Crossing Faultlines

Crossing Faultlines by Charlotte Bray for Soprano and Piano, with words by Nicki Jackowska.

Commissioned by Samantha Crawford and Lana Bode, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

First performed on 20 October 2021 at the Oxford Lieder Festival by Samantha Crawford (soprano) and Lana Bode (piano).

Programme Notes

Crossing Faultlines is a song cycle about women’s experiences in the workplace. Having been approached by Samantha and Lana to contribute to this extraordinary project, I began looking for texts to set. Searching tirelessly through volumes of poetry, it became clear that very little has been written about this aspect of women’s lives. My friend, the poet Nicki Jackowska, whose poetry I had previously set in my mezzo-soprano cycle Fire Burning in Snow, generously agreed to write new poems specially for the cycle. The three songs explore themes on mentorship in In the Margins, discrimination in Like A Drum and ambition in And Now Her Song. The cycle fits within the musicians’ programme; dream.risk.sing, telling women’s stories not traditionally told through song.

- Charlotte Bray

Duration: 12 minutes