Performing: biography

Savourna Stevenson was born in West Linton in the Scottish Border country in 1961. A second generation composer, the young Savourna was taught both piano and composition from the age of five by her father composer/pianist Ronald Stevenson. Growing up in the Stevenson household was a "full-time musical experience" and, due to her father’s eclectic musical interests she was exposed to a diverse range of music and musicians from an early age. Savourna recalls visits to the family home by many of her father’s colleagues, in particular when the tenor Peter Pears came to rehearse with harpist Osian Ellis.

From age eleven, Savourna studied pedal harp with Sanchia Pielou, harpist to the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. During her teens she became interested in Scottish traditional music and, at fifteen, she received an invitation from folk-rock fiddler, Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention, to give her concert debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; a concert bill which included many luminaries from the folk revival, including A. L. Lloyd, Steeleye Span and Ralph McTell. Savourna went on to enjoy many collaborations within traditional music with artists including Aly Bain, Danny Thompson and Davy Spillane. She also experimented across a variety of genres including world music and jazz, playing with African Kora player Toumani Diabate, the Bhundu Boys ( Zimbabwe ), Iranian percussionists The Chemiranis and many more at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and WOMAD ( World of Music Art and Dance ) festivals.

Alongside her international touring as a harp virtuoso during the 1980s, Savourna began to receive commissions to write for dance, theatre, TV/film and concert pieces. Credits include Basic Space Dance Theatre, Edinburgh Royal Lyceum Theatre, Dundee Rep., BBC Omnibus and Granada TV. Many of her commissions have been recorded on CD, including her ‘Tweed Journey’ ( Eclectic Records 1989 ) in which she draws inspiration from her Scottish Border roots and her harp quintet, acclaimed for its use in American TV series ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Ugly Betty’ recorded on her CD ‘Touch Me Like the Sun’ ( Cooking Vinyl Records 2001 ). As a song writer Savourna has collaborated with lyric writers including Liz Lochhead, Michael Marra and Les Barker for singers including Eddi Reader, June Tabor and the National Youth Choirs of Scotland.

In 2001 Savourna was recipient of the prestigious Creative Scotland Award, which enabled her to study orchestration with Ian Macpherson, teacher in orchestration and composition at the Royal Academy, London and to write her first large scale orchestral work. ‘Misterstourworm & the Kelpie’s Gift’ with narrative by her long-time collaborator in the theatre, Stuart Paterson, is a musical adventure for children based on Highland and Orcadian legend. The piece was premiered at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in 2003 by the RSNO with narrator Billy Boyd ( Pippin in Lord of the Rings ) and recorded by the Orchestra of Scottish Opera with conductor Christopher Bell ( Circular Records 2008 ). The CD also includes a stunningly illustrated booklet by Marvel artist Martin MacKenna. Following the success of ‘Misterstourworm’, Children’s Classic Concerts commissioned another new work from Savourna, ‘Hansel & Gretel’, which was premiered and toured throughout Scotland by the Orchestra of Scottish Opera in 2005 and recorded with narration by Blythe Duff ( TVs Taggart ) - also due for release on Circular Records in 2012.

After a recent concert to celebrate the 15th anniversary of NYCoS ( the National Youth Choirs of Scotland ) including two of Savourna’s songs performed with full orchestra and a six hundred strong children’s choir, The Herald ( 10th May 2011 ) wrote "Savourna Stevenson’s ‘Waiting for the Silver-sailed Moon’ for the upper voices was again confirmed as the loveliest tune to have been created by the choral organisation’s commissioning work".

For four decades, Savourna has been known for her exciting, virtuosic and innovative harp writing and in 2010 Holywell Music, dealers in Salvi and Lyon & Healy harps, commissioned her to write a concerto for pedal harp to be premiered by internationally acclaimed harp soloist, Catrin Finch, with the Scottish Ensemble in June 2012.