Creating the chamber opera Voicing Emily: Successful Collaborations in Music Theatre | Jane Hammond and Helen Noonan

Summary: Collaborations: creative partnerships in music | Jane Hammond and Helen Noonan Voicing Emily: The Life and Art of Emily Dickinson is a new Australian music theatre work unfolding the life and art of Emily Dickinson. It is scored for three sopranos, guitar, cello and piano, with text drawn from poems and letters by the American poet and mystic. Voicing Emily was premiered at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre in November 2007. John Slavin, opera critic for Melbourne’s newspaper, The Age, described Voicing Emily as “a work of ravishing beauty and rare artistic distinction.” After attending a performance, Dickinson scholar Dr Joan Kirkby wrote her appreciation: “I can't say enough wonderful things about Voicing Emily”. Dr. Kirkby includes detailed reference to the production in the forthcoming book The International Reception of Emily Dickinson. Voicing Emily was devised by performer and producer Helen Noonan (co-creator of the seminal Australian music theatre work Recital) and was brought into existence in collaboration with composer Jane Hammond, who was also the musical director for the project. Other composer/collaborators were involved in the musical setting of several individual poems (Greg Mason and Eddie Perfect) with Jane Hammond the musical overseer. The collaborative creative process for this work was multi-layered and not restricted to music and words – the video artist/set designer James Verdon, and director David Myles had crucial creative input as the project progressed. Throughout the process communication was amicable, business-like, respectful, warm and clear. Using examples from Voicing Emily, Helen Noonan and Jane Hammond examine aspects of an artistically successful collaboration. Helen Noonan is a performing artist whose career in opera and music theatre features self-devised and collaboratively devised new works such as “Recital”, co-written with Douglas Horton for ChamberMade Opera; and “Voicing Emily” - poetry and letters of Emily Dickinson, set to music by Jane Hammond, Greg Mason and Eddie Perfect. Helen was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2003 to allow for research and collaboration in UK, US and Italy on three music theatre projects. She is currently enrolled in PhD studies at the Conservatorium of Music in Hobart examining the development of the libretto in 20th century monodrama and chamber opera. Jane Hammond maintains an active career as a conductor, pianist and composer. Jane has composed original music for mainstream and community theatre, film, and the concert stage for many ensembles and companies including the Victoria State Opera, Opera Australia, and the Melbourne International Festival. Her works have been performed throughout Australia and internationally. She holds a Master of Arts (Research) in Music Composition from Monash University and is now undertaking PhD studies with a focus on contemporary opera and experimental music theatre.