Laidlaw Live: April Koyejo (soprano) and Ailsa Aitkenhead (piano)

Programme From 12 songs of Emily Dickinson Aaron Copland (1900-1990) • Nature, the gentlest mother • Why do they shut me out of Heaven? • The World Feels Dusty • Heart, we will forget him • Sleep is supposed to be • I felt a funeral in my brain • I've heard an organ talk sometimes • The Chariot From 3 songs of Emily Dickinson Ailsa Aitkenhead • The Moon is Distant from the Sea • A Certain Slant of Light A nun takes the veil (Gerard Manley-Hopkins) Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Night (Louise C. Wallace) Florence Price (1887-1953) Peace on Earth (Errollyn Wallen) Errollyn Wallen (b 1958) Summertime (DuBose Heyward) George Gershwin (1898-1937) British-Nigerian soprano and operamaker, April Koyejo-Audiger is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Royal College of Music. She serves as a Director/Trustee for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Her training includes as a Link Artist (2019–20) and Jette Parker Anniversary Company Artist (21–22) for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; her performances there include Barena in the Olivier Award-winning production of Jenufa, which won her the 2022 Black British Theatre Award for Best Opera Production or Performance. For the Royal Opera, London, she has performed various recitals and the roles of; Lady-in-Waiting (Macbeth), Anna in Daniele Abbado’s production of Nabucco, Parasha (Mavra), as well as Zemfira (Aleko) in the Jette Parker Young Artists Summer Celebration, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano for the Royal Opera House. Other recent projects at ROH include; Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Lost & Found, a collaboration with the Royal Opera and the Belgian chamber orchestra Casco Phil as part of the Europalia Arts Festival; and the evening ‘vigil’ as part of The Walk for the giant puppet Little Amal, highlighting the plight of refugees, and as a soloist at Wilderness Festival. Recently, for the BBC, she was a soloist for the UK premiere of the George Walker Mass at the Barbican with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Recent roles include; The Sandman (Hansel and Gretel) for Opera Holland Park, Pamina (The Magic Flute) for Welsh National Opera, Musetta (La Bohème) and Irene (Tamerlano) for English Touring Opera; and R&Ds for Birmingham Opera Company. Other recent engagements include Les nuits d’ètè (Berlioz) with the Haffner Orchestra conducted by Alex Robinson, and recitals at The Royal Opera House. April’s artistic voice extends beyond being onstage, with notable forays as a Librettist and Opera-maker, crafting compelling works that explore themes ranging from exploring West-African opera to operas for children addressing climate change. Upcoming works include as the librettist/ performer in Yum! produced by Studio M.A.R.S, Austria. Yum! was resident at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg as part of TalentLab 2024 and was nominated for the FEDORA (The European Circle of Philanthropists of Opera and Ballet) Digital Prize 2025. Other works in development include as the librettist for Our eyes looking for god based on the play by TD. Moyo and composed by Renell Shaw, recently resident at the Festival d’Aix and ‘Hyperclassically’ a new classical music festival curated by April which began in the Autumn of 2025. For more information, please visit www.aprilkoyejo.com Ailsa Aitkenhead is a professional pianist, accompanist, and piano teacher. Ailsa graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with distinction, where she studied for a masters in piano accompaniment. She is a staff pianist at the University of St Andrews, and regularly performs across the UK, both as soloist and collaborator. She has worked with organisations including the RSNO, Capella Edina, Opera Caledonia, Fever and US company Mostly Baroque and is a regular performer in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. For more information, please visit www.ailsaaitkenhead.com