I was excited to be able to sing again with Stevie Wishart as part of Sinfonye in October - as a continuation of the Decca recording project we did in the Summer.  We met in Rome to perform as part of Mass at the Vatican with the Pope - possibly one of the most surreal gigs I've ever done!

After a brief 900 year period of consideration - the Catholic Church decided to make Hildegard a Saint earlier in the year and this was followed, in a dizzying acceleration of events, by her being made a Doctor of the Catholic Church (a top tier, A list Saint!) during the service we were a part of in Rome on 7th October.  She's only the 4th woman and first ever composer to be make a Doctor, of which there are only about 35 all in.

Having sung the music of Hildegard since the age of 14, sometimes in fairly intense blocks, it was a real honour to witness and sing as part of this event. She's certainly been an influence on me as a musician, and is an all round inspirational figure - her music, poetry, visions and artwork are an incredible body of work - whether you interpret them from a religious, philosophical, feminist or purely musical point of view. 

Also, as a non-Catholic, witnessing the scale of the event was quite something.  The Mass was part of a worldwide synod of Bishops - and to my heathen eyes this translated most immediately into the longest procession of ever increasing fancy outfits (most notably headgear) that I'm ever likely to see - I mean this thing went on for hours!!

Also - I should mention the nunnery where we stayed, the Casa Generalizia.  More peaceful and welcoming surroundings would be hard to imagine - particularly in the heart of busy Rome.  The care shown to us by the nuns, particularly Sister Christina was quite a humbling experience and not one eyebrow was raised in relation to my obvious pregnancy and lack of wedding ring situation!

We sang one of Hildegard’s pieces and also original compositions by Stevie Wishart – if you’re not familiar with her music, I would recommend checking it out http://emilylevy.co.uk/releases/hildegard-hildegard-von-bingen-sinfonye-stevie-wishart.  It’s brilliant writing to be able to sing and hear – rehearsing in the grounds of the nunnery as darkness fell and bats swooped over our heads is something I won’t forget in a while.