Two Staffordshire singer-songwriters are joining forces with the City of Stoke-on-Trent Symphany Orchestra (CSSO) to give their original music an orchestral makeover.
Julia Mosley and Hannah Sophie will perform alongside a live string quartet at St Giles’ Church in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Saturday, 12 November, as part of a new collaboration called Hive Classics.
The one-night event will see artistic director and principal conductor Joe Hearson creating new arrangements of the performers’ tracks, with Julia and Hannah singing and playing their own music alongside the quartet.
It is the first time the orchestra has worked directly with local singer-songwriters to reinterpret their original material.
Joe said: “Telling stories through music is at the heart of everything the orchestra does – whether that’s through a traditional concert at the King’s Hall or through an educational workshop in a local school – and here we have the chance to work with two artists who are themselves utterly captivating storytellers through their own words and music.
“I’m also particularly excited about the project because it presents a unique opportunity to widen the CSSO’s reach across the local area, taking the emotional power of live, orchestral music to people who may be new to the genre.”
Julia, whose music is characterised by atmospheric songwriting and powerful vocals, described the project as “a magical and special occasion that celebrates the merging of two musical worlds”.
Hannah added: “I think that my style and writing really lends itself to an orchestral sound, and to have the opportunity to perform live with a string quartet really is an absolute dream.”
The event is being produced by PH Production Services, which runs local music programme Honey Box, as part of its work to create opportunities for musicians to develop new projects and collaborate across different genres.
As well as the performance, audiences will be given an insight into how the arrangements came together through a short film and a question-and-answer session with the artists and members of the orchestra.
