Funding Success for ‘Poetry to Song’.
It doesn’t happen very often and it was on our third attempt to secure funding, but . . .
We’re delighted to announce that Poetry to Song has secured major funding to bring a series of free workshops and concerts to West and North Dorset.
Supported by Electricbackroom Studio, Dorset-based composers Sadie Harrison Composer and Marc Yeats will lead this ambitious new initiative, transforming poetry created by local writers into professionally performed and recorded songs.
This investment — from Arts Council England (National Lottery Project Grants), Dorset Council’s Cultures and Community Fund, The Vaughan Williams Foundation and Hinrichsen Foundation — marks a significant commitment to high-quality artistic collaboration in South West rural communities.
Bringing Professional Creative Collaboration to Dorset
Delivered in partnership with Dorchester Arts and Shaftesbury Arts Centre, Poetry to Song will comprise one-day workshops and public concerts in Dorchester and Shaftesbury.
Up to 20 Dorset poets — with no prior musical experience required — will work alongside professional artists to transform specially written poems into new songs. Each workshop will culminate in a free public concert, where participants will hear their work performed alongside newly created song cycles for piano and voice by the lead composers, joined by renowned pianist Tomáš Klement. My song cycle, called Skye Songs (1) for mezzo soprano and piano, is published by Composers Edition. You can view the score here. Sadie’s song cycle called in the rain for bass voice and piano, will be published by YUMP.
From Page to Performance
Drawing on their extensive experience as composers and community workshop leaders, Sadie and Marc will guide participants through imaginative and accessible compositional approaches, including visual and non-notational techniques.
Inspired by the sounds of the South West countryside, David Rogers of Electricbackroom Studio will create evocative soundscapes to stimulate the creative process and provide atmospheric backdrops to the new songs.
Participants will collaborate closely with South West–connected professional singers Jessica Summers and Ed Bersey, shaping their poetry into melodic lines and discovering compelling ways to communicate their ideas through music. The specialist team will support writers throughout the entire creative journey — from first draft to professional performance and recording.
The project also includes engagement with newly commissioned works by the lead composers, demonstrating how music inspired by Marc’s Collected Poems Volume 1 (2024) can generate diverse musical interpretations and open up new ways of listening to and discussing contemporary music.
All participants’ songs will be professionally recorded, with performances documented via Electricbackroom Studio’s YouTube, Bandcamp and SoundCloud platforms — ensuring a lasting creative legacy for Dorset.
A Celebration of South West Creativity
Poetry to Song blends poetry, music and collaborative engagement in a celebration of South West creativity. The project is designed to inspire creative risk-taking, develop new artistic skills and foster meaningful cultural experiences within communities historically underserved by such opportunities.
We look forward to sharing further details in the coming months as this exciting new chapter unfolds.
As ever, I am thankful for the ongoing support I receive from my patrons. It makes a huge difference!
