We are delighted to share the news that three of the winning composers whose pieces were selected for our upcoming workshop will be coming along to the event to share the vision and inspiration behind their stunning choral creations. Join us in Surrey for a unique Come and Sing workshop and meet these wonderful women on Sunday 28th April 2024 (10-4pm). The workshop is open to female singers of all levels and we would love to see you there.
These outstanding compositions were selected from our 'Call for Scores' competition, which gave composers the opportunity to submit upper voice works for consideration within our performance repertoire at
Corra Sound. This initiative is part of our ongoing quest to shine a light on new talent and to enable
musicians to flourish. In January, we unveiled news of the composition winners, stating that a further four winning composers would have their pieces featured in our singing workshop for women.
We are now delighted to announce these winning entries: Barbara Cobham's Hope is the thing, Amanda Dean's Air, heart, Caroline Mallonee's Sister walk with me, and Caroline Tyler's 8 months old. While Caroline Mallonee is based in the US, Barbara, Amanda and Caroline Tyler will all be joining us at the workshop, offering an unprecedented and truly unique perspective.
You can read more about these compositions and the creative talent behind them below or register for our workshop here. As always, please don't hesitate to get in touch with any queries.
HOPE IS THE THING by Barbara Cobham, Words by Emily Dickinson
Hope Is The Thing is a setting of a beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson, in which hope is portrayed as a
little bird within the soul, who keeps on singing no matter what. The piece is a tribute to her family’s
own 14-year-old “little bird”, whose courage, humour and ever-sparkling spirit in the face of
continual rounds of invasive chemotherapy embody the theme of female strength and resilience.
The piece is gentle and tender yet has moments of greater intensity, reminding us of the power of
hope (and music) to sustain us amidst life’s most difficult challenges.
Barbara began her musical journey as a Junior Exhibitioner at Trinity College of Music before reading
languages at University, studying in both France and Japan. She worked as a translator in Paris and at
the Foreign Office in London, before returning to her core passion, becoming a primary music
specialist, children’s choir director and vocal tutor. Her MA in Music Education championed the
importance of singing and composing in the primary curriculum. She has written various songs,
musicals and works for children, including composing The Hoe Bridge Way for Hoe Bridge School,
and devising Petits Papillons – an early years singing programme for teaching French to 3–5-year-
olds. She has also composed for short film, had music commissioned for weddings and has produced
a CD of her solo piano compositions.
AIR, HEART by Amanda Dean, Words by Amelia Earhart
Air, heart celebrates trailblazing aviator Amelia Earhart, who was keenly aware of her legacy to flying
and to women. Composer Amanda Dean watched footage of early biplanes like Earhart’s first
plane, the yellow ‘Canary’, enjoying the sputtering noisiness and imagining the contrast with the
stillness of the surrounding air at altitude. The piece uses a boomwhacker – a long, light tube which is taped – to set the key and add a percussive element, bringing an element of air with it.
The words in the piece play with Earhart’s name and with short quotes from what she said about
adventure; about the beauty of being closer to the stars while flying at night; about the fun of flying;
and about her hopes for female pilots to come after her. ‘Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.’
Amanda began singing in choirs as a child and read Music at Cambridge University where she was a
choral scholar at Trinity College. Since then she has sung mostly contemporary classical music. Stage
projects include roles in Stockhausen’s Mittwoch as part of 2012’s Cultural Olympiad (with helicopters and a camel) and Birtwistle’s The Minotaur for the Royal Opera House. Amanda sings with the quartet at St Giles’ Church Cripplegate, and composes when she has time. Her ‘Bad Hair Days - Medusa’ series, begun as a lockdown distraction in 2020, can be found on YouTube.
SISTER WALK WITH ME by Caroline Mallonee
Sister, Walk With Me was originally written for the Women’s Choir of Buffalo, and is an anthem to
sisterhood. It is about being a sister, a friend, a woman; it is about listening to each other, supporting
one another, and fighting for all we deserve. The piece was premiered in Buffalo, New York in 2019,
and I am thrilled that it will be now shared with a European audience!
American composer Caroline Mallonee finds inspiration in visual art, science, and musical puzzles.
Her music has been programmed across the United States including New York’s Carnegie Hall, and at
the Cambridge Music Festival (UK), and Tokyo Opera City (Japan).
Mallonee has been commissioned to write new works for the New York Philharmonic, Buffalo
Philharmonic Orchestra, Spektral Quartet, Firebird Ensemble, Wet Ink Ensemble, PRISM Quartet,
Ethos Percussion, and the Buffalo Chamber Players, for whom she serves as composer-in-residence.
She is the director of the Walden School Creative Musicians Retreat, a week-long festival for
composers and improvisers held in New Hampshire each June. She holds degrees from Harvard, Yale
and Duke, and held a Fulbright Fellowship to the Netherlands, where she studied with Louis
Andriessen. For more information, please visit www.carolinemallonee.com
8 MONTHS OLD by Caroline Tyler, Words by John Tarrant
The title 8 Months Old is taken from a poem written by John Tarrant in 2015. It's a reflection on the
value of parenthood during early years, specifically of the intangible yet powerful love poured in
during the baby months while the child cannot yet form lasting conscious memories. In the music
I’ve responded to the joy, sorrow, tenderness and strength of the text. Different perspectives are
implied by changing voice combinations, and I enjoyed working with the unusual rhythmic structure
of the poem. The imagined fading of the child’s memories gave rise to a sense of fragility and
haziness to some of the layering of texture and colour.
Pianist and composer Caroline Tyler has performed at venues including Barbican Hall and St-Martin-
in-the-Fields in London, Enka Auditorium in Istanbul, and the Martinu Hall and British Embassy in
Prague. She enjoys a varied freelance career, giving classical recitals as a soloist around the UK and
abroad, performing her own music and working most recently with Ensemble Reza and Piha
International. Her piano arrangements have been featured in BBC music magazine, and her music is
published by ABRSM and EVC music. She also creates music for her gift service, Composify. A
prizewinning student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Caroline graduated with first-class
honours and a Masters with Distinction. Caroline is a sought-after adjudicator and an examiner for
ABRSM. To find out more, her linktree is https://linktr.ee/carolinetyler
We can’t wait to share these wonderful works with you at our workshop, and we sincerely hope that many of you will be keen to join us for a truly inspiring and uplifting day of singing and musical inspiration!