By Kiersten Gustafson When Jane Goodall, primatologist and anthropologist, came to speak at my undergraduate university, I was prepared to be impressed; as a young woman, she had been a trailblazer in a male-dominated field, with her research on chimpanzees challenging common notions of what it meant to be human. I was not prepared, however,…
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Inspiring DJ: Honey Dijon
By Toby Anderson 2022 was the year I started seriously thinking about house music. At the centre of that was the fabulous, ethereal, mesmerising DJ Honey Dijon. As a black trans woman, Dijon places the queer utopianism that gave birth to house music at the centre of her craft, weaving stories of queer empowerment and…
Read MoreMy Nana, Molly
By Ruby Howells One of the most inspirational women in my life is my grandmother – or Nana – Molly. For her whole life, she has always helped others, and is the most selfless person I know. When she worked, she was a carer for adults with severe disabilities, many of whom she became friends…
Read MorePauline Viardot: Inspirational Diva
By Mia Serracino-Inglott When we think of an inspirational woman, do we think of a ‘diva’? Certainly, the term diva has undergone quite the negative rebranding in recent years, often being used to describe women who are over-dramatic, bossy, or rude. But back in the opera houses of the nineteenth century, to be called a…
Read MoreWho Resurrected Carmen?
By Kennedy Blair Miller Artwork by Jess Bull Anderson The doors to the Opéra-Comique theatre opened to a bustling crowd of eager Parisians on 3 March 1875. Well-dressed socialites, composers, and artists presented their tickets to the ushers with an air of superiority. They had been invited to the premiere of a new opera, Carmen,…
Read MoreRAMpage Spotlights: Josie Campbell
By Kennedy Blair Miller Josie and I step out of a pub on Marylebone High Street and let out a unified sigh at the pelter of rain and the sharp touch of wind. “Did you know it’s already like 70 degrees back home?” I ask Josie, relieved to be talking to a friend who understands…
Read MoreRAMpage Spotlights: Will Gardner, composer
By Ellen Wilkinson Will’s desire to compose started early on, as he recalls strumming chords and writing basic songs on the guitar at age four. His affinity with vocal music also emerged young, and after singing in the internationally renowned Trinity Boys Choir he had a range of professional opportunities, including performing the role of…
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Kate Soper and the Musical Chimera
live performance, two-headed monsters, and our complicated relationship with the self By Jonty Watt There is a moment in American composer Kate Soper’s philosophy-opera IPSA DIXIT (2016) when Soper, in her role as prima donna, walks over to violinist Josh Modney and begins a strange assault on his violin. Specifically, she fingers notes on the…
Read MoreRAM’s Bicentenary Playlist
By Ruby Howells As we surely are all aware, 2022 has seen the Academy celebrating its bicentenary. Over the course of 200 years, the Academy has helped music grow and develop, itself producing some of the most significant figures in the creative arts. To celebrate this, I want to create a ‘bicentennial playlist’ which spans…
Read MoreThe Dante Project: a dazzling journey through pain, purgatory and paradise
By Ellen Wilkinson The Royal Opera House’s Dante Project, which premiered in October 2021 is a tour de force of creative collaboration. Intricate and angular choreography from Wayne McGregor (the Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer since 2006) fuses with Tomas Adès’s ambitious new score and striking set design by artist Tacita Dean in this retelling of…
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