The Lost Words: a Spell Book
“Acorn” and "Magpie” by Alex Eddington
Text by Robert MacFarlane
20 pieces by 10 Canadian composers
Composers: Carmen Braden, Alex Eddington, Nicholas Ryan Kelly, Katerina Gimon, Ramona Luengen, Don Macdonald, Monica Pearce, Marie-Claire Saindon, Rodney Sharman, Stephen Smith
Elektra Women’s Choir
Morna Edmundson, Artistic Director
On its first tour to the United Kingdom, Elektra Women’s Choir, from Vancouver, Canada, presents The Lost Words: A Spell Book, a whimsical and evocative musical interpretation of the bestselling book by Cambridge author Robert Macfarlane and visual artist Jackie Morris. Their magical book’s “spells” and watercolours are meant to conjure back into the lives of children twenty words about nature removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
Elektra, known internationally for its leadership in developing compelling new repertoire for women’s choirs, commissioned ten Canadian composers to set two “spells” each. The performance will be a treat for the eyes and ears, with large-screen projection of the book’s illustrations by Jackie Morris. Actor Laara Sadiq will read each spell for performances in Peterborough and London, and the author of the book, Robert Macfarlane, will be the guest reader at the Cambridge performance. The new compositions will be performed by Elektra and a small ensemble of instrumentalists, to complete the celebration of this literary “re-wilding of childhood”.
Audiences in the United Kingdom will have three opportunities to see The Lost Words: A Spell Book. For more information on the performances and to purchase tickets to concerts, please see below:
June 19, 2023 • 7:30 pm, Key Theatre Peterborough, Peterborough
https://www.peterboroughsings.org.uk/tickets
View trailer for the Peterborough performance here: https://youtu.be/B8i9fgWIe3s
June 20, 2023 • 7:30 pm, West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge (special guest, author Robert Macfarlane)
www.westroad.org/event-info/elektra-womens-choir
View trailer for the Cambridge performance here: https://youtu.be/Spu908BKbwI
Friday, June 23, 2023 • 7:30 pm, St. John’s Smith Square, London
https://www.sjss.org.uk/events/elektra-women’s-choir
View trailer for the London performance here: https://youtu.be/VXktCGmFH4Q