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…
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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…
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Music and Motherhood: an interview with Dr. Noemi Gyori
By Ruby Howells
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A game of cat and mouse: how it feels to travel alone as a young woman
By Ellen Wilkinson Content Warning: discussion of public sexual harassment and sexual assault. I was fourteen the first time I experienced harassment while travelling alone. I was on my way to a friend’s party at around 8pm; it was dark, and I had nodded at my parents’ parting messages of “be careful” with mild irritation.…
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