“Voices for the Future” discovers, honours, and promotes female voices past and present and to inspire, guide and build diverse VOICES FOR THE FUTURE.
These are the Scientists we have been celebrating with the help of their modern counterparts
These are some of the 26 Composers whose music we have performed and recorded
Click on the links below to read the stories, watch the videos and hear some of the music we made
Performances
Singers, musicians and British Sign Language interpreters from electric voice theatre, the Virtual Choir and Young Singers Programme gave 9 live performances – one in the Garden of a church at Stroud Green in London and the rest on ZOOM with connections to local and national organisations and events.
A celebration for our Young Singers & Virtual Choir
Music
Singers, musicians and British Sign Language interpreters from electric voice theatre, the Virtual Choir and Young Singers Programme performed 60 songs, 14 of which were *world premieres, and made **recordings of 35 of the pieces including the new works and those we have plucked from obscurity!
To listen, click on the pictures or underlined song titles
Find out more about the composers on the Minerva Scientifica website by clicking on their underlined names
Anon (14th C) – There is no rose of such virtue
Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903 – 1998) – The Rustling of Grass
Maria Barthélemon (1749 – 1799) – The Lacemaker’s Prayer; **Hymn the 1st – for the New Year
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) – **Sweet Power of Song Joanna Baillie (1762 – 1851)
Jane Bianchi (1776 – 1858) – **Winter’s Beautiful Rose Amelia Opie (1769 – 1853)
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179) – Quia ergo femina
Judith Bingham – Mary Anning, a history and a mystery (2013)
Rebecca Clarke (1886 – 1979) – **Ave Maria; Down by the Salley Gardens
Marie Dare (1902 – 1976) – The Four Maries
Lady Mary Dering (1629 – 1704) – **A false designe
Lady Dufferin (1807 – 1867) – **The Charming Woman
Isobel Dunlop (1901 – 1975) – The Sea Shell William Soutar (1898 – 1943)
Cheryl Frances-Hoad – Something More Than Mortal Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852)
Eliza Flower (1803–1846) – Now Pray We for our Country; **Rebecca’s Hymn Walter Scott
Isabella Scott Gibson (1786–1838) – Dark Lochnagar Lord Byron (1788 – 1824)
Imogen Holst (1907 – 1984) – Round (1926); A Sweet Country Life (1937); May Day Carol: The Hedges And Fields
Helen Hopekirk (1856 – 1945) – Slumber Song
Dorothy Howells – **Two Frogs
Marjory Kennedy-Fraser (1857 – 1930) – In Hebrid Seas
Nicola Lefanu
Rory’s Rounds:-
**I See The Moon
The Story of I Love You
**Wishing
*Teeth
**Paradise
- *Working from Home
- Small Atomes; Firmament (Margaret Cavendish 1623-1673)
- **The Grand Old Lady of Carcinology; **Lobsters and Limericks Isabella Gordon (1901 – 1988)
- **NOT Mary Anning She sells sea shells on the sea shore
- *Florence Nightingale Broadside Ballad Traditional
- Swallowtail (Papilio machaon britannicus)
- ** Beatrix Potter & the Postman; **Without Fungi
- Storm in C (2017)
- Trowelblazers
- Scottish Gaelic Music (Texts by Sandy NicDhòmhnaill Jones):- *Stic Fìnealta (A fine Stitch); *Birth and Belonging; Breith is Buntanas; *Iona: Isle of Iona, O Lord, the Peaceof Iona; Ì: Eilean Ì, O Thì, Sìth Eilean Ì; *Testament; Tiomnadh
- My Mother (2020)
- Remember (2018) Christina Rossetti
- ADA BAB(BLE)
- **Entomologists Anonymous
- Let’s Do Engineering: *Amy Johnson; *Let’s Build A Plane For Amy; *I Can’t Hear; *Listen to the Sound
for 8 acapella voices
for soprano, mezzo, female chorus & harp
Mary Maxwell Campbell (1812-1886) – The Mole and the Bat (1876); The March of the Women of Science
Lynne Plowman – Seven Dark Lines Mary Somerville (1780 – 1872)
Elizabeth Poston (1905–1987) – **Te lucis ante terminum; ** Jesus Christ the Apple Tree; Bonny at Morn
Kira Ramchaitar-Husbands – *Subsurface
Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) – The March of the Women
an electronic mixed media work
School Projects
There were 3 Workshop Programmes delivered by a team of experts in science, history, art and composition in 6 Primary Schools (mainly on ZOOM) based on local women scientists. The films below are the culmination of each project and were made by artists Hannah Fox, Jack Sewell and Herbie Clarke.
Click on the names of the schools below to see what the children have to say about the experience!
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was not just an author but also a Mycologist who lived close to our chosen school in Cumbria
Mary Anning (1799-1847), a famous Palaeontologist working on the Jurassic Coast which is also home to the Sidmouth Science Festival who chose 4 schools
Miriam Rothschild (1908 – 2005) Entomologist & Conservationist with links to the Rothschild’s Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury
Find out more about the Mary Anning Project with Sidmouth Science Festival HERE
Find out more about the Beatrix Potter Project with Fungus Day! HERE
Find our more about the Miriam Rothschild Project HERE
Feedback compiled for Arts Council England is available below for all the public and school participatory projects
The Virtual Choir was free to join with no audition, for all levels of ability with weekly rehearsal on a project basis, each one connected to ZOOM performances with electric voice theatre singers, scientists, historians and British Sign Language interpreters – see the video below to see how it worked.
There were 4 main projects and members participated in 7 Zoom performances with electric voice theatre and recorded 7 pieces of music including world premieres. You will find more about them HERE
- FOSSILS & FUNGI: Sept 7th – Oct 19th 2021
Featuring Mary Anning (1799-1847) Palaeontologist and Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) Mycologist - LOBSTERS & LIMERICKS: Oct 19th – Nov 23rd 2021
A special celebration of Marine Biologist Isabella Gordon ( 1901- 1988) and her part in the 60th Birthday Festivities for Emperor Hirohito in Japan, 60 years ago! - St Columba’s Women: Nov 23rd – Dec 7th 2021
A celebration of the life of St Columba, on the 1,500th Anniversary of his birth. - FLEAS & FLOWERS, FIGURES & FOLKSONGS: Jan 25th – April 12th 2022
Featuring Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005) Entomologist and Conservationist
Frances M Lynch
Isabella Gordon ( 1901- 1988) Marine Biologist
Frances M Lynch
Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005) Entomologist and Conservationist
Frances M Lynch
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) Mycologist and Author
An online programme of training in vocal ensemble techniques through the music of Women Composers which was open to YOUNG SINGERS aged c. 15 – 25 of any gender and at varying skill levels. MORE DETAILS HERE
Song Competitions
There were 2 Song Competitions open to all children of Primary School age – one for Beatrix Potter and the other for Mary Anning with a total of 76 children getting involved. The leading judge was Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music alongside local and scientific experts. Here are the winning entries:-
The Mary Anning Song Competition
Let’s Do Engineering
Let’s do engineering is a research project by Heriot Watt University providing free online materials for children aged 3 – 7 yrs to learn about the breadth of engineering disciplines through play.
I was commissioned to create 4 songs with 2 engineers looking at Acoustic and Aeronautical Engineering. Each song comes with a learning pack and guide, sound files and a BSL video with Lauren Lister – here is an example of the resources for one song “Let’s Build a Plane for Amy” for 3 -5 yrs – you will find more here
I also created music for a series of dance activities called “Mars Mission” designed to prepare young astronauts for walking in different environments in space! Just listen and the scientist will guide you through what to do!
MORE EPISODES HERE
The Projects were delivered by an extraordinary group of experts in Music, Science, History and Art. The file below will tell you a little about what some of them did on the project and what they thought about it!
