GLORIA – Dr Susannah Self on Music, Myth and the Sacred Imagination

For the past three years, Dr Susannah Self has been composing sacred music rooted in the Christian tradition, from Sea Requiem to her exquisite new setting of The Stabat Mater and the acclaimed Magnificat. Her latest work, Gloria, represents a deepening and expansion of this journey: a cross-denominational sacred composition that draws upon enduring spiritual archetypes and voices from across cultures and centuries.

Before the performance, Susannah will offer a special talk exploring the inspiration behind Gloria, the creative process that shaped it, and the meeting of spiritual traditions within the work. She will reflect on how sacred texts, symbols, and images from different cultures can speak to one another through music, opening pathways into the archetypal imagination.

Blending the ancient Latin Gloria text with words by John Donne, the Bhagavad Gita, and contemporary spiritual poetry, this remarkable work unfolds as a journey through a shared sacred landscape. It is brought to life through the luminous resonance of voices and strings, and its rich textures evoke the timeless beauty of composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams while inviting listeners into a deeper encounter with the universal themes that unite humanity's spiritual heritage.

Join us for an evening of music, reflection, and inspiration as we explore a modern sacred soundscape where ancient wisdom and contemporary expression meet, and where the voices of different traditions converge in a celebration of the sacred.