University of York Music Press

House composer Sadie Harrison has just completed a new work for the Isbourne Trio: Alison Lambert (clarinet), Hannah Davey (voice) and Pippa Harrison (piano).

Alison writes: 'From our very inception as Isbourne Trio, an integral part of our mission has been to expand and diversify the repertoire for Soprano Voice, Clarinet and Piano. We premièred the stunning ‘Music When Soft Voices Die’ by emerging composer Imi Oldham as part of our ‘She-Notes‘ project and unearthed an additional five fantastic pieces by female composers that have been rarely heard in public, let alone recorded.

We are now delighted to announce that Sadie Harrison, one of our featured ‘She-Notes’ composers has just completed another brand new work for us!‘Aviary‘ (May 2025) is her second composition for our combination. The first being the intricate ‘Nani Ka Itou‘ which we recorded back in April 2024. Sadie says of her new piece:

‘Aviary is a collection of eight brief movements, five of which set texts from Cornish, Welsh, English and Scottish poems about larks, doves, thrushes, jackdaws and choughs. Whilst An Awhesyth quotes a beautiful 19th century setting in its entirety, the other movements take just a few words of the texts interweaving them with patterns of notes which repeat with small variations, akin to the birdsongs they recall. The remaining three sections, entitled Flight, are interludes which fly us from one part of the country to another, with the voice imitating avian songs, tweets and trills. The piece was written especially for the Isbourne Trio as thanks for their support of my work and is dedicated to them’

We will be working in-person with Sadie in the Autumn to interpret and explore ‘Aviary ‘, strengthening composer-performer relations and adding a substantial new work to the collection.’

The Isbourne Trio will be performing Nani Ka Itou? on 9 October 2025 at Syde Manor, Cheltenham.