“Tamsin Collison's libretto is brilliant: simple, elegant, noble words, well-phrased and well-set…”
I have had libretti commissioned by English National Opera (Pierrot: A Biography, For the Public Good, Lionhunt, The Ballad of Slippery Jack, Mr. Purcell: His Ground, What Dreams May Come, Facing the Truth, Publish And Be Damned), The Royal Opera House (Alligator Train, Professional Suicide, Songs of the Marsh), The Shout (Stand, Open Port), Tête á Tête Contemporary Opera Festival (Love Byes: A Virtual Romance, Cat-Astrophe, Dart’s Love), Highbury Opera Theatre (Tales & Fables, Fever Pitch: The Opera, The Weekend), and BBC Radio 3/BBC Symphony Orchestra (Last Man Standing).
I also write lyrics for single songs, from jazz numbers for jazz artist Gabriele Ducomble to the title track for the album Winter by classical vocal group Voces 8.
I am an alumna of the ENO Baylis Programme The Knack, the ROH2 Singing Word project and the Book, Music & Lyrics Music Theatre writing workshop.
You can find details of individual projects in my projects section.
“The outstanding concert – probably of the year actually – was the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins conducting a premiere of a monodrama by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Tamsin Collison called Last Man Standing for baritone solo, Marcus Farnsworth, and orchestra. It’s a WW1 commemoration piece and quite the best piece of its type I’ve heard. I saw the War Requiem at English National Opera – this wiped the floor with it.”
David Benedict, Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4
“A glorious, desperate love story with a dark twist, set in and starring a memorable river, created by a trio of fabulous sopranos, Dart’s Love is a treat for the eyes and ears.. A magical highlight of the Tête á Tête Festival at Riverside Studios…Tamsin Collison’s libretto is brilliant: simple, elegant, noble words, well-phrased and well-set, and I enjoyed every one of them. The opera is short and the libretto is accordingly lean, but she deftly creates character and sets tone in a small space: it is intensely satisfying, rather like a great short story.”
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