• News

    The Wellasaurus Song

    The Bolton Early Years Network have come up with a character called the Wellasaurus, a friendly and health-conscious dinosaur, to help their early years pupils understand social distancing. I want to give a special thanks to Julie Robinson, one of the nursery owners, who happens to be my mum’s neighbour and asked me to write a song about it! Owain Park and I put something together and we’re really pleased with the result. Hopefully it will help youngsters understand why they need to follow the new rules in a fun way! Lyrics and Sheet Music are available to download for free below! Free Downloadable Words and Sheet Music

  • News

    The Big History of Little England

    Rosehill Theatre & Mahogany Opera Group – Snappy Operas This term I will be working as MD with director Ruth Mariner and Cumbrian primary schools to create a performance of The Big History of Little England, a Snappy Opera from Mahogany Opera Group. The Big History is a cross-curricular opera that covers the history of the UK from the Big Bang until the Brexit vote, and is a great opportunity for children to explore historical topics through music and games. The three schools will each learn two traditional folk songs and then come together to perform the opera at Workington College. Sadly, our performance had to be cancelled due to…

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    Even You Song

    This term I have had the joy of working with about 140 primary school children on Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s Even You Song – a contemporary secular reimagining of the service of Evensong. Even You Song is a work by librettist Lucy Sheerman and visual artist Bettina Furnee inspired by space travel the moon, and combines interviews, poetry and projections, set to music by Cheryl Frances-Hoad. The piece is written for an adult choir and children’s chorus, and I’ve had the joy of working with children from three Cambridgeshire schools to learn the children’s choir sections. We gave performances in All Saints & St Andrews Kingston, Trinity College Cambridge, alongside Cambridge Chorale…

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    Tenebrae Associate Artist

    Tenebrae are one of the UK’s leading vocal ensembles and it has been a pleasure to sing with them for a few projects recently. I’m delighted to have been appointed as one of their Associate Artists, which will mean assisting with Tenebrae Effect workshops and close partnerships with Music Centre London and the London Youth Choirs, as well as concerts and tours. I am particularly excited to be touring the USA with them in November!

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    Highbury Youth Choir

    Appointed as Musical Director I am really excited to be taking the reins at Highbury Youth Choir this term! It has been a pleasure assisting for them this year and I have learned so much from my colleagues Helen Smee and Sarah Wilkinson. Helen has moved on to become the conductor of the Frideswides Girls’ Choir at Christ Church, Oxford and I’m really looking forward to seeing her achievements there. Sarah has been running Highbury Youth Choir for over 20 years and they really are a wonderful organisation! We take members from Y2 upwards (or from January of Y1) and focus on building musicianship skills as well as forming friendships…

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    Rosehill Summer Sing

    Mahogany Opera: The Magical Music Tree Last year I had the opportunity to watch Mahogany Opera Group’s Snappy Operas project in action, and the creativity, inclusivity and sheer wonder of it had a huge impact on me. When Rosehill suggested we run a Snappy Opera as a summer school I leapt at the chance. The Magical Music Tree is a 10 minute opera for children by Luke Carver Goss and Ian MacMillan, involving unicorns, flying fish, dodos and hunters. Participants learnt the music, staged their scenes, and made their own costumes in a matter of 5 days, as well as writing a new companion song, “The Tree’s Dream”, with the…

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    Rosehill Songwriting

    Inspired by Oliver Messel’s Sleeping Beauty  I’ve had a wonderful relationship with Rosehill Theatre over the past few years, delivering singing and music workshops in coastal schools with limited access to the arts. I worked with 5 groups of children to create new songs based on the story of Sleeping Beauty. We took Oliver Messel, who designed Rosehill theatre, as our starting point, looking at his innovative and intricate ballet costume designs and imagining what the various fairytale characters would have been like. Four Fairies – inspired by some of the Fairy Godmothers and their gifts A Spring Princess – inspired by the Princess Aurora A Winter Prince – inspired…

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    Westminster Cathedral Songwriting

    Musicals on the themes of Moses and St Paul I’ve really enjoyed working with Y3 and 4 classes to write songs for Moses: A Musical and Saul to Paul: Sinner to Saint – new musicals written by catholic schoolchildren around London. I was part of a team working for Westminster Cathedral as past of their education and access programme. I worked with schools in Hammersmith, Haringey and Perivale, leading the children through the process of writing lyrics and melodies, creating 6 new songs. At the end of the year, all participating schools came together to pack out Westminster Cathedral and perform their new musical all the way through for the…

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    NYCGB Fellows

    Hannah has been selected as one of the NYCGB Fellows for 2016-17. Launched in 2015, the NYCGB Fellowship Programme is a major initiative by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain which aims to create the most highly skilled and multi-talented choral singers in the UK. “The NYCGB Fellowship Programme is vital in enabling the most talented and motivated young singers to fulfil their potential and develop into artists capable of entering the music profession at the highest level” – Nicholas Sears, Head of Vocal Studies, Royal College of Music