news
​
Following the London premiere of A Soap Bubble went to meet Infinity by the Rosalie Ensemble at King Charles Court,
Trinity Laban​ on 6 June, brilliantly executed by Flautist Mary Bull and Bass Clarinettist Alex Lyon, A Soap Bubble went to
meet Infinity will be performed as part of the Sinetän Musikkijuhlat festival on 4 July by the amazing Heli
Haapala and Pekka Niskanen from Lapin Kamariorkestri - the northernmost professional orchestra in the EU, based in
Lapland. For more details on the festival visit:- https://musiikkijuhlat.net/
moon landing news
On Monday 9 June Helen Caddick and Margo Selby presented moon landing at Canterbury Cathedral. In situ across the summer til 31 August, visitors can now view Margo's stunning textile woven in response to the moon landing score as they listen to the music - inspired by the little known story of the women who wove the integrated circuits and memory cores which enabled the success of the Apollo 11. To download: https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com/track/moon-landing
Audience response:
"Sitting in the Cathedral, listening to the music and admiring both the tapestry and the building was just fantastic." - anon
"I don't really have the words to describe the sublime experience of being immersed in the creative worlds of the genius women powerhouses that are @caddickhelen and @margoselbystudio at Canterbury Cathedral last evening. Every moment, from the sweetness of the garden reception, to the awe inspiring scale of Margo's weave, to the emotional elegance of Helen's composition (beautifully conducted by Helen and played by a sextet of first class female musicians) was a treat for the heart, soul and senses...Joyous in every sense of the word...marvellous women honouring other women." - Wendy Robinson
​
moon landing was performed by Sarah Sew, Kokila Gillett-Khan, Tamara Young, Lise Vandersmissen, Julia Vohralik & Rosie Banks Francis
Photo Credit: Annie Taylor
news
TRACES
On 20 December 2024 Helen's new work T R A C E S - Tales from the Anechoic Chamber for Orchestra, amplified Soprano and
pre-recorded sound was premiered at St. Andrews, Holborn. Inspired by London itself and the true story of an influencer who
spent time in the darkness of an Anechoic Chamber in order to break a world record and the happenings he experienced whilst there,
the work touches upon medieval London to present day.
​
T r a c e s was performed by Orchestra of the City conducted by Chris Hopkins; the role of the Woman in White was sung
by Soprano Ruby Caddick Lawrence with sounds gathered by Caddick and Humphrey Percival fed live through the work by Percival.
​
Now available on Bandcamp, https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com/track/traces-tales-from-the-anechoic-chamber-live-premiere
Supported by a National Lottery Arts Council England DYCP grant.​​​​
​
Responses to TRACES:-
Chris Hopkins, Conductor: “I worked with Helen on her fantastic Opera, Sophie, and what struck me then, as it does now, is how in-depth she gets to the subjects she is writing about, she really gets inside the characters and she wants to tell a story through the music. She’s created an all encompassing soundworld which is amazing.’
Rebecca Saunders, Leader: “It’s an amazing piece, it’s got so many nails to it, so every time I play it and listen to it I discover something new.”
From the audience:-
Lee: “It was epic. It really took you in to the feeling of it.”
Jeremy: “I absolutely loved it. I thought that the singing was just beautiful. The Soprano kind of terrified me when she turned up into some spectral figure approaching the stage. I thought it was wonderfully evocative and really something special.”
Janet: “I enjoyed the layered textures, there were beautiful and unusual juxtapositions that wove an evocative musical story.”
WE ARE HERE
In July 2024 Helen's work ‘We Are Here’ performed by @lilithensemble was reimagined with dance choreography created by Ana Sofia
Villar, Director of the Ballet Moderno y Folklórico National de Guatemala. Performed to an audience of 1200 at the Teatro Nacional
Guatemala, danced by Loyda Prado, Laura Morales and @karlamaria_gz, the work was choreographed on the themes of resilience
and togetherness. We Are Here is inspired by the brave women of Afghanistan and a slogan they carried on a placard when they took
to the streets in protest for their right to work and education. To hear the Lilith ensemble’s beautiful performance of this work go to:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yiMGDjMksOiLXfb2bgTEa?si=RyWxy6IRQnS9XE3VLz_RFA
MOON LANDING
​On the evenings of 28 + 29 February 2024 moon landing, inspired by the little known story of the Navajo and Raytheon women who wove the integrated circuits and memory cores on the Apollo 11 Space mission which resulted in the successful 1969 moon landing, was premiered at Somerset House as part of Collect 24 International Art Fair. Scored for strings, to echo the strings on a loom, moon landing formed part of a duo work conceived in collaboration with textile artist Margo Selby who created an immersive 16 metre installation in response to Helen's score. moon landing, performed with the musicians seated beneath Margo's beautiful work in the stamp stairwell, is a celebration of the mathematical and technical possibilities of weaving and the crossovers of pattern, tone and rhythm found in both music and woven textiles. Performed by Violinists Josie Chapman and Jessica Dugard, Cellists Julia Vohralik and Kirke Gross and Harpists Tamara Young and Gloria Rappo, the premiere performance of moon landing can here be viewed as well as an educational film giving insight as to Margo and Helen's creative process.
A live recording of moon landing is available at https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com/track/moon-landing-live
The moon landing score is available at Composers Edition https://composersedition.com/helencaddick/
​Further performances are anticipated for 2025.
BRIGHT PLANET
On Saturday 25 May, 2024, Helen's work We are Here was premiered at the Schouwburg Noord in Antwerp, Belgium. Inspired by the brave women of Afghanistan who held this statement aloft on a banner to protest for their rights to work and education, We are Here was performed by the Lilith ensemble - the first contemporary chamber music ensemble in the world dedicated to performing works by female composers. The Lilith ensemble commissioned this work as part of 10 international commissions by female composers. They are committed to 'innovative, socially-conscious, genre-fluid performances', February 2024 saw the release of We are Here on the Lilith Ensemble's CD collection which is now available on the LORELT label. The work will be choreographed in 2025 for the National Dance Company of Guatamala by Ana Villiers.
On Sunday 5 May 2024 a new dance piece created in response to the music of Gun Reborn the first movement from Helen's work Bright Planet, was performed as a site specific solo around the Martello Tower in Eastbourne. Choreographed and performed by contemporary Belgian dance artist Yanaëlle Thiran, Gun Reborn was performed by Yanaëlle as part of The Performance Path, a 4 hour walking tour conceived by the artist.
Yanaëlle Thiran in rehearsal at the Martello Tower, Eastbourne Photo © Yanaëlle Thiran
Here's Tom with the Weather
December 2023 saw the re-release of Shack’s critically acclaimed album Here’s Tom with the Weather which features Helen’s string writing and arrangements, one of 3 collaborations with Michael and John Head which began with The Magical World of the Strands album and 2003’s Time Machine.
