Our first Rush House Recital will feature the premiere of Jonty Lefroy Watt's setting of poems by Zadie Loft  - sung by mezzo soprano Mia Serracino-Inglott and accompanied by Declan HIckey on the guitar.

Of cycle Zadie says: 'The poems reflect upon and explore themes of memory, religion, architecture and history, using the city of Rome as their focal point. Reflecting the city’s architecture in their metrical and sonic aspects, the poems give voice to various female characters in the city’s rich mythology and history, exploring the gendered nature of these tales. Angry, wistful, and cynical, the collection questions the artifice of commemoration and worship, and the ways in which the construction and cultures of the past continually inform our present.’

Mia and Declan will also sing and play songs by Fauré,  South African British composer Priaulx Rainier and folksong arrangements by Benjamin Britten.

A glass of wine will be included in the price of the tickets - £15.

PROGRAMME:

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) Selected Songs arr. Declan Hickey (1999–)
i. Dans les Ruines d'une Abbaye, op. 2, no. 1
ii. Le Plus Doux Chemin, op. 87, no. 1
iii. Le Ramier, op. 87, no. 2

Priaulx Rainier (1903–86) Dance of the Rain 

Benjamin Britten (1913–76) Folksong Arrangements
i. I Will Give My Love an Apple
ii. Sailor Boy
iii. Master Kilby
iv. The Soldier and the Sailor
v. Bonny t Mora
vi. The Shooting of his Dear

Jonty Lefroy Watt (2000–) Roma Indicta
Words by Zadie Loft (2000–)
i. Rome Upturned
ii. Judith's Dinner
iii. Arch
iv. Tarpeia Has her Say
v. Atlas
vi. To Arria I
vii. Mary's Portrait
viii. To Arria II
ix. He Stole Parts of Me
x. A Sliver of Sky
xi. Epilogue

PERFORMERS:

Declan Hickey
Declan Hickey is a classical guitarist based in London. His specialisms include British guitar music of the past century, and the guitar literature of the 19^th-century periodical press. He has performed at venues including the Purcell Room, the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, Kings Place, St John’s Smith Square, LSO St Luke’s, and St James’s, Piccadilly. He is a Young Artist of the International Guitar Foundation for the 2023–24 season.

Mia Serracino-Inglott
Mia Serracino-Inglott is a Maltese-British mezzo soprano, whose inventive music making has led her to work in a dynamic range of classical music spheres. She is a keen recitalist and will make her debut at the Wigmore Hall, performing in the ‘For Crying Out Loud’ concert series. Operatic performances have included premiering roles in contemporary operas at both the Royal Academy of Music (Daylighting) and the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival (EXPO: MCYO).

Jonty Lefroy Watt
Jonty is a 24-year-old composer living in London. He recently achieved a master’s degree in composition from the Royal Academy of Music in London. With aesthetic influences ranging from Lebron James to James Joyce, Jonty is fascinated by points of overlap, those moments and places where unfamiliar worlds collide, crumble, re-form.

Zadie Loft
Zadie Loft grew up in Suffolk and is now living in London. Her poetry, prose and essays have been published in La Piccioletta Barca and Litro Magazine. She read Classics at the University of Cambridge, studied CreativeWriting at the University of Oxford and has jsut finished her debut novel.