Description
Born in Hawick, in the beautiful Scottish Borders, Helen enjoyed a rich and diverse musical upbringing, becoming Principal Clarinet of both the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Scotland. Former Head Girl of Hawick High School, Helen gained a place to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester; a Virtuosi Society Bursary enabled additional Clarinet study with Gervase de Peyer in Washington DC. After graduating, she went on to follow an exciting and varied career in and around Manchester, particularly involved in church music, whilst raising a young family. Teaching, performing and directing across a huge spectrum of styles, Helen worked for a number of years as a Director of Worship in Didsbury and has directed the music for live BBC broadcasts, including her own compositions and arrangements, on Radio 4. She has recently conducted and arranged music for BBC Songs of Praise in Edinburgh. Helen is delighted to have returned to her homeland with her husband, organist Simon Leach, and their children, and is loving her new lifestyle in this scenic part of the world, combining instrumental and theory teaching with composition. She has composed music for recent royal milestones, which Simon has played at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
Growing up in the Scottish Borders, with holidays in the midst of the mountains of the Highlands, my childhood was steeped in the beauty of the natural world. Even as I sit at my desk today, my eyes are spotting several bullfinches in the swaying branches of the tree outside my study window, and the contour of the hills beyond the garden frequently draws my gaze. But, concomitant with an enduring sense of wonder at the magnificence of the world around us, comes real concerns about climate change. Our time as family recently living in Hawick and witnessing the dramatic and devastating flooding of the River Teviot, has underlined the urgency of the environmental crisis.
I first drafted some musical thoughts for The Call to Care for Creation in September 2021 as Glasgow prepared to host COP26, but it wasn’t until almost exactly a year later, that I made a decision to revisit the drafted motifs and compose the work in its present form. I was busy creating the score the week that Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and it felt appropriate to dedicate the finished work to the new monarch, King Charles III, himself one of the world’s most dedicated ambassadors for the environment.
The opening fanfare passage seeks to portray the majesty and grandeur of creation, whilst insistently giving a message to call for responsible stewardship of the planet. A whirling flute section, redolent of the purity of running water, ushers in an expansive molto cantabile passage, built on the opening fanfare motif: dignified, evocative and full of longing. The Call to Care for Creation closes triumphantly and energetically, with a strong sense of purpose and renewed vision.
