‘Did I sing too loud?’ asked Emily Dickinson in 1861, in a poem set a century later by Aaron Copland. The expectations of silence often placed on women, historically and politically, and music’s power to break through them, are the themes of this deeply personal recital by mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals Simmons and pianist Lana Bode. Their programme reflects and channels the voices of female writers and musicians: Dickinson herself, Sara Teasdale and Virginia Woolf are among those whose words are set in the works brought together here.

‘The music is deeply examined by Fontanals-Simmons and pianist Lana Bode…. Such poetic juxtapositions make this disc recommendable to anyone interested in the landscape of American art song.’ (Gramophone)

dream.risk.sing is a recital programme which gives voice to women’s experiences which are rarely heard in song. The programme highlights five specific aspects of a woman’s life: growing up, love and lust, motherhood, career and legacy. The programme includes music by a diverse array of living composers including Helen Grime, Libby Larsen, Carson Cooman, Ricky Ian Gordon and Michele Brourman, alongside songs by names such as Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke, Florence Price and Alma Mahler, illustrating the historical legacy of women’s voices from centuries past in paving the way for gender equality today.

‘dream.risk.sing was ablaze with originality, fierce pride, strength and vulnerability - and humanity.’ (Daily Info)

The Virginia Woolf & Music project explores the role of music in the lives and legacies of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group through concerts, research, workshops, public talks, exhibitions, radio broadcasts and commissions of new works of art. The project is a collaboration between Lana Bode and Prof Emma Sutton (University of St Andrews, School of English) and has already led to the premiere of 5 new musical works, responding to Woolf’s writing.

In 2018, song duo Marta Fontanals-Simmons (mezzo) and Lana Bode (piano) were artists in residence at the Red House, the home of composer Benjamin Britten. They researched and developed innovative song recitals, modelled on Britten’s songs and programmes. Local audience and schoolchildren participated in workshops. The project culminated in a series of song recitals in the Red House library. Funded by the Britten-Pears Foundation and British Council.

HerStories Unsung tells the stories of marginalised women through contemporary piano music, composed by Kevin Malone and performed by Lana Bode. Each piece explores an aspect of the marginalisation of women through an historical figure, as well as exploring seldom-used techniques of piano playing.