Preach Sister, Preach showcases works by Evan Williams, Katherine Bodor and Evan Mack, brought to life by soprano Katherine Jolly.

Collaborating with pianist Emily Yap Chua, Jolly evokes the passion and curiosity of Emily Dickinson’s poetry in Evan Williams’s 'Emily’s House', a collection of ten poems. A keen observer, Dickinson used images from nature, religion, and science to probe universal themes: the wonders of the natural world, the identity of the self, death and immortality, and love.

Katherine Bodor’s 'Absent an Adjustment' sees Jolly's vocals float above and around the strings, as well as engaging in a dissonant duet with the clarinet, heightening the intense spirit of the piece.

Evan Mack's 'Preach Sister, Preach', which was inspired by the energy of the first women’s march, is a song cycle which explores and celebrates the voices of ten powerful women such as Lucille Ball, Mae West, Simone de Beauvoir, Tina Fey, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Over the course of these 25 tracks (41 min), Jolly gets to flex her vocals across a wide range of styles. If operatic performances are not your thing, then there's little here to make you change your stance, but for those that enjoy modern classical compositions, there is plenty to discover here.

7

Darren Rea