Royal British Legion and the Somme Association.
The Battle of the Somme was the worst day in British military history. On the first day, 1st July, 1916, over 57,470 casualties were recorded.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing lists the names of over 72,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers and officers who were reported as missing.
Emma sang during the Royal British Legion’s ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in the presence of the British Ambassador to France and attachés and representatives from New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Australia, and other nations.
The next ceremony was at the Ulster Tower, Northern Ireland’s national war memorial. The tower was built to commemorate the 36th (Ulster) division, who suffered extreme casualties.
The final ceremony of the day was at Guillemont at the memorial for the 16th (Irish) Division.
On request of W.O. B. Firth, the Justinus Ensemble provided a version of “Can you hear me?” with footage of the military helping out during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It was shared during the Armed Forces Day on 27th June.
“Can you hear me?” was composed by Thomas Hewitt Jones and Matt Harvey.