Spotlight on RWCMD composer Imi Oldham

Here at Isbourne Trio we are continually looking at how we can champion the wealth of young musical talent and support upcoming composers at the start of their careers.

This month focusses on our important work in supporting emerging young composers, in particular our ongoing collaboration with students at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff.

In preparation for our ‘She-Notes‘ recording project and building on long- established connections with the composition department at RWCMD, our trio put out an open ‘call for works’ to their composition students. The remit was a four minute work in any style for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano. We were looking for a cohesive work that would succeed in performance as well as recording and were delighted to select the atmospheric ‘Music When Soft Voices Die’ by RWCMD emerging composer Imi Oldham for inclusion on ‘She-Notes‘. Imi described her composition to us:

‘This piece was largely inspired by the text that I chose to use, which is the poem ‘Music When Soft Voices Die’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley. I tried to use the music as a way to paint the imagery set through the words, as well as taking time over the text and repeating certain phrases to give a listener chance to reflect on the words.’

Imi joins a long line of distinguished composers who have set Shelley’s poem to music, including Frank Bridge, Rebecca Clarke and James MacMillan.

‘Music When Soft Voices Die’ is a valuable addition to our ever expanding body of work at Isbourne Trio and continues to be extremely well-received by our audiences. Thank you Imi!