woman.life.song 2025

In the late 1990’s American star soprano Jessye Norman made a call to the Birmingham Copthorne Hotel. On the other end of the line was British composer Dame Judith Weir. "How would you like to write a solo concert work for me…?"

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And so, with luminary writers Maya Angelou, Clarissa Pinkola Estés and Toni Morrison, woman.life.song was born, premiering at Carnegie Hall New York in 2000. 25 years later and in association with Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation (UK) and Arts Council England, Birmingham Opera Company brought the work home.

Our landmark world premiere production of Judith Weir’s woman.life.song premiered in August 2025. Set in the grand St Martin Church, the Bull Ring, we brought together a 60-strong cast of Brummie actors, singers and dancers, and were joined by star soloists Gweneth Ann Rand and Madison Nonoa. The show was celebrated by composers and audience members alike: 

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“It's the kind of piece that, for practical reasons, comes around once in a blue moon. Therefore it's typically astonishing that Birmingham (specifically Birmingham Opera Company) is about to host six performances over the bank holiday. And typically of BOC, this is a thoroughly imaginative recreation, featuring two soloists (wonderful Gweneth Ann Rand and Madison Nonoa) and a fairly huge chorus”

Judith Weir, composer

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Immersed in the Garden of Youth, director Madeleine Kludje and conductor Alpesh Chauhan OBE told the simple and compelling universal story of life from birth, to youth, to old age, to death.