Sheena Grant interview Class act

Her music is as breathtakingly beautiful as the images it was written to accompany. Sheena Grant finds out what inspires composer Sarah Class

usician and “It’s one of the most singularly composer Sarah powerful and effective charities that Class is a woman I’ve been fortunate enough to in demand. experience,” she says. “I got involved At only 34 years because I was looking for a way to old she is already help the environment through my one of Britain’s music and the WLT seemed to be a most sought-after quietly powerful and effective charity musical talents, whose making huge headway into protecting Mhauntingly beautiful and natural habitats. evocative compositions have “My three biggest loves are people, helped bring to life many of the nature and music - in no particular nation’s favourite natural order - and through music I hope to do history documentaries over the something to help the other two. The last decade or so. more you highlight animals and the She may not yet be a household problems in our world the more name but many of the landmark beauty you show people, who might series for which she has provided the go on to feel the importance of music are, including the David protecting these habitats. Attenborough-fronted Africa, “The evening in Halesworth is part Madagascar and the State of the of that. It will feature music, film Planet. sequence and I will do a kind of Sarah is about to make her first trip question and answer with Bill Oddie, to Suffolk. talking about how I approach writing On October 25, she will take to the scores for TV and film and how I got stage as part of the Halesworth Arts into the business.” Festival with a performance of music She credits her “dreamy” and personal reflection. Proceeds childhoood on the Isle of Wight, from the evening will support the where her biology teacher father ran conservation work of the World Land a nature reserve, with inspiring both Trust (WLT), which is based in the her love of the natural world and her town, and for whom Sarah is an music. ambassador. Television presenter and “I learned piano when I was very conservationist Bill Oddie, also a young,” she says. “I wrote poetry and WLT supporter, will also join Sarah composed music early on. After on stage for this Musical Safari. school I went to (Chichester) She may be a big name in the world of university, where I did a course in music but Sarah remains remarkably music and art, using my interest in grounded and down to . jazz to experiment in different Her conversation is peppered with genres.” words such as “vibey” and she comes Success came early. After leaving across as someone who just loves to university she worked on a number make and play music, spend time in of album, television and film projects the natural world that has inspired so and in 1999 wrote the score for The much of her work and lose herself Weekend, an independent film through surfing. starring Gena Rowlands and Brooke She’s looking forward to making Shields. the journey east from her home in “ noticed my music Bristol and speaks passionately about around that time,” she says with a the work of the WLT, an international casualness that makes me wonder if conservation charity that raises funds she’s talking about someone other to buy and protect critically than Sir George Martin, legendary threatened tropical forests and other vital wildlife habitats. Continued on page 4

TIME OUT: Sarah Class in Costa Rica, on a surfing holiday

Saturday, October 19, 2013 ealife 3 interview

From page 3 Her other credits include writing “I’d really love to develop that side she says. “Very often they might “Sometimes it seems as if it the score for the 2008 Paul Newman- of things,” she says. “It’s a whole have some library tracks in the film comes from somewhere like a Beatles’ producer. She isn’t. narrated film Meerkats and a new area of creativity.” already or they might tell you the heavenly source. When I go back “Around the same time,” she plethora of television soundtracks She’s also developing a series of sort of thing they are after. If there later and listen to what I have continues, “I went to LA and started from Time Team: Henry VIII’s Lost concerts incorporating her is a piece of music in there that I written I often think: ‘Where did writing classical crossover because I Palaces to the four-part series Blitz renowned Africa soundtrack, which feel is inspirational or the director that come from?’ I feel quite guided loved it and enjoyed experimenting Street in 2010. so captivated Sir David loves I will make sure elements of musically. I get into the flow and with it.” But the biggest body of her work Attenborough (also a World Land that piece are kept in. It can be a big hear where it is going to go next.” It wasn’t long before Warner so far is probably related to nature Trust patron) that he is said to have job incorporating an hour or more In the future she would love to Classics asked her to provide all the programming. exclaimed: “What wonderful of music, opening and closing work on some big films - not music for Aurora-Cantamus, a “I live in Bristol, quite near the music!” when he first heard it. credits as well.” necessarily animal-related - to show bestseller that was nominated for a BBC Natural History unit, which “I certainly draw on my love of In the “old days” a composer her song and orchestral writing off Classical BRIT Best Album award. helps,” she says. “Also, I love writing nature when writing,” she says. might have sat down at the piano to a wider audience. “That was quite scary,” she says. for wildlife. I love nature. It is my “When I go out into nature it clears and played the director what he or But whatever she ends up doing The success of her writing for escape. my head and freshens me up. I also she had written but not anymore, her commitment to the World Land that album brought her to the “I grew up on a nature reserve on have a love of surfing. It’s like says Sarah. Trust is ongoing. attention of Decca and she was the Isle of Wight. It was beautiful. meditation to me, concentrating so “I personally write every single She first got involved with the asked to write some songs for As far back as I can remember I had hard on something else that it part using libraries and electro charity when she put together her Hayley Westenra’s chart-topping this beautiful place to grow up in. makes the creative energy flow. Very acoustic samples. It’s a digitally- debut, self-released EP A New Dawn album Pure in 2003. My father was a biology teacher and often, when I go out to the sea or the created piece. I have to make sure in 2009. Undoubtedly her prodigious always showed my sister and I woods I take the guitar and a little that it sounds so good that the “I wanted to find a charity to work talent has been at the root of her plants and wildlife. I was a nerdy recording device with me. Nothing director wants to invest in recording with that I felt did great things and success but Sarah admits to a little kid. I would classify these plants. I gets wasted. it with an orchestra. donate some of the album proceeds bit of luck along the way too. was really into Watership Down. It “It’s all to do with my rich “With Africa we worked at Abbey to,” she says. “Initially I was looking “Early on in my career I tried to was a childhood full of nature, art, background in nature growing up. I Road and other studios and recorded at some of the bigger charities but I get an agent but hadn’t done enough poetry and music. was a child wandering the beach, with a 50 or 60-piece orchestra. am very vibey and when I first to get taken on at that time,” she “I used to want to be a concert looking for shells and being on the “When I write the music it is fully heard about the World Land Trust says. “But it led to me being told pianist, then a jazz pianist but then I shoreline. I would walk back across composed. I write for every part of and the fact that they had saved about a composer who needed help realised you needed to practise for the fields from my piano lessons. It the orchestra and arrange it as I’m more than 500,000 acres of land over with The Weekend. I was asked if I eight hours a day for that to happen. was dreamy existence and it is going. I am looking at writing three the years I got in touch with them. I would be up for it. We ended up That didn’t seem right to me. It was always there in the background.” minutes of composed music a day. do anything I can to help. They are writing it together and it was the a dream I hadn’t thought through.” When she writes for film and Sometimes I can be even more such a brilliant and powerful thing that kick-started me into that So instead she combines her film televison she works in a variety of productive - perhaps six to ten organisation and just quietly get on world. It might have been incredibly and TV soundtrack composition ways, sometimes having seen the minutes a day. with their incredible work. I can’t difficult to get in otherwise.” with being a singer-songwriter, footage the music will relate to, “I write very quickly. It seems to rate the trust highly enough.” performing her folky-Americano sometimes not. come from somewhere ethereal. I A Musical Safari with Sarah Class sounding pieces. She’s “I will sit down with the director,” When I am writing I hear the and Bill Oddie takes place at 7.30pm currently working on her melody, bass and harmonies at the on October 25 at The Cut, own album. same time. It comes out in one big Halesworth. For tickets visit www. out-pouring. halesworthartsfestival.org.uk/ or COLLABORATION: telephone 01986 874264. Left, Bill Oddie. Right, Sarah Class performing at Ronnie Scotts. Below, Sir

4 ealife Saturday, October 19, 2013 interview high notes

MUSICAL TALENT: Composer Sarah Class will be talking and performing in Halesworth as part of the town’s arts festival. Above, a BBC Africa recording session. Sarah composed the music for the Sir David Attenborough-fronted natural history INTERNATIONAL FAME: Sarah Class singing programme at the International Festival of Istanbul Songs WORLD Land Trust is an at the 2009 Jackson Hole international conservation Wildlife Film Festival. The charity that raises funds for soundtrack featured vocals the purchase and protection from Sarah and an African of critically threatened choir with full orchestra. tropical forests and other Her first solo EP A New vital wildlife habitats. Dawn in 2009, marked Its headquarters are in Sarah’s transition to popular Halesworth. music. Written and produced The trust’s patrons are Sir by Sarah, it blends pop, folk, David Attenborough, former acoustic and world music. international cricketer David Sarah donates £1 from each Gower and sale of A New Dawn to WLT. presenter Chris Packham. I For more information Sarah Class has written about the World Land Trust musical scores for a number visit www.worldlandtrust. of David Attenborough org. For more information documentaries including about Sarah Class visit www. State of the Planet, The Blue sarahclass.com Planet - Deep Trouble and Madagascar, which was nominated for an Emmy award. Sarah’s music for the 2008 wildlife fiction film won Best Score

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