Femmes Fortissimo is a brass band of all female-identifying and nonbinary players from bands across Yorkshire and further afield.
They performed their inaugural concert in 2018 in celebration of York International Women’s Week, responding to the theme of ‘Making Women’s Voices Heard’. Since then they have been an integral part of YIWW, including managing the pandemic with a 2021 webinair showcase of FF events and activities. This included two special video premieres featuring FF players, Eventide, in tribute to all those affected by Covid19, and a determined I Will Survive.
Femmes Fortissimo were back performing in person for YIWW2022, and some pieces can be heard on their YouTube channel. This includes ‘A New Anthem’ (2022), written and arranged by Tracey L McGuire especially for Femmes Fortissimo and based on her 2021 poem ‘Enough is Enough’, a response to the murder of Sarah Everard and how many women feel walking alone. Poem and anthem are available here (click ‘show more’ for the poem).
STOP PRESS: 23/10/2022 Tracey McGuire received the award for Brass Band Project of the Year at the Brass Bands England 2022 Awards, in recognition of her composition ‘A New Anthem’.
Femmes Fortissimo website for music, photos, and details.
YIWW 