Music, poetry and ideas to excite and inspire! This month’s event focuses on female voices.

 

When confronted with the statistic that less than 3 per cent of the artists in New Yorks MMA were female, Gloria Steinem said: “The very definition of art has been biased in that ‘art’ was what men did in a European tradition and ‘crafts’ were what women and natives did.”

 

Have things changed? How hard is it for women and women artists to make their voices heard. Do women artists - do women – have something different to say from men.

 

Hosted by author, playwright, poet and songwriter John Farndon, This free-wheeling event, will feature  live streams from the Octagon poets in Strasbourg and Margo Perin in California and many varied and talented individuals including:

 

 

Zoe Wren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe Wren is wonderfully talented young singersongwriter with a gorgeous voice, recently awarded a bursary from the PRS Foundation. Her last single Nothing to See played on BBC Radio 2 and she has been on all three Folkstock compilations with great reviews in Sunday Times Culture Magazine. She’s just completed her music degree at Cambridge University, and is now pursuing her music career full time, supporting stars like Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker.

Her next single release, She’s a Highwayman, is coming out on Folkstock Records on 17th November ahead of her second EP in spring 2018, recorded by award winning producer Lauren Deakin Davies. 

 

http://www.zoewren.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leesa Gazi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writer and actor Leesa Gazi is co-founder of theatre and arts company, Komola Collective and a tireless and inspirational campaigner for justice for the women of Bangladesh. Her current project is a remarkable and moving film based on interviews with the Birangona, or ‘brave women’ – up to 400,000 women systematically raped in Bangladesh’s war of independence and then ostracized. Anong many previous projects are an award-winning play about the Birangona for Komola Collective, script-writer and performer of Six Seasons and Tahmima Anam's A Golden Age at the Southbank Centre (also serialized for Bangladesh TV), and Bonbibi: Lady of the Forest. She worked as the cultural coordinator and as a voice artist for Akram Khan's Desh and as a script interpreter Globe to Globe Festival at the Globe Theatre on The Tempest.

 

http://www.komola.co.uk/leesa

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Lola Perrin

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Lola Perrin is an internationally renowned composer for piano for jazz and minimalist music and composer in residence at Markson Pianos. She has performed at major venues aroundt he world,  and collaborates with writers, scientists, composers and artists such as Hanif Kureishi and Adam Maloof. Two major current works – Climate Keys and Significantus – focus on raising awareness of the dangers of climate change 

http://www.lolaperrin.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim Lowings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by the folk tradition, Kim Lowings combines traditional songs with her own beautiful songs with a contemporary twist. She has been one of the brightest young stars of the contemporary British folk scene for several years. But her latest album ‘Wild and Wicked Youth’ with her band Kim Lowings and the Greenwood has moved her into another league, receving glowing reviews and their recent tour was a huge success. “A cracking album, great songs and terrific arrangements, punchy and authentic.” Mike Harding. “Beautifully arranged, an absolute delight” Fatea. 

 

https://www.kimlowings.com/music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Swing

 

Award-winning singer Emmie Ward and fiddle virtuoso Frank Biddulph  combine with author Beatrice Parvin  to bring excerpts from the  folk opera Captain Swing about the trials of a young countrygirl in times of rural hardship and rebellion 200  years ago – but with great relevance today.

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Elena Riu

Venezuelan-born pianist Elena Riu is both a highly acclaimed pianist and a champion of the environment through the group TreeSisters,a grassroots network of women planting over a million trees a year in the tropics. Born and bred in El Sistema, Elena’s infectious enthusiasm for "boundary- jumping" (Time Out), and for bringing new music to a wider audience has brought her accolades all over the world. A leading exponent of the Hispano-American, her CD of Sonatas by Soler was released to great acclaim by the Spanish label Ensayo. She is a regular visitor to the Festival Latinoamericano. Elena has commissioned, edited, published, performed and recorded over 40 new works giving countless world premieres including Sir John Tavener’s “Ypakoe”, written especially for her. Elena’s efforts on behalf of new music and as a keen educationalist led to the publication by Boosey & Hawkes of Salsa Nueva in 2006 - now on its second run and in 2009 Elena Riu’s R’n’B Collection and Out of the Blues CD. "My disc of 2000 is without hesitation Elena Riu’s extraordinary CD of 20th century piano music" (Gramophone) Elena has toured extensively and has performed in all major concert halls in the UK and abroad. An eclectic artist, Elena has pioneered collaborative work. She was the brain behind the sell-out multicultural Spanish Plus Series at the SBC and re-launched their Childrens and Families series. Her most recent collaboration: The Adventures of Tom Thumb was awarded a coveted Fringe First Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

 

 

Stephanie Silver
 Actor, writer and nurse Stephanie Silver loves words in any shape or form. Currently she is producing her next play ‘Our Big Love Story’ and working for campaign Actor Awareness, a company looking to create opportunity for working class actors.

 

Margo Perin

Celebrated California poet Margo Perin is a nominee for the Pushcart Prize, she has been featured in national and international media, including Heyday/PEN’s Fightin’ Words, The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Mexico’s El Petit Journal, Holland’s Psycologie, and on TV and radio. The co-founder of Whoa Nelly Press (www.whoanellypress.com) whose mission is to publish unheard, marginalized voices, Margo is also an editor and writing coach in California and Mexico

www.margoperin.com

 

Martin Daws

Martin Daws is a celebrated spoken word poet, writer and creative educator, born and brought up in London but now living in North Wales. The Welsh Arts Council describes Martin Daws as “An outstanding performance poet whose live performances combine free musicality and innovative lyricism in a unique improvised theatre, [whose] work explores life, environment, culture and who the hell we think he thinks he is anyway!” He was Wales’s Young Poet Laureate from 2013-2016, the coach for the Welsh Youth Slam Team, and developed a host of national and international poetry projects and events as a keen advocate of the importance of young people's voices being heard.  His own recent poetry includes the collection Geiriau Gogs, a loving exploration of North Wales' landscape, culture and identity.

http://martindaws.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vimala Rowe 

Winner of the Indy Music award for Best Soul, Jazz, Funk act, 2008, Vimala Rowe is one of the most remarkable vocalists on the London Jazz scene and regularly performs with greats like John Etheridge, Bobby Wellins, Jonathan Gee and others. But her wide range of influences extends well beyond jazz and soul to include Hindu classical style, Arabic music and rap. 'There is no question that Rowe is one of the most distinctive singers to come along in some time' (Clive Davis, The Sunday Times) 'Vimala Rowe is Sensational' (The Arts Desk)

http://www.vimala.tv/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L'Octogone des Poetes

Recently established in Strasbourg, France, L’Octogone des Poètes holds weekly get-togethers to share music, poetry, ideas and encouragements – to experiment with different ways of presenting texts, individually and as a group, and of combining musical interpretation with the spoken word.  In the Summer, we meet in the beautiful old bandstand in the Parc des Contades, and in Winter months, we transfer to the cosy Divanoo café. Experienced performers share the microphone with those reading their text for the first time. Curious passers-by call in to listen… and then come back…New passions for writing and music are kindled alongside enduring passions which burn bright, fueled by exchange, companionship, shared experience and shared discoveries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Igor Outkine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russian accordionist and singer Igor Outkine toured with top folk groups in Russia before joining in London with violinist Sarah Harrison to perform gypsy and Russian songs as Mazaika. Igor sings ‘Dark Eyes’ in the film ‘Eastern Promises’ and appeared with Marc Almond (Shepherd’s Bush Empire) and Antonio Forcione (Edinburgh festival).

http://www.mazaika-music.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Cable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Singer Anthony Cable has performed both in major opera houses in France with Montserrat Caballe, Jose Carreras and others, and in the West End in everything from ‘Phantom’ to ‘The Sound of Music‘. His one man show about Jacques Brel received great acclaim. He is a prize winning story writer and poet.

 

 

 

Doors 6 pm. Tickets £5
email: info@mapmusic.net
Or call for tickets– 0207 916 0545