Emma Welton joins us as our new Associate Musician for Devon. Emma has spent much of her career performing acoustic and electric violin in newly composed music. In addition to performing in Orchestras, she plays with folk and ceilidh bands, as well as working with experimental composers, running community choirs and teaching the violin and viola. Emma is looking forward to working with the BSO further, having already established a relationship with us through her work with the Exeter Community Family Orchestra and creation of Sound Walks.
Emma also has a keen interest in addressing climate change through her work. She turned to composing 10 years ago to address the impending emergency through the power of music. In light of this she has a sound practice, which involves working mostly outdoors combining deep listening with music-making. She explores the sounds of different habitats — including under water — and explores humankind’s connection to the natural world.
BSO Associate Musician Emma Welton plays with BSO Associate Musician Hugh Nankivell and BSO Young Associate Musician Àánú Sodipe
Emma’s work has a strong sense of place. She has recently composed a song to be sung in the River Exe Estuary. The song is for the benefit of both humanity and the world below the water! She describes herself as listening to the “county’s music as a whole” and believes that “music-making is our birthright”. When Emma isn’t playing music you might find her riding her bike, a lightweight tourer which she adores and rides to as many gigs as she can!
In Somerset, we are delighted to welcome Zoe Palmer as our new Associate Musician for the region. A multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of arts, health and ecology, Zoe was a student of the Royal College of Music and British Academy of Sound Therapy. Her practise developed into a collaboration with sound artist and composer Keir Vine working with voice, percussion, synth and electronics to explore the generative potential of wild landscapes and our relationship with the natural world at this time of great loss and ecological upheaval.
BSO Associate Musician Zoe Palmer with BSO musicians
Zoe was part of a team resident across the Royal London Hospital for 10 years. She describes herself as being “passionate about the transformative power of the arts and about working with music and sound in clinical settings to support the flourishing of the entire ecosystem, patients as well as staff”. This attitude towards the power of music influences her work on our ‘Time Together’ project which works with new parents experiencing low mood and Post Natal Depression. Of this work Zoe says it is “a joy to witness the […] growing in confidence — enabled by their explorations of voice and music”.
For Zoe, what she loves about her practise is “giving access to artistic experiences that allow people to access a wide range of feelings and sharing those meaningful moments together”. She emphasises that this “feels increasingly important and nourishing in these difficult times”.
Zoe is also a natural beekeeper and grew up playing in a steel band in Hackney.
We’re so looking forward to working with Emma and Zoe in Devon and Somerset — watch this space! For details of all BSO Participate work see here
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