Oxford Lieder: The Open Fund for Organisations
Oxford Lieder is delighted to present a new commission by our Associate Composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad, with libretto by Sophie Rashbrook. Based on the Sunday Times Bestseller ‘Melmoth’ by Sarah Perry, this song cycle takes inspiration from the Gothic story of Helen Franklin and her encounter with Melmoth the Witness, a magical being who travels through time and traps the guilty into a lifetime of wandering in solitude.
This commission will be given its world premiere by soprano Carolyn Sampson and pianist Joseph Middleton on Tuesday 13 October at 7:30pm, as part of this year’s live-streamed Oxford Lieder Festival, the theme of which is Connections Across Time: A Brief History of Song. To book tickets, please visit https://www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/tickets.
Cheryl Frances-Hoad was just 15 years old when she won the BBC Young Composer of the Year Competition. Her output addresses all genres from opera, ballet and concerto to song, chamber and solo music. Cheryl will be Oxford Lieder’s Associate Composer from 2019-2021, during which time she will write a number of commissioned works to be premiered at our annual Oxford Lieder Festival.
Sophie Rashbrook is a writer, librettist, opera dramaturg and surtitler, and a Junior Artist Fellow at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Renowned soprano Carolyn Sampson has recorded a number of discs with pianist Joseph Middleton to great critical acclaim. Joseph Middleton specialises in song accompaniment and chamber music, and was the first accompanist to win the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award.