193: Mezzo Soprano and Apollo5 Director Clare Stewart

This episode, the first of 2025, features vocal group Apollo5’s Director and mezzo soprano Clare Stewart director and mezzo-soprano of Apollo5 exploring the rich textures and emotional depth of the group’s latest album, Anam, set for release on the 24th of January, 2025.

The collection of music on the album is a personal project of Clare’s celebrating the groups 15th birthday. It’s a celebration too of Celtic heritage—Anam, means 'the soul' in Gaelic — a collection that reflects as well as nourishes it.

It also offers a profound sensory experience. The intricate arrangements and intimate harmonies that feature of the five-piece’s recording ushers listeners on a path of discovery, one decorated by a kaleidoscope of textures that combine a variety of stark and distinct lines into something fresh, luscious, and multi-layered. There is ancient and modern subtly infused throughout.

For me, this album has been more than just music. It’s resonated on a deeper level, prompting me to reflect on how my own listening has changed recently as a result of a recent bereavement. I have discovered that the senses can feel heightened after profound life events like grief. It’s like listening after a software upgrade. Anam is a soundtrack for moments of introspection, joy, and connection, touching on emotions we often can’t articulate in words.