Isabelle Haile to Headline World Premiere of Hughes & Johns’ ‘Metropolis’
By David SalazarBernard Hughes and Chinwe D John’s “Metropolis” will get its world premiere on June 24, 2025 at St. Bride’s Church on Fleet Street in London.
The showcase will feature soprano Isabelle Haile and pianist Asako Haile as they explore songs about urban life, romantic love, and resilience.
When describing the conception of this song cycle, Hughes, who is a notable British choral music composer, noted that he hadn’t written any solo songs prior to this opportunity.
“It was really interesting to work with lyrics by someone from such a different background to me,” he noticed in reference to lyricist John, per an official press release. “She pointed me towards some music styles I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered, and these formed the inspiration for the piano parts of several of the songs. It was a very collaborative process… I liked working on the songs as a cycle: there is a definite thread running through them.”
The work has already been recorded on the album “Songs of Our Times,” which was released in 2023 by Divin Art. Reflecting on the recording, Hughes noted that “it was a delight working with Isabelle Haile on the recording. She is an exceptional talent and I’m so pleased she is giving the live UK premiere of Metropolis.”
Hughes has composed works for the BBC Singers and has won the William Mathias Prize, the Polyphonos International Prize, and the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers Composition Prize. John is a Nigerian-American poet/lyricist.
Haile is an Ethiopian-Romanian soprano who has performed with such organizations as Sarum Consort, Eboracum Baroque, and London Voices. She also recently debuted at the Zurich Opera.
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