Verity Standen

Refrain is a contemporary reflection on conscience and sacrifice in the light of drastic, heart-wrenching conflict and, following the potent context of Richmond Castle, the work will be reconfigured and devised with male singers local to both St. Helens, Merseyside and then Newhaven, East Sussex, both locations with specific significance in the story of conscientious objection in WWI and WWII.

Artist Verity Standen said: “I am thrilled to be working with such a diverse range of voices – men drawn from all walks of life. I try to leave room for the performers to make the music their own within the compositions I’m writing. I expect the piece to sound and feel totally different in each location, as it will be shaped by the local singers, the architecture and history of each site, and each audience who will explore it in a different way. It’s a great challenge to compose music that will resound not only in a Castle Keep but also in a local pub. It’s a daunting task, but I know the power of a room full of voices and I can’t wait to start filling those spaces with sound.”