Gaston Lachaise, Two Women (c. 1908), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Scofield Thayer, 1982. Public Domain.
A Certain Sense of Order
Scratch showing Tuesday, 7 March 2017 at The Cockpit, London
A Certain Sense of Order is an operatic work-in-progress for two female singers exploring the poetry of Anne Sexton, the multiplicities of identity, and the relationship between poetic and therapeutic practice. The collaboratively-devised work investigates the mind through both sonic and physical modalities, using the text of Sexton’s poetry as a focal point. Throughout, the singers take on different roles from both the home and the therapy room, interacting as mirrors, foils, and supports for one another.
This project is created with the support of Rough for Opera, Second Movement, Tête à Tête, The Cockpit, and the Arts Council England.
See more about the event here.
Catherine Kontz reviewing a score.
A Creative Collaboration
A Certain Sense of Order is a creative collaboration between Sasha Amaya, Naomi Woo, and Catherine Kontz.
Catherine Kontz (b. 1976) is a Luxembourgish composer. She studied Composition with Roger Redgate at Goldsmiths College and, as part of her PhD, produced and directed her mime-opera MiE with sold-out performances in London in 2006. She has since worked extensively within the world of contemporary opera as well as writing for performers such as ensemble recherche, BBCSSO, Cathy Krier, and Juliet Fraser.
Catherine has been commissioned for new works by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Philharmonie Luxembourg, the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) amongst others and she regularly features at the Tête-à-Tête opera festival. In 2013 she composed and directed her first full-length opera Neige for Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg to great acclaim. // www.catherinekontz.com
Voices
Rebecca Cuddy // A versatile performer, Métis (Indigenous) Canadian Mezzo-Soprano Rebecca Cuddy is at home on both the contemporary and classical stage. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, she is currently enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, completing a Masters in Vocal Performance with world-renowned Mezzo-Soprano, Sarah Walker, and Vocal Coach Jonathan Papp.
Rosie Middleton // Mezzo-soprano Rosie Middleton trained at the Royal Northern College of Music. Since graduation, Rosie has specialised in contemporary music, performing new works both at home and abroad. She co-founded Aequitas Collective, an Anglo-Icelandic contemporary music-theatre group; later this year she will return to Reykjavik to create a new opera, funded by Rannis.
