I am particularly drawn to the strength, courage and independence of trailblazing women such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Harriet Beecher Stowe, contrasted with the tenderness and intimacy of Christina Rossetti's poetry.

Nell Walden's Was bin ich? (‘Who am I?’) brings another dimension — a haunting sense of searching, emptiness and questioning of identity. Walden, a Swedish-born artist and writer associated with Berlin's Expressionist movement, offers a strikingly introspective voice.

In Longing, Kirsten's unconventional setting of deeply personal words written to her by her future husband, Jonathan Herring, reflects a time during their courtship when they were living on different continents. The pain of separation and yearning is conveyed through descending chromatic lines and a relentless movement in the piano throughout the song, creating a powerful sense of restlessness and unresolved longing.

The five unaccompanied haiku, written by Japanese women poets of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, offer a very different sound world. These tiny poems capture fleeting impressions of nature and human emotion with extraordinary economy. The sparseness of the writing allows the voice freedom to explore subtle shifts of colour, nuance and expression.

In the two Harriet Beecher Stowe settings, unusual sound effects become an integral part of the storytelling. Eliza uses everyday objects — chains, a brush, a spade, a baby's rattle and a book — to evoke the harsh realities of slavery. In Never Give Up, the contrasting sounds of singing bowls and a woodblock move between tension and reassurance, reflecting the struggle to hold on and the possibility of hope.

What I find especially compelling in Kirsten's music is the interplay of contrasts — dissonance and harmony, darkness and light, power and restraint. As a singer, I love exploring these shifts in colour, dynamics and expression, moving between rich, layered textures and striking sparseness, dramatic intensity and quiet intimacy. Each song offers a different emotional landscape to explore, and the challenge and pleasure lie in bringing these very different voices and experiences to life.