The Dionysus Ensemble was awarded National Lottery funding to commission female Scottish composer Seonaid Aitken to write a new suite for the Platinum Jubilee for string quartet, clarinet and harp.
The work is all about female empowerment, celebrating strong women who broke (or are breaking) glass ceilings. In addition to celebrating Her Majesty The Queen, other movements of the suite are about Caroline Herschel who lived in Slough & was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist. She was also the first woman in England to hold a government position. Also celebrated are the ethnically diverse women of Slough which incorporates Indian, Punjabi & Polish traditional music ideas.
The piece was recorded I advance of the premiere performance which took place at St Mary’s in Slough during the Jubilee weekend as part of the Jubilee Big Lunch.
The music is available to hear online at li.sten.to/c9ugcd98