Spring 2022 Update!
It has been a while since I last updated you all on upcoming performances and news, but with spring comes new beginnings and fortunately that is true for me as an artist as well.
I began 2022 with the sad news that my planned return to the opera stage as Ortrud in Lohengrin for Theater Chemnitz would have to be cancelled due to the dreaded Covid! While this was not totally unexpected it was still a blow, I found myself thinking “Will this nightmare ever end?”. Fortunately, my next projects are going ahead!
First up is OMOS - a moving image project that pays homage to Scotland’s untold Black history, and celebrates Black and Black LGBTQ excellence and performance. The piece was shot at Sterling Castle and Puck’s Glen outside of Dunoon. The opening weekend and its adjacent workshops were held from 24-26th March at the Burgh Hall in Dunoon. I ran two open workshops, A Gospel Music Workshop and Our History in Words and Music.
The exhibit runs until the 24th of April and will be followed by an opening in Edinburgh at the Royal Scottish Academy on the 3rd of September and run until the 2nd of October. This is a project I am particularly honoured to participate in, it is my first foray into film outside of opera and to be joined by such esteemed Black artists is pure joy. Please visit https://pollyanna.org.uk/OMOS for more information.
Next up is Babylon, a massive operatic work by the German composer Jörg Widmann, I perform the role of Euphrat. Babylon opens the International May Festival at the State Theater of Hessen with performances until mid-July 2022.
On the concert front, I am excited to announce my Wigmore Hall debut this spring on May 5th as part of an event celebrating the work of composer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson. We first met on the Chineke! Orchestra project at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2021. The Chineke! Orchestra commissioned her to write the opening piece on the programme Blush! I am so excited to share the stage with her again in London. More information here.
As always, I continue my work on radio appearing regularly on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show and returning to the The Big Light for guest appearances on the weekly podcast Talk Media. The show has gone to a subscription model, so please find us wherever you get your podcasts!
This year will continue to throw up surprises and new opportunities for performance and creativity - as always “Watch this space!” for continued updates and news on new projects and collaborations. After such a long dark two years the future looks bright and creative. I look forward to seeing you at a future concert or workshop!
-Andrea.
#JoinTheCelebration #SingSistahSing!