Emma Morwood (Soprano)
Interview with Emma Morwood (Soprano)
Our editor, Hugh Kerr, has been raving for some time about the Northern Irish soprano, Emma Morwood, who is now resident in Edinburgh. I’ve heard her on a few occasions too, and have been impressed, but it was her appearance at ludicrously short notice to sing the Italian Singer in Richard Strauss’s opera ‘Capriccio’ in the Closing Concert of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, that really brought home to me how good she is. A few days later, I heard her singing Dido in Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ in Pitlochry in the Scots Opera Project production in collaboration with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and was taken both with her creamy tone and her regal presence on stage. It seemed appropriate that we asked her to do an interview with me for the Edinburgh Music Review, and here it is!
BBS: Emma, first of all, thanks for agreeing to have a chat with me. So far, I have interviewed Beth Taylor, Freddie De Tommaso, Sir Donald Runnicles and Marjorie Stevenson for the EMR, and we are delighted to be able to find out a bit more about yourself now.
We know that you were born in Belfast and attended Edinburgh University and the Royal Northern College of Music, where you won many prizes. In addition, we know that you now live in Edinburgh, and after a small hiatus to have children, you are now re-emerging into the world of concerts and opera and beginning to make a name for yourself as a very fine soprano.
Can you fill us in on the missing details, like who your singing teachers were and are, and how you ended up in Edinburgh?
EM: What esteemed company - thanks for having me. As you mentioned, I came to Scotland to study music at the University of Edinburgh and it immediately felt like home. I loved my time at University here and I sang in some great choirs - the University Chamber Choir, the church choir of St Michael and All Saints’ Church (where I properly learned to sight-read) and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, for whom I am now the vocal coach. After University I wasn’t quite sure what direction I was going to go - I’d sung in choirs and done some roles in opera, but I didn’t get into music college on my first try, so didn’t really set my hopes on it. I worked part time in finance for a couple of years while also singing at weddings and doing some singing teaching. I remember a conversation I had with my dad about it all when I just wasn’t sure what I was doing with my life. My dad was a really good singer - he’d come second in an international singing competition at Covent Garden and had sung with Pavarotti at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, when Pavarotti had his UK debut in 1964 in 'Madam Butterfly'. Dad asked me if I could live without singing and I said no. He then said ‘Well, you have to give it a go then.’ Which is what I did. I had been having private lessons with Peter Alexander Wilson and I got a scholarship to study with him at the Royal Northern College of Music, where the possibility presented itself to me that I could do this for a living. I loved it at the RNCM - made the best friends and had loads of performance opportunities - nearly every weekend was taken up with an oratorio with local choral societies, and I performed 3 roles in my two years there.
After RNCM I returned to Edinburgh and was touring with different companies - I was often away for months at a time. In my first two years after graduation I did a 50+ performance tour of Gilbert and Sullivan’s 'The Sorcerer' with Opera Della Luna, and I had three contracts with what was to become Irish National Opera. One notable concert experience shortly after I graduated, was when I received a call from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra one Monday morning. I had worked with the RLPO on a number of occasions - often doing contemporary pieces with the Ensemble 10:10, and I think they knew that I was unflappable. So they asked if I was available that week, to which I replied yes. Then they said it was for Beethoven 9 - you have done that before? So of course, I lied and said yes. I had to go to Rae Macintosh music shop to buy a score in order to learn the music on the train. Then I had another call to say that the engaged soloist, Joan Rodgers CBE, was due to sing arias from Beethoven’s incidental music to 'Egmont'. Would I be willing to look at those on the train? So, in for a penny in for a pound, I said yes. When I arrived I was introduced to the conductor - Vladimir Ashkenazy. I was absolutely blown away that this musical Titan (whose CDs I had on my rack) was going to be conducting me. He was so lovely and made me feel very welcome - he told me a dreadful joke about Beethoven and I had breakfast with him every morning!
Since then, as you say, I’ve had my two children - Lucas who is 12 and Orla, nearly 10. I’ve been juggling parenting (with my ever-patient piano teaching husband, Robin Hutt) alongside a busy performing and teaching career. I regularly sing in oratorio, opera and recitals, and I write and deliver education projects for Edinburgh International Festival. I also teach all of the choral scholars at Heriot Watt University and all of the members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus.
After music college, I studied privately with the wonderful Pat McMahon for a number of years. When lockdown came, I had some exciting work lined up, which was all cancelled, obviously. I started a business making face coverings (A Singer's Sewing Machine) and sold them online. They were quite funky bright patterns, so they did well. The best thing to come from my lockdown experience was my relationship with Karen Cargill. I started having online sessions with her, and when we finally met in person, it was a rather emotional moment! Since then, we have become good friends – we laugh a lot, and her support and friendship are invaluable to me.
I don’t have an agent and so do a lot of the donkey work myself, but I do love the varied nature of my career and I still love singing. So I suppose the hope is to continue having more of the same.
BBS: How would you describe your voice nowadays, and what roles suit you? Has that repertoire changed over the last few years? As all singers mature, both vocally and physically, we find some roles become less enjoyable, and conversely, that some become more available to us. How would you say your voice has developed over the years, and are you excited by some new possibilities? Listening to you in ‘Capriccio’, I was certain that I could hear more Strauss roles coming into your orbit, like the Marschallin, the Capriccio Countess, Arabella perhaps. I see you have sung his Last Four Songs, and I can imagine you singing them well. One of my early mentors, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, was a wonderful Strauss singer, and I myself sang in ‘Capriccio’ in Canada with the lovely Erin Wall, who recorded the songs with Sir Andrew Davis. Is this a direction you envisage?
EM: I would say I am a full lyric soprano. My voice has got higher since having my children, and richer or rounder too, I think. Part of the problem with my voice is that I’ve sometimes found it hard to narrow down my repertoire choices - I’m as comfy singing coloratura, or early music as I am singing full lyric repertoire or contemporary music. Having said that, in the past I sang roles like Susanna ('Le Nozze di Figaro') and Morgana ('Alcina') but I would now definitely be more of a Countess or Alcina. Other dream roles include Anne Trulove in Stravinsky’s 'The Rake’s Progress', or Cleopatra in Handel’s 'Giulio Cesare'. I’d love to give Marschallin a try - maybe even Lucia di Lammermoor, which I’m playing around with at the moment. I have sung the Strauss Four Last Songs and they have been among my most enjoyable performances - I performed them most recently with Jim Lowe and the West of Scotland Schools Symphony Orchestra, which was an incredible experience. Being on stage with 95 young people all playing their instruments to such a high standard was absolutely incredible. I’d love to record the Strauss, or Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder. I also love to sing recital repertoire and I work regularly with my best pal and pianist, Jonathan Fisher. We attended Malcolm Martineau’s Crear course together in 2013 and are planning a recital tour entitled 'The sea and the sky.'
BBS: Your CV is awash with new music, and it’s very clear that you have dedicated a lot of your career to contemporary music. Is this a conscious decision, or have things just turned out this way? I remember a conversation with my agent about 15 years ago, when he said: “Brian, you’ve got quite a reputation for modern music!” I was utterly taken aback, as I didn’t think that at all, but, on reflection, I had, I suppose, sung some newish stuff, although usually tonal music. You, however, seem to have sung all sorts of quite avant-garde music. When you told me you had learned the Capriccio in two days from scratch, it occurred to me that if you were used to learning new music, Strauss would be, relatively, a dawdle! What is the attraction of contemporary music for you? Do you think it is becoming more approachable for audiences?
EM: While at the RNCM, I gained a reputation as a singer who could read music quickly. I worked with some composers and the conductor Clark Rundell used me a lot in his collaborations with the Liverpool Philharmonic Ensemble 10:10. I suppose it wasn’t a conscious decision - it was more that people were asking me to do it and I could, so I did. I have worked with some incredible musicians and composers and I love the creative process. Being present in the room while something is being created is a true privilege - particularly if it is beautiful music. One name that springs to mind is composer Conor Mitchell - I’ve been fortunate to work with him a couple of times and he truly understands how to write for voices and instruments alike. I think we need to try to make all music more approachable for audiences. People need to feel welcomed into the concert halls and theatres - newcomers can be put off by the attitudes of regulars and discussions of what they should wear, or when they should clap. They should wear what they want and clap when they feel like it is due. We need to normalise going to classical music concerts. In the Republic of Ireland, it seems that going to classical concerts and operas is quite a cool thing to do - the average age of audience members is much younger than here and the attitude is generally more relaxed. There is also becoming a trend for much more diversity in programming - old favourites are now often played alongside new pieces and I think this is great for audiences and musicians alike. We need to show people what we do so that they can make an informed decision
BBS: Can you tell us a bit about how you manage the dual responsibility of being a mother and having a solo career? I often feel that these sorts of interviews are all about the career and roles etc, but have the feeling that our readers are also interested in how a young singer can cope with the demands of a family and a career. I relied heavily on my wife to cope with the children while I sang all over the world, even while she had an important job as an accountant in a bank. A singer’s career is very demanding on time and travel. Since Scottish Opera, and indeed all the British companies, are pared to the bone, the option of living and singing in the same city is hardly available to us. How do you cope?
EM: The juggle is real for any parent or carer working full time. There is a lot of pressure and if you don’t have family nearby (we don’t) it can be very tricky. My husband works here in Edinburgh – his job can be a little bit flexible to enable him to be the main parent when I’m away. I have some female friends who have very important jobs (in conservation and renewables) who have to travel as much, if not more, than I do. The main problem is the unpredictability of my work. If it is a planned concert or contract, we’ll have childcare in place with my husband and very occasionally his mum. If it is a last minute jump-in (as I seem to have made a reputation for), we have to improvise and scrabble around. We live in a village and have some wonderful friends who are always willing to help.
BBS: Final question. In this era of feeble support from government towards the Arts, and classical music in particular, how do you see the future for opera and concerts in Scotland? Are there grounds for optimism? I am hugely impressed with the new singers coming through the system, but worry for their future. How can things improve?
EM: Ah. Yes. This is a tricky one. While I’d love to say ‘fund the arts more’ there simply doesn’t seem to be the money. The only way we can keep our industry buoyant is to make sure we always have an audience. I am very lucky to work in the Discovery and Participation department of Edinburgh International Festival. We deliver classical music projects to around 4000 young people each year, introducing them to classical music, the voice, the piano and opera as a genre. Now, more than ever, there is emphasis placed on mental health issues and it is proven that singing in a choir, playing in an orchestra or even watching a concert can be beneficial to our mental health. This needs to be flagged up more, so that we get more people involved. I see a very bright future for music in Scotland. I look at the work that the Benedetti Foundation achieves, not to mention the countless singing and dancing groups, and I am encouraged by it all. I volunteered on the Benedetti Foundation (my daughter is a keen cellist) and I was blown away by how much fun they have with their music making. Likewise my son is in a brass band (Penicuik Silver Band) and they have such a good time. Make sure music making is enjoyable for the kids and they will keep doing it. The kids attending these groups could well be the ones holding the purse strings in a few years, so really they are future proofing the whole industry.
BBS: Many thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at the EMR. We shall watch your career with great interest and wish you well. As my character La Roche sings in 'Capriccio', in his panegyric to the Theatre – 'Sic itur ad Astra' (thus one journeys to the stars) – we hope you journey into the stratosphere of the singing world!
