New Choral Work Honoring The Trans+ Community To Receive World Premiere In Oxford

Commissioned by RETUNE Project, Barnabas Sharp's Trans Requiem: A Pseudo-Sacred Cantata will receive its world premiere at Somerville College Chapel on 21 November 2026.

Conceived as a requiem for transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people, the work responds to experiences of discrimination, transphobia and violence, while imagining a future shaped by freedom and hope. Written and composed by Sharp, the cantata explores themes of joy, grief, identity and pride, setting original texts to music that draws on a diverse range of influences, from romanticism and minimalism to film scores and musical theatre.

The inspiration for the cantata came in the wake of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in February 2023. Reflecting on the origins and purpose of the work, Sharp explains:

"It was time for a requiem to be written for the trans+ community. Their struggles, their mourning and their hope brought into music. Everything about it would be new: the texts, the structure, the style. It would be crystal clear to all those who hear it; to comfort and lift the spirits for those it was composed for, and to inform our allies and the unaware masses how much our community has been suffering by violence and death. It wouldn't be afraid to show the ugly and uncomfortable side of what we deal with whilst standing strong in moments of blazing light."