Clemmie Franks

Clemmie is a versatile Oxford-based singer with a broad and diverse portfolio as both a soloist and ensemble vocalist, performing and recording nationally and internationally. She holds a BA in Archaeology from the University of Bristol and an MMus in Ethnomusicology from SOAS, University of London. Following her academic studies, she pursued vocal training, and in 2009 was selected as one of just sixteen singers for Pulse, a Southbank Centre solo vocal initiative led by Mary King. She subsequently completed postgraduate studies in voice at Trinity Laban, graduating with distinction under the tutelage of Alison Wells.

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Since 2011, Clemmie has been a member of London Voices, contributing to numerous high-profile film soundtracks including Jupiter Ascending, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, and Snow White and the Huntsman (with Florence + the Machine). She has also provided backing vocals for a diverse roster of artists including Bellowhead, Spiritualized, Coldplay, and Bobby McFerrin.

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As an alto soloist, Clemmie performs regularly with choirs and choral societies across the UK. Notable engagements include a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Vivaldi’s Women at St John’s Smith Square; Bach’s Magnificat and a Haydn Mass at Ripon Cathedral; Vivaldi’s Gloria and Dixit Dominus with New College Choir under Edward Higginbottom at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford; Handel’s Messiah with London Early Opera at Handel House; performances of Britten and Purcell with Aldeburgh Voices under Ben Parry; and a contralto solo in a new work by Dario Palermo at Kings Place as part of the ‘Sonorities’ series. She also appeared in a BBC Radio 4 commission, Amo Amas Amusical with Mary Beard, broadcast on 31 December 2018.

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Her operatic work includes the world premiere of Stockhausen’s Mittwoch with London Voices and Birmingham Opera Company for the London 2012 Festival, as well as tours of Britten’s Peter Grimes and War Requiem in the UK and China. Choral highlights feature the UK premiere of Per Nørgård’s Symphony No. 3 at the 2018 BBC Proms; the European premiere of Stevie Wishart’s Out of This World with Sinfonye and BBC Singers; and a 2013 Decca recording of Hildegard of Bingen with Sinfonye, produced by Guy Sigsworth, which reached No. 6 in the Classical Charts. With Britten Sinfonia Voices, her past performances include L’enfance du Christ by Berlioz under Sir Mark Elder, Elijah by Mendelssohn, Fields of Sorrow as part of Birtwistle at 80 at Milton Court, and MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, which received five-star reviews.

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Since 2014, Clemmie has performed with Emma Kirkby’s ensemble Dowland Works, and in 2019 took part in a celebratory concert for Kirkby’s 70th birthday at Wigmore Hall. In 2023, she co-founded the lute-song group Dowland’s Foundry with colleagues from Dowland Works, focusing on Elizabethan repertoire.

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In 2022, she joined Clare Norburn’s company The Telling for UK and international touring of Vision, which is set to continue in 2025 with performances at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Music at Malling, and Dorchester Arts.

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As a founding member of the vocal trio Voice, Clemmie has spent the past 19 years touring the UK, Europe, and the USA, performing both early music and contemporary compositions, and collaborating with distinguished composers and artists. Recent highlights include the multimedia show Hildegard Transfigured (supported by Help Musicians), and Medieval Women in Song, commissioned by the British Library. In 2025, Voice will premiere Adoration of Colour, a new work by Dr Deborah Pritchard, commissioned through the Rawsthorn / EyeMusic Trust fund, at the Colourscape Music Festival on Clapham Common.

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Clemmie is also passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and has worked with acclaimed visual and sound artists including Turner Prize winner Martin Creed, Marianna Simnett at the Serpentine Gallery, Sam Belinfante, and Laure Prouvost in Brussels. She relishes the breadth of music her career encompasses—from Hildegard and Dowland to contemporary works and improvisation.

“... her gloriously rich voice made the Agnus Dei a real tour de force... the sublime Qui Tollis;

another highlight.”The Oxford Times – Rossini’s Petite Messe Solonnelle

“...Clemmie Franks, alto, delighted us all with her rich, warm-toned voice and...engaged with the audience most effectively”.

Marilynne Davies, Ripon Gazette – Bach Magnificat & Haydn Nelson Mass (Ripon Choral Society 60th Anniversary concert, Ripon Cathedral)

“The singing of Gloria was enriched by Franks’ beautiful alto voice”

The Henley Standard – Haydn’s Nelson Mass (Missa in Angustiis) (Benson Choral Society)