Adopt a Music Creator blog: Developing a meaningful text

Music creator Aran O'Grady reflects on being paired with the Southend Vox Chamber Choir for Adopt a Music Creator 2025, and how they worked together to develop the text for their collaborative music piece.

When I first found out I’d been paired with a chamber choir through the Adopt a Music Creator scheme, my immediate thought was, 'How on earth am I going to come up with a text?' That question didn’t linger for long though as after visiting the choir at their rehearsal space in Westcliff Baptist Church, I quickly realised that the Southend area was overflowing with stories, and the singers were more than ready to share them.

We set up a shared Google Doc called 'Members’ Ideas' so everyone could contribute suggestions. It filled up almost instantly! There were references to the Essex Witch Trials led by Matthew Hopkins, the Endeavour (the Leigh-on-Sea 'little ship' that sailed to Dunkirk), the old Kursaal theme park, Anne Boleyn, smugglers’ tunnels, and plenty more. One member suggested slipping in a few lines from 'Oh, I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside', which unexpectedly became the first spark for musical ideas. Many singers spoke about the sea as a source of calm, so I set about reimagining the familiar lyrics from that perspective and set them in the style of a power ballad, which the group loves.

Next came a lyric writing workshop on Zoom, led by poet Bryony Littlefair. It was a lively, generous session that encouraged choir members to write their own material. Several of their lines eventually became the verses of the finale of the 15-minute piece. Old Leigh emerged as a recurring theme, and while exploring that thread I came across a poem by the late Dorothy Gibson titled 'Fishing Boats at Leigh-on-Sea'. It became the basis for the first standalone movement I composed, featuring a solo soprano line woven throughout.

Another strong theme from the ideas document was the region’s history of witchcraft. One story in particular captured our imagination: the tale of Sarah Moore of Leigh, brought to wider attention by writer Syd Moore. Sarah was said to grant fair winds to sailors who paid her a penny and to summon storms against those who mocked her. We were lucky to have original lyrics for 'The Ballad of Bell Wharf' written by choir soprano Nina Bemister, who also teaches the story to her primary school students.

The final piece of the puzzle came from local playwright Sadie Hasler. During the lyric workshop, we explored what it means to be an 'Essex Girl', and it became clear that the choir wanted an empowering song that reclaimed that identity. 'The Ballad of Sharon & Tracey' pays tribute to the origins of the Essex Girl stereotype in the 1980s and turns it into something bold and celebratory.

By the end of the process, we had created an eclectic text that spans centuries of local history while also giving space for personal expression and a sense of belonging. Shaping all of this into a coherent narrative wasn’t always easy, especially with deadlines and limited rehearsal time. However, it was the collaborative process itself that gave the final work - 'Between Sea and Sky: Tales of the Estuary' - its true meaning.

Find out more about Aran O'Grady on his website and follow him on Instagram / Soundcloud / YouTube

Find out more about Southend Vox Chamber Choir on their website and follow them on Facebook / Instagram / YouTube