15 World Premieres
Live Broadcast from St Pancras Clock Tower
Wednesday 29th July, 6pm
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, 2018 CMF Artist and mezzo-soprano Helen
Charlston has inspired an amazing collection of composers and poets to channel their creativity
into a tangible, positive response to this time of chaos and change.
March 2020 saw the complete shutdown of the performing industries triggering Helen to make music at
home with her husband-to-be (also a singer) – something that they rarely had time for in their normal day-to-day
lives. As the weeks went by they continued to find more music that they could perform together and
this caused an idea to spring to Helen’s mind – ‘What if we had a set of songs that were written in isolation,
because of isolation, to be performed in isolation?’ And the Isolation Songbook was born! Helen put out a
call on social media with a great response managing to draw together a total of 15 composers and poets
creating compositions for this fantastic idea.
Compositions in the project include Ben Rowarth’s setting of AA Milne’s ‘The King’s Breakfast’, Heloise
Werner’s composition for Ali Lewis’ ‘The Orange Vendor’, and new works by Owain Park, Richard Barnard,
Nathan Dearden and James Davy.
Helen will premiere the entirely new ‘Isolation Songbook’ on Wednesday 29th July at 6pm as part of the CMF
Live series broadcast from the St Pancras Clock Tower via the CMF YouTube Channel. She will be performing
with baritone Michael Craddock and pianist Alexander Soares.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, 2018 CMF Artist and mezzo-soprano Helen
Charlston has inspired an amazing collection of composers and poets to channel their creativity
into a tangible, positive response to this time of chaos and change.
Composer Nathan Dearden says:
“I have had such a special time writing this song, as it is probably one of the only things I have created in
lockdown that I am happy with and has got me back into the swing of writing again. Unlike many who may
have found lockdown to be a place of solace to be able to focus on their art, I have found it to be the opposite.
So super thrilled to have had this special project to work towards, in such lovely, ‘virtual’ company and
working with Katharine’s gorgeous writing.”