Jillian Bain Christie – soprano

Jillian is a Scottish artist and soprano, currently based in Norwich. A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, she has started creating work again after a hiatus while studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, London. There, her specialist areas of interest concentrated on both contemporary and Nordic song, and research into the correlation between visual art and music. Jillian continues to study privately with Joan Rodgers CBE.

Pre-COVID highlights include premiering the soprano solo in Paul Mealor’s Symphony No.1 ‘Passiontide’, with James Jordan and the Orchestra of Scottish Opera; the creation of the title roles in two operas by Joe Stollery, in association with Tête à Tête and SOUND; Stockhausen’s Stimmung at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, with Gregory Rose; artists’ residencies in Iceland and Aberdeenshire; and a solo exhibition at the Barbican Library, London.

What has creating art meant to you over the last year?

In March 2020, like so many others, all my forthcoming performances were suddenly either cancelled or postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While a number of my colleagues found ways to make music virtually/online, for a number of months I found that even listening to music made me desperately sad. My way of handling the ongoing situation has been to channel all my energy into making artwork. Meanwhile, the musician in me is metaphorically hibernating inside a box…!