Macie Stewart and Signe Emmeluth in session

Join Verity Sharp as she presents the fruits of our latest remote collaboration session, between Signe Emmeluth and Macie Stewart.

The Danish-born, Oslo-based Emmeluth is an energetic, restless composer and alto saxophone player. She is a vociferous collaborator in Norway, where she plays in a number of ensembles, including Fire! Orchestra alongside Mats Gustafsson, the Andreas Røysum Ensemble, Circus with Paal Nilssen Love, and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Emmeluth’s 2024 album Banshee was composed for seven players and was nominated for the Jazz category in the Norwegian Grammy Awards. The Irish folkloric figure of the Banshee - who, with her vocal call, warns of death and grief - is central in these compositions, questioning us directly: What is it that we want to experience whilst we exist? What might we have left behind? And are we actually present… here…?

Violin player and pianist Macie Stewart is a distinguished and versatile session musician, arranger and collaborator. She has become an integral part of Chicago’s experimental scene, working with the likes of Makaya McCraven, Reservoir, SZA and Alabaster DePlume. Her album When the Distance is Blue merges prepared piano, field recordings, voice and arrangements for string quintet. Released in 2025 on International Anthem, this is a music of longing, orbiting ideas found in Rebecca Solnit’s book of essays, A Field Guide to Getting Lost.

Elsewhere, Verity shares some ear-bending new releases from across the left-field and adventurous realms of sound and music, including an intriguing new electronic collaboration between Japanese underground music icon Phew and the Berlin-based inter-disciplinary artist Danielle de Picciotto.

Produced by Cat Gough
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3