Autumn Update 2021!
Well it has been quite a summer and return to performing. As I reflect on my joyous recent performances, I also have some incredibly exciting new announcements to share with you, so read on!
First up this season was Sing Sistah Sing! in Germany at the Pocket Festival. Although we had a couple of rain delays, it was a wonderful return to live audiences with my new pianist Hildegard Pohl. The hearty Bayerische audience came prepared for any weather eventualities and we managed to perform the full show under the stars and rain drops!
“This performance by Andrea Baker and Hildegard Pohl was musically top notch” - Middle Bayern News
It was a wonderful start to my busy summer and a brilliant new musical collaboration with the amazing pianist Hildegard Pohl.
Next up was my dream project and return to the Edinburgh International Festival, performing woman.life.song by Judith Weir with the Chineke! Orchestra, conducted by Bill Eddins. This was everything I dreamed of and more! It was my first performance with this amazing orchestra and what fun we had. It was an honour to work so closely with the composer Judith Weir as well, it made our new interpretation of this iconic work so much more exciting. Huge thanks goes again to my fantastic costume designer Sara Hill.
★★★★★ “A powerful and poignant performance of an epic song-cycle by Judith Weir” - The Arts Desk
★★★★ “A warm humanity, suffused with humour and wit and generosity. It felt like a real masterpiece.” - The Daily Telegraph
The good news is that, even if you couldn’t be with us on the day, you can still watch the full concert here for free until February 2022, courtesy of AT HOME by Edinburgh International Festival.
Live performances are set to continue into the autumn, beginning in Berlin with FMK productions new opera Der Krönung der Schöpfung in the city’s iconic Wasserspeicher this month! This will be followed by a special Sing Sistah Sing! concert at Glasgow Cathedral Festival in October, and the show’s French debut in November at Theatre Basse Passiere in Normandy.
There will be a return to a new commissioned work with my beloved Nevis Ensemble family with a new song cycle written by Dominique le Gengdre. As always, watch this space for new performance dates in October.
I’m incredibly excited to announce my first work with the BBC World Service which took place this month. I co-presented a BBC Prom featuring cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. It was broadcast from the 11th of September, LISTEN BACK on BBC Sounds here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct2gdj
I am also delighted to reveal I will be performing in my first movie, which is being filmed this month at Sterling Castle! It is produced by the wonderful Scottish queer cabaret collective, Pollyanna. More details will be revealed closer to the premiere in March of 2022, but here’s a sneak peek of my costume and make-up from our recent shoot.
In addition to all this I have also been continuing with my radio and podcasting work, returning to The Big Light with a new appearance on Talk Media on an episode which aired on September 1st. Visit my Radio and Podcast page to listen back, or via the direct link here.
As we slowly emerge from the long COVID nightmare, I am excited by the varied and unusual nature of my upcoming work. If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it is to be prepared for the unexpected. I will continue to update here on my new projects, but you can now also keep up-to-date with me on my new Instagram account for some extra behind-the-scenes exclusives, so please be sure to follow. I look forward to seeing you again at a live performance in the future!