Sasha Johnson Manning (born 1963) is an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

specialising in vocal pieces. She graduated in voice and

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

from the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in 1985. She has worked as a full-time soprano and composer ever since. Her singing career includes the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

s ''

The Daily Service ''The Daily Service'' is a short Christian service broadcast every weekday morning between 09:45 and 10:00 on BBC Radio 4's long wave and DAB frequencies. It was also broadcast on Radio 4's FM frequencies until 13 September 1991. In 1926, Briti ...

'' and extensive

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

work throughout the country. She has performed across Europe and in Israel and the USA. She has worked with the Deller Consort, The Academy of St. Martin-in-the fields, the Britten Singers, Musical Offering and Partita. As a composer Sasha specialises in writing for voices and held the position of composer-in-residence of the

Saint Louis Chamber Chorus The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is a large chamber choir, numbering 45 – 50 mixed voices, that presents seasons of six programs performed in St. Louis, Missouri, in venues of historic and/or architectural note. It generally performs without ins ...

of Missouri for eight years, culminating in a "Requiem for St. Louis." Sasha has composed for Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Lynne Dawson, Claron McFadden and the London Baroque.She now also sings in Saint Mary's Parish Church in Bowdon. In 2007 she composed the music for a major new piece, ''The Manchester Carols'', a festive suite of new carols with words by soon-to-be

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...

Carol Ann Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. She was the first ...

. The world premiere of ''The Manchester Carols'' took place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on 14 December 2007. The Manchester Carols were published by Faber Music in 2009. Since 2006, when her 'Composer Residency' with the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus ended, she has continued to earn commissions from several ensembles in St. Louis, including St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Ladue, Third Baptist Church (St. Louis), Grand Center; the Music Department of

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. Several of her more recent works for the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus have been included on recordings on the

Regent Records (UK) Regent Records is a United Kingdom choral music and organ record label and production company based in Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population ...

, and her anthem "Out of the Deep" has been published by E. C. Schirmer, Inc.

References

External links

The Manchester Carols
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Sasha Johnson British women composers Living people 1963 births English sopranos Place of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 20th-century English composers 20th-century English singers 20th-century English women singers 20th-century British women composers 21st-century English composers 21st-century English singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century British women composers