Helen
Caddick
chronology
Photo Credit Phil Miller
In Spring 2022, Helen's new work We are Here for Octet was recorded as part of a series of 10 international commissions by the Belgium based Lilith Ensemble. Release of a CD of these works is anticipated for release in 2023.
In December 2021, Helen was invited to talk about her Opera, Sophie, as part of a Female Future podcast, hosted by the Swiss Embassy in Tel Aviv, shining a light on 50 Swiss Artists. Alongside Walburga Krupp, Co-curator of the Sophie Taeuber-Arp retrospective now at MOMA, New York, Helen spoke of her thinking and approach for Sophie and it’s inspiration - the life and work of Sophie Taeuber-Arp and her relationship with Dadaist/Poet Jean Arp.
In August 2021, semi staged extracts from a new Opera, Sophie, were shared at London's Tête à Tête Opera Festival - a culmination of extended Research and Development. Plans are in the pipeline to realise the full work.
On 30 January 2020 Helen was invited to talk about her work inspired by art on Resonance 104.4FM to Anna Gammans on her wonderful 'Art then and Now' show.
In November 2019, as part of the wider Turner prize related events hosted at Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Helen’s work Haze was further performed at the Gulbenkian theatre accompanied by a new film created by Phil Miller, inspired by the delicate Turner paintings which inspired Helen’s work.
On Saturday 18 August, 2018, Helen's work Amphora received it's London premiere at the prestigious Tête à Tête: Europe's largest Opera festival. Inspired by the art and poetry of dadaist Jean Arp, it was selected as a top pick favourite in The Musician Spring 2018 and featured stunning dance/choreography by Kamala Devam, dadaist costume created by swiss couturier Martina Trottmann, performed by Soprano Katherine Crompton with the incredible CantiaQuorum ensemble. A screening of Amphora ...the making of by Phil Miller preceded the performance. To view the London premiere at Tête à Tête 2018 visit https://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/event/amphora/
On 5th July 2018, as part of the Deal Festival, there was a special performance of Helen's piece Bright Planet. Inspired by Pedro Reyes work Palas por Pistolas, where 1,527 guns, previously used in drug crimes in the Mexican city of Culican, were remoulded into shovels with which to plant 1,527 trees, the work was reimagined with the addition of specially created choreography crafted by Trinity Laban's Vanessa Michielon and Songhay Toldon. Bright Planet was performed by the CantiaQuorum Trio with dance students from the Goodwin Academy in the Foyle rooms at Turner Contemporary, Margate. A further performance took place at the Sidney Cooper gallery, Canterbury in March 2019, with the work revisited for the 2019 Deal Festival.
Catch up on BBCiplayer to hear Helen talking to Dominic King on 23/10/19 about her work Haze inspired by JMW Turner and the premiere of a beautiful new film by Phil Miller which weaves images of the Turner paintings which inspired Helen's work with sublime imagery of the Kent coast, seen as it is today. Generously supported by Arts Council England Haze was performed by CantiaQuorum at the Gulbenkian theatre, Canterbury on Friday 1st November 2019, to coincide with the hosting of the prestigious Turner prize at Turner Contemporary, Margate. Seen as 'the greatest of the age' by art critic John Ruskin and seen by many to be the first 'modern' painter, Caddick’s Haze reacts to the sumptuous colours and use of light employed by Turner in five delicate paintings, pieced together to form a fictional narrative - one that endures to this day - of a man and boat at sea, at the mercy of the elements. Haze aims to add a further dimension to the audience, as if they themselves had stepped forward into the artworks.
As part of POW! 2018, Helen gave a recital of her first album, Between sleeping and waking... in homage to the suffragettes and to mark the centenary year of the first British women gaining the right to vote. The recital took place at the Walpole Bay Hotel, Cliftonville, Margate on Saturday 10 March.
In November 2017, the film Amphora...the making of photographed and directed by Phil Miller went on display at Turner Contemporary, Margate. Looped throughout November 2017 until January 2018, it explores the creation of Caddick's Amphora, tracing Helen's creative journey and that of choreographer Kamala Devam and costume designer Martina Trottmann in the creation of the work. A filmed performance of Amphora captured live in the Sunley gallery, was looped alongside.
Amphora is available for purchase at bandcamp:- https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com
26 September 2017, Helen was interviewed about her work by Nathalie Banaigs for Channel Radio.
On Tuesday 16th May 2017, the new Tate Britain's Great British Walks series was broadcast on Sky Arts, featuring work by JMW Turner. Within this episode, we heard examples of Helen's work as she spoke about her work Haze and of how Turner's work inspired it.
On Sunday 8th January 2017, on the last day of the JMW Turner: Adventures in Colour exhibition at Turner Contemporary, an extended version of the film HAZE, documenting Caddick's process in the creation of the work, was shown at Turner Contemporary followed by a Q+A with the composer. HAZE was generously supported by Arts Council England.
On 7th October 2016, Caddick's work Haze, generously supported by Arts Council England, was premered by CantiaQuorum at Turner Contemporary, Margate to coincide with the opening of the JMW Turner: Adventures in Colour exhibition. Selecting 5 artworks by Turner, taken from the exhibition, to piece together a fictional journey taken by sailing boat around the east coast, declared by Turner to have 'the loveliest skies in Europe', Caddick used the colours and light incorporated in the paintings to inspire mood, atmosphere and instrumentation. To partner Haze, a film by Phil Miller documenting Caddick's process from initial thoughts to performance and subsequent recording, was screened throughout the exhibition. Haze was released on 1st November 2016 and can be purchased at https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com
Photo Credit Phil Miller
The film Inflight for which Helen wrote the soundtrack was selected for the 2016 Wisewords festival and looped throughout the festival. Directed by Ian Cross and Steven Marshall, it features photography by Maria Mochnacz.
Her work Bright Planet, scored for Violin. Piano. Trumpet/Flugelhorn, received it's world premiere on January 2016 at Turner Contemporary Margate, performed by CantiaQuorum, one of the Uk's newest and most exciting ensembles. Inspired by the work Palas por Pistolas by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes, Bright Planet deals with the concept of renewal and rebirth. For the premiere, the musicians were surrounded by Pedro Reyes 2013 work Disarm created from instruments made from de-commissioned weapons. Bright Planet was released on 24th March 2016.
On 21st September 2015, Helen was invited to perform specially selected pieces from her 2015 album Between sleeping and waking...fleeting scenes from imaginary films for solo Piano as part of the Secret Southbank events, held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Opening and closing a final concert to mark the closure of the QEH for its 2 year renovation, Helen was the last performer to take the stage before it was dismantled the following day. Tracks from Between sleeping and waking... have featured on BBC 3's Late Junction with Nick Luscombe on 19 January 2016 and by sound artist Milo Thesiger Meacham on Resonance FM on 8 December 2015 with the work further used to accompany screenings of clips by Georges Melies in a tiny cinema for one as part of WhitLit 2015.
Between Sleeping and Waking...fleeting scenes from imaginary films was officially launched with a full performance at All Saints, Tudeley on 20th February 2016. Performed by Helen Caddick on a delicate old Bechstein Grand Piano, the Composer was surrounded by Marc Chagall’s beautiful stained glass windows.
Soulless for String Sextet performed at the Timezones festival in Italy, as part of the meltdown festival at the Royal Festival Hall and as part of Turner Contemporary’s Sound of Music Weekender event in May 2009.
She has appeared on BBC Radio 4 as part of the award winning programme Building Bridges broadcast April 2014 - a programme exploring the use of the Middle 8 in songwritng which won a New York Gold award.
Her arranging projects have involved collaborations with the band Shack and Michael Head on the albums Time Machine released 2007; and now for the weather Tom released August 2003 as well as the critically acclaimed 1997 album The magical world of the Strands, released 1997, (rereleased 2015). Alongside producers Mark Coyle and Angeli Dutt, Helen has also arranged for the bands Smaller and Coast.
Film scores include memo directed by Ian Cross - as part of a series of films on Artificial Intelligence for Channel 4 - January 2001; Inflight directed by Ian Cross and Steven Marshall, featuring photography by Maria Mochnacz - Nominated for award at 1999 Kunstmedia Internationale Festival This Bastard Business, written by Navin Chowdhry, and directed by Sean Hogan - Winner of Best Film and Best Audience award at Bradford Film Festival 2000.
Scores for theatre include Hush, directed by Donnacadh O’Briain performed at the Arcola theatre, Hackney 2005 - nominated for Fringe 1st at the Edinburgh Festival 2005; The Double Bass written & directed by Sean Hogan performed at Greenwich Playhouse Theatre; Joe for Hampstead theatre; Bouncers and Shakers by John Godber directed by Anna Coombs performed at the Eye Theatre, Suffolk; The Fall of the Lion by Greg Lawrence & Mick James directed by Anna Coombs performed at the Drill Hall, London; The Powder Room by Sharon Byrne directed by Doc Watson at Luton Theatre, London.
She is the former keyboard player/writer/arranger of the band My Life Story with whom she arranged and performed for 5 years, seeing the release of their first album Mornington Crescent and 4 eps.