Rachel Jones' Opera debut Presented by The Roberts Institute of Art

On 21st September, the Roberts Institute of Art (RIA) presented a new performance commission at St James's Church, Piccadilly. Rachel Jones' 'Hey, Maudie' inaugurates RIA's Practising Performance programme, which provides artists with unique opportunities to expand their work through performance.

In developing the work, Rachel Jones invited poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley and composer Joseph Howard to collaborate on her concept for a live, opera-based work. Reflecting a collage of perspectives, the libretto, co-authored by Jones and Adukwei Bulley, takes inspiration from Gwendolyn Brooks' 1953 novel, Maud Martha. ROKSANDA will provide costumes for the performance.

Across four acts, Jones' opera performance followed the character of Maud Martha (sung by soprano Gweneth Ann Rand) as she converses with a choral ensemble that represents her soul.

The structure references the compositional technique of call-and-response, a musical and cultural tradition with West African roots, which became an intrinsic way for Black women to individually and collectively express themselves.