Remarkable women and their poems: poetry by trailblazing women from the 18th and 19th century will be set to music especially commissioned from selected women composers.

Women poets featured are Phillis Wheatley (the first published African–American poet initially came to America as a slave), Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science), the Brontë Sisters, and Elizabeth Margaret Chandler who became the first female writer in the United States to make abolition of slavery her principal theme.

Performers featured are Elinor Jane Moran, Susanne Holmes and Elsbeth Wilkes.

Elinor Jane Moran was a student at the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester before moving to London to study voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Whilst at the Guildhall she won the Worshipful Company of Horners’ Becker Scholarship to complete her Masters Degree in performance and the Tracey Chadwell Memorial Prize for Contemporary Song. Her recent operatic roles include Anna in Don Giovanni (OUC /Soho Theatre), Mrs. Bear-Crawford in Beginners (New commission ROH Linbury Theatre) Mimi in La Boheme (in the Olivier Award winning OperaUpClose production at the Soho Theatre), Michaela in Carmen (For EPOC at the Royal Albert Hall), Pamina in The Magic Flute (Park Opera) and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro amongst others. Elinor has been the recipient of a Garsington Opera Award.

Born in Canada, Susanne Holmes (mezzo soprano) studied at the Royal College of Music, London and later at the Vlaamse Opera Studio, Belgium. In 2006, she was the recipient of the Donna Steinacher award.Susanne has performed a number of new works including the UK premiere of Steve Reich’s Know What is Above You and the world premiere and recording of Kris Defoort’s House of the Sleeping Beauties for La Monnaie, Brussels/LOD. Oratorio and concert performances include the title role in Carmen and Mignon, Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (Piacere), Beethoven’s Mass in C, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Harmoniemesse; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s St. Johannes Passion, Mass in b minor, and Weihnacht-Oratorium; Handel’s Messiah, Dixit Dominus, Samson (Micah), Jephtha (Hamor); and Mahler’s Symphony IV. Opera roles include Iolanthe and Cousin Hebe for Tarantara Productions; Dido, Hansel, Suzuki, Pitti-Sing, Baba the Turk, Papagena, Second Lady, Mercedes, Anna (Intermezzo), Celia (La Fedeltà Premiata), Der Trommler (Der Kaiser von Atlantis), and Nympha  (L’Euridice – Caccini). Recent recordings include Confitebor tibi (Wesley) with Portsmouth Choral Union.

Born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex, Elspeth Wilkes studied at King’s College, London, Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. She has worked with BBC Wales, Royal Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company, Lesley Garrett and Southbank Sinfonia amongst others. She has worked as a repetiteur/musical director with Opera up Close, Co-Opera Company, Opera Brava, Operaroom, Merry Opera Company, Northern Ireland Opera, Riverside Opera, Tete a Tete Opera and Opera de Bauge, playing continuo on several of their productions and acting as chorus master since 2011. Elspeth works as accompanist/assistant conductor with Barnes Choir and Thurrock Choral Society and is a member of the Argento trio (piano, clarinet, soprano) and the Bridgetower trio (violin, cello, piano).