Music / contemporary classical
It follows my journey
The Bandcamp release of Sophie Stockham’s Nova on July 3 will mark an important milestone in her life and musical career. The four track EP is the third and final element of a trilogy that began in 2022 with Ria, followed by 2023’s Selene’s Awakning. All three combine jazz saxophone – Sophie’s main instrumental background – with string and orchestral arrangements in a distinctive fusion of chamber jazz and contemporary classical music. The results have been acclaimed: commissioned by the Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra, their premiere performance of Selene’s Awakening at St George’s was Bristol 24/7’s Best of Bristol Culture choice for 2023.
Nova’s music combines richly atmospheric string textures with resonant basslines and Sophie’s expressive saxophone. As with her previous work, there are finely crafted melodies at the heart of it all. After the powerful orchestral impact of Selene’s Awakening the EP is a contrastingly calm and reflective suite, albeit with the compelling rhythmic undertow that distinguishes all of her compositions. “I had a clear idea that I wanted to create something more still and simple.” Sophie admits.
Sophie Stockham playing Selene Awakes with Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra (pic: Tony Benjamin)
What is remarkable about the trilogy is that Bristol-born Sophie has never had formal musical teaching, developing her skills through years of playing on the Bristol jazz scene and beyond in bands including Sefrial, Orfic, 6161, and Starlings. She was a key player and composer in the highly successful Dakhla Brass, picked by Jamie Cullum for his 2016 Albert Hall Prom concert and a BBC Introducing showcase at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
The band were also approached by the classical world, as Sophie recalls: “In 2019 I arranged music from my band Dakhla Brass for the Bristol Symphony Orchestra with the brilliant Bristol composer Will Goodchild. I loved the experience so much that, when lockdown came I decided to study string writing/arranging with a friend of mine, composer/arranger and musician, Drew Morgan. This led to my first EP ‘Ria” for sax and strings, followed by my orchestral suite ‘ Selene’s awakening’.” Performing these pieces also brought her together with classical musicians for the first time, an impressive experience: “ I’m always in awe of them! Their ability to read and interpret music so quickly always amazes me.”
For an untrained musician to embark on classical composition and arrangements was courageous enough but at the same Sophie was also confronting a major medical issue in her life. She suffers from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a severe cyclical condition that affects around one in twenty people who menstruate yet is hardly ever talked about. Recognising the impact PMDD was having on her own mental health Sophie decided to make it the underlying theme of her new musical direction while also addressing her own lifestyle to let go of old, unhelpful behaviours.
Sophie Stockham (Photot: Charlie Romijn)
The music of Nova reflects that process of new beginnings: “It follows my journey through discovering the effects of PMDD on my life and to me learning how to cope with them. It also follows an emotional growth over that period.” And the music benefits from new musical discoveries Sophie had been making as well: “Musically I’d discovered Anna Meredith’s string quartet works, Ted Poor’s album You Already Know for sax and drums and had become obsessed with On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter. This led me to want to explore writing more simply, using a piano to focus on harmony first – I usually write straight to a notation software – and sitting on melodic ideas for longer than I previously had.”
With the trilogy of Ria, Selene’s Awakening and Nova completed Sophie now hopes to bring them all together in the future, firstly in performance and then on a planned physical album in 2027. She’s also starting to develop further compositions for different instrumental line-ups but, at least for the moment, she’ll be giving those strings a rest.
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