Alumna Rosie Middleton has launched a series of newly commissioned works for voice, electronics and movement, exploring voice loss, voicelessness and communication.
Entitled voice(less), the series is conceived and performed by the mezzo-soprano with adventurous new works by Mira Calix (world premiere), Esin Gunduz (world premiere) and Laura Bowler, an RNCM Tutor in Composition and fellow graduate.
The one-woman performance is set against the backdrop of a world where both individuals and swathes of society alike are routinely silenced and cannot be heard. Inspired by experiences deeply connected to trauma – such as the inability to speak about life-altering events – through to the near-universal sudden, shy inability to speak in the presence of others, or the all-pervading fear of voice loss from a singer’s perspective – voice(less) uses voice, improvisation, electronics and movement to provoke and examine new perspectives on what it means to both speak and be heard today. It was devised and developed at Snape Maltings and The Banff Centre in 2019, funded by Arts Council England.
