"exquisitely sung by soprano-composer Josephine Stephenson"
(The Art Newspaper)
A singer and multi-instrumentalist, Josephine regularly performs with leading musicians across a wide variety of genres and scenes.
As a solo soprano, she has appeared in Morton Feldman's For Franz Kline with Apartment House at the Wigmore Hall (2021), in Philip Glass's epic Music in Twelve Parts led by James McVinnie at the Barbican (2017), in Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel with LCO soloists at the Roundhouse (2016), in George Aperghis's La Nuit en Tête with Explore Ensemble at the Royal College of Music (2016) and in Berio's O King with the Bristol Ensemble at Bristol's Elektrostatic festival (2012). She was Irma in Tom Phillips's opera IRMA with Apartment House directed by Netia Jones (South London Gallery, 2017), and has premiered roles in operas by Anton Lukoszevieze, Kate Whitley & Joe Snape, and Joel Rust. She also sang in artist Laure Prouvost's They Are Waiting For You during the Performatik festival at Brussels's Kaaitheater (2019).
Her solo voice can be heard on records by Jon Hopkins, Hayden Thorpe, Erland Cooper and others, as well as in films All Quiet on the Western Front (dir. Edward Berger, music by Volker Bertelmann), How To Talk To Girls at Parties (dir. John Cameron Mitchell, music by Nico Muhly) and Nome di donna (dir. Marco Tullio Giordana, music by Dario Marianelli).
As an ensemble singer, she performs with UK leading choirs including Tenebrae, The Tallis Scholars, EXAUDI, Philharmonia Voices and Britten Sinfonia Voices. With the London Contemporary Orchestra, she sang on Radiohead's latest album A Moon Shaped Pool as well as on Thom Yorke's score for Luca Guadagnino's 2018 film Suspiria and his album ANIMA. She is a founding member of the experimental vocal ensemble SHARDS (Erased Tapes).
Josephine was a member of the Maîtrise de Radio France as a teenager and a choral scholar at Clare College, Cambridge.
As an instrumentalist (cello, keyboards, guitars), she has performed live with artists as diverse as the Multi-Story Orchestra, The Coveryard, NZCA LINES, Ana Silvera, Ben Osborn, Shock Machine and Elena Tonra (Ex:Re). She recorded piano parts for the Arctic Monkeys album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino and James Righton's The Performer.