Scottish Arts Trust Recital -Anna Pych (Soprano) and Eléna Esposito (Piano)

PROGRAMME

Lili Boulanger – Clairières dans le ciel (1914) – text by Francis Jammes

I. Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie (She had reached the low-lying meadow)
III. Parfois, je suis triste (Sometimes I am sad)
IV. Un poète disait… (A poet said…)
VI. Si tout ceci n’est pas qu’un pauvre rêve (If all this is but a poor dream)
IX. Les lilas qui avaient fleuri (The lilacs which had flowered last year)
XIII. Demain fera un an (It will be a year tomorrow)

Grażyna Bacewicz

Boli mnie głowa (I have a headache) (1955) – text by Grażyna Bacewicz

Nad wodą wielką i czystą (Above the wide, clear water) (1955) – text by Adam Mickiewicz

Dzwon i dzwonki (A bell and little bells) (1955) – text by Adam Mickiewicz

Sroczka (The little magpie) (1956) – folk words

BREAK

Grażyna Bacewicz

Róże (Roses) (1934) – text: Arabic poetry from the 10th century (anon.)

Three Songs to Arabic Words from the 10th Century (1938) - text: anon.

I. Mamidło (Delusion)

II. Inna (Another)

III. Samotność (Loneliness)

Mów do mnie, o miły (Speak to me, beloved) (1936) – text: Rabindranath Tagore

Sally Beamish – Four Songs from Hafez (2007) – text: Hafez (trans. Jila Peacock)

I. Nightingale

II. Peacock

III. Fish

IV. Hoopoe

Andrew Jacob – The Stairway to Existence (2025) – first performance – text: Hafez (trans. Daniel Ladinsky)

BIOGRAPHIES

Anna Pych is a Polish soprano based in Scotland. Recent stage highlights include world premieres of Edward Jessen’s Syllable (Kael) and Plantation A… (A…) at the Grimeborn Opera Festival, Arcola Theatre, and Arnolfini Arts Bristol. In scenes, she explored roles such as the Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Walter (La Wally), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), and Despina (Così fan tutte). Anna recently received 3rd place in the Ramsay Calder Debussy Prize for Voice and the Norma Grieg French Song Prize, performing with duo partner Eléna Esposito. She has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists including Anne Sofie von Otter (Wigmore Hall Masterclass Series), Malcolm Martineau, Susan Bullock, Judith Howarth, and others, and was a 2023 SongEasel Young Artist. Currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under Wilma MacDougall, Anna is supported by the Tillett Trust and Colin Keer Trust, SPK WB Foundation, and the Tameside Polish Community Charity. She holds a First Class Honours degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, where she studied with Sophie Grimmer and Andrew Matthews-Owen and conducted research on empowering women in opera. In addition to performing, Anna is a dedicated educator, actively creating resources to make Polish vocal repertoire more accessible to singers worldwide and promote Polish music.

Eléna Esposito is an Irish pianist currently pursuing a Master of Piano Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studies with Stephen Coombs. She graduated with First-Class Honours in BMus from TU Dublin Conservatoire in 2022. During her postgraduate studies Eléna has performed in the RCS Piano for Dance Festival, and accompanied vocalists at the International Women's Day concert and numerous vocal competitions at RCS. She is a recipient of the Myra Hess Award, funded by Help Musicians.

Throughout her studies, Eléna has participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians including Finghin Collins, Philippe Cassard, Prisca Benoit, John O'Conor, Peter Donohoe, and Katya Apekisheva, among others. In 2022, Eléna was selected for the Wexford Festival Opera’s Factory Programme, where she worked as a répétiteur for Dvořák’s Armida. At TU Dublin she was student répétiteur for the Irish premiere of Jonathan Dove's Mansfield Park. Alongside her performance career, Eléna has worked extensively as an accompanist and music educator, teaching piano and early music, and preparing students for exams and performances.

PREMIERE COMPOSER: Andrew Jacob

Andrew Jacob (b. 2002) is an American composer, arranger, flautist, pianist, and conductor currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. His recent accomplishments include being selected as the 2024-2025 Composer-in-Residence for the RCS Brass Department, participating in the 2025 Engaged Composer Scheme, serving as the Founder and Executive Director of Composer’s United, and receiving the Michael Hennagin Memorial Scholarship in Composition. His pieces have been played all around the world in America, Scotland, Finland, and Malta. His collaboration efforts have also allowed him to write many pieces for various artists, such as Corbin Hall, Andrew McMillan, and Gabriel Mayer. He also has engaged in other musical pursuits, serving as the flautist in the OKC Winds Summer Season, teaching private lessons, and conducting the First Presbyterian Church Choir in Edmond. Andrew is described as someone who “is very approachable and loves working with others” while his music is often described as “a dynamic fusion of emotion and energy, an exhilarating blend of melody and timbre that is both a joy to perform and a thrill to experience.” He earned his Bachelor’s in Music Composition from the University of Oklahoma in May 2024 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Music Composition at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The Stairway of Existence is imagined as both a literal and metaphorical climb toward spiritual awakening. While some may pursue ritualistic traditions, this piece reflects the belief that love is the true essence of humanity. As the text declares: “Love is the soul’s life, Love is simply creation’s greatest joy.” The stairway’s uneven steps are expressed through the rhythms and harmonies, while its destination, an encounter with the Beloved, is not a final cadence, but an opening into boundless resonance.