A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers Catherine Wilmers & Jill Morton

• Amy Elsie Horrocks (1867 - 1919): Cello Sonata, Op. 7:
• 1 Horrocks: Cello Sonata, Op. 7: I. Allegro con brio 07:13
• 2 Horrocks: Cello Sonata, Op. 7: II. Theme with Variations 08:52
• 3 Horrocks: Cello Sonata Op. 7: III. Finale. Allegro vivace 07:28
• Rebecca Clarke (1886 - 1979): Epilogue:
• 4 Clarke: Epilogue 06:09
• Peggy Spencer Palmer (1900 - 1987): Legend:
• 5 Palmer: Legend 05:22
• Sarabande:
• 6 Palmer: Sarabande 02:42
• Bagatelle:
• 7 Palmer: Bagatelle 02:44
• Sarah Rodgers (b. 1953): Mountain Airs:
• 8 Rodgers: Mountain Airs: I. Alba 03:06
• 9 Rodgers: Mountain Airs: II. Apoteosis 02:47
• 10 Rodgers: Mountain Airs: III. Crepuscolo 03:03
• 11 Rodgers: Mountain Airs: IV. Fiesta 02:45
• Joan Trimble (1915 - 2000): The Coolin':
• 12 Trimble: The Coolin' 03:08
• Dora Bright (1862 - 1951): Das Fischermädchen:
• 13 Bright: Das Fischermädchen 01:50
• Susan Spain-Dunk (1880 - 1962): Winter Song:
• 14 Spain-Dunk: Winter Song 07:14
• Elizabeth Poston (1905 - 1987): Mignonne, allons voir si la Rose:
• 15 Poston: Mignonne, allons voir si la Rose 02:27
• L'Amour de moi:
• 16 Poston: L'Amour de moi 02:24
• 8 Chansons gaillardes, FP 42:
• 17 Poston: 8 Chansons gaillardes, FP 42: No. 8, Serenade (Arr. for Cello & Piano by Elizabeth Poston) 02:03
• Ethel Barns (1873 - 1948): L’Escarpolette:
• 18 Barns: L’Escarpolette 02:06
• Idylle:
• 19 Barns: Idylle 03:07
• Capricieuse:
• 20 Barns: Capricieuse 02:44
• Alice Verne-Bredt (1864 - 1958): Wiegenlied:
• 21 Verne-Bredt: Wiegenlied 02:16
• Total Runtime 01:21:30

Info for A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers

In A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers, Catherine Wilmers brings to light an extraordinary collection of works by British women presenting us with twelve premiere recordings. Drawing on diligent research, Wilmers unearths strikingly original compositions presenting us with premiere recordings by Amy Elsie Horrocks, Ethel Barns, Elizabeth Poston, Joan Trimble, Dora Bright, Susan Spain Dunk, and Sarah Rodgers, whose Mountain Airs was written for the cellist. Some of these works lay forgotten in the archives of the Royal Academy of Music, their potential stifled by societal limitations rather than artistic merit.

The album is more than a rediscovery—it is a testament to the resilience and artistry of these composers. The satisfyingly detailed liner notes reveal the challenges they faced, often in their own words or through the prejudices of their time. As late as the 1920s, the critic Cecil Gray echoed Dr Johnson’s notorious remark: “A woman’s composing is like a dog walking on its hind legs; it is not done well but you are surprised to see it done at all.” Such dismissals only fuel the need to champion these voices today.

Wilmers’ deep connection to this repertoire is evident in every performance, matched sensitively by accompanying pianist, Jill Morton. A former cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Catherine Wilmers has long questioned why so few works by women have entered the standard repertoire. This album is part of her answer—a luminous and long-overdue celebration of their music, appealing to listeners attuned to the intellectual and emotional possibilities of modern chamber music.

Catherine Wilmers, cello
Jill Morton, piano

Catherine Wilmers
Catherine’s album of lovely but neglected works for cello and piano, A Cello Century of British Women Composers from 1894-1994, was released worldwide by ASV in 2000. It received the rare gold award from the French recordings magazine Diapason, and was described as ‘a remarkable disc’ by the HMV website. She has performed works from it live on ‘In Tune’ for BBC Radio 3.

The Incorporated Society of Musicians awarded Catherine a Wigmore Hall debut recital and the Royal Academy of Music and the Kirckman Concert Society also presented her with Purcell Room Concerts, on the South Bank in London. She performed the first London performance of Andrjez Panufnik’s piano trio at the Wigmore Hall and the first performance of John McCabe’s oboe quartet while still a student at the Royal Academy of Music.

The great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s approval and recommendation was instrumental in Catherine attaining the position of sub-principal cellist in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and her skill was recognised by Sir Georg Solti, who invited her to teach cello to his daughter. She particularly enjoyed recording music with the LPO for Lord of the Rings and Porgy and Bess, as well as playing solo cello continuo in Monteverdi’s Ulysses. Performing in concerts all over the world with Klaus Tennstedt and Bernard Haitink was also a highlight.

The University of Humboldt, California, interviewed her for a radio series on ‘Women in Music’, where she spoke about her experiences as the only female cellist in the LPO cello section in the 1970s. Her performance of Come under my Plaide by Imogen Holst was chosen to illustrate Composer of the Week Imogen Holst in January 2025 on BBC Radio 3. Dora Bright’s Polka à la Strauss was chosen for the German Radio station West Deutsche Rundfunk 3, the cultural channel, and also broadcast on WNYC Radio, New York’s flagship public radio station.

Jill Morton
is a distinguished pianist, educator, and chamber musician, recognised for both her dynamic performances and her dedication to piano pedagogy. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jill’s studies there were generously supported by the Sir James Caird Trust and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. As part of the Munster Trust’s Recital Scheme, she performed regularly as a soloist and chamber musician for music societies across the UK. Subsequent to this, she was invited to be Pianist in Residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada for one of their career development residencies. This experience firmly cemented her love for chamber music.

An accomplished performer, Jill has also appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras throughout Britain and has been heard on BBC Radio’s ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ as soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Beyond performance, Jill is a dedicated educator, serving as a Principal Tutor for the Piano Teachers’ Course UK, the country’s leading pedagogical programme, where she delivers lectures and mentors both aspiring and experienced piano teachers. Her expertise is widely sought after, and she is frequently invited to give masterclasses and adjudicate competitions. She is also a tutor at the Summer School for Pianists and Pianissimi.

Jill has a popular YouTube channel featuring repertoire from the ABRSM and Trinity graded music syllabuses, as well as other piano repertoire, and has currently received over 2.8 million views. Jill also teaches at the Perse School in Cambridge and is the founder of ‘Encore! Concerts for All, Big and Small’, a concert series designed to introduce preschool children and their carers to the excitement of live music.

Booklet for A Cello Galaxy of British Women Composers