I first came across the composer Russell Hepplewhite in 2013 when English Touring Opera performed his opera Laika the Spacedog at the Science Museum in London [see my review]. Described as an opera in one act for young audiences, I was impressed by the way the piece mixed contemporary music, lively sing-along pieces which had been learned beforehand by the young attendees and science Q&As which chimed in with the National Curriculum. Oh, and a theremin which was played at various times by all members of the cast! The opera went on to win European awards, and Hepplewhite followed it up with Shackleton’s Cat [see my review] , Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with no Feathers [see my review] and Silver Electra [see my review] all for English Touring Opera’s family performances, and The Price [see my review] and Ever Young for W11 Children’s Opera. Most recently his opera for adults, The Crash was commissioned by Oldenburg State Theatre in Germany.
But Hepplewhite doesn’t just write opera, and on Wednesday 24 June 2026, Whitehall Choir, conductor Joanna Tomlinson with Ian Tindale, piano, will give the first complete performance of Hepplewhite’s Living Voices at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge.
Living Voices is a collection of ten choral pieces with piano setting ten contemporary poems on inspiring subjects. Hepplewhite invited ten outstanding British poets to create poetic responses to our world today – Mona Arshi; Pam Ayres; Fiona Benson; Joseph Coelho; Wendy Cope; Jamila Gavin; Roger McGough; Andrew Motion; Alice Oswald; Michael Rosen.
The resulting pieces are diverse reflections cover birth and death, youth and age, sickness and health, and landscape and memory.
Whitehall Choir gave the premiere performance of Russell Hepplewhite’s setting of Alice Oswald’s poem Riddle last year. They were then asked if they would like to record the full 10 pieces in the Living Voices project. Following Wednesday’s performance, Whitehall Choir will be recording the work in collaboration with the First Hand Records.
On Wednesday, the evening will also feature a further world premiere: two newly composed songs by Russell Hepplewhite based on poems by the UK Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. These will be performed by baritone Marcus Farnsworth and pianist Ian Tindale.
Full details from the Whitehall Choir’s website.
