‘For a very long time, I’ve had an obsession with storytelling,’ says Dutch singer and composer Wende. ‘A song for me is a miniature story, and I’m always looking for people to work with to bring those stories to life.’ These twin loves of narrative and collaboration led Wende to connect with a group of writers at England’s Royal Court Theatre, including EV Crowe, Debris Stevenson, Stef Smith, Somalia Nonyé Seaton and Sabrina Mahfouz. Together with Chloe Lamford and Imogen Knight, they have crafted The Promise, an innovative contemporary song cycle exploring motherhood and women’s identity, featuring music from Wende and Isobel Waller-Bridge.

How did themes of female experience become so central? ‘Songs are like little rituals,’ Wende offers. ‘They keep communities together and keep everybody connected. I thought it was important to represent a wider range of themes than traditional song cycles allow, to build shared understanding and compassion.’ The creation process has been a lesson in understanding too. ‘It gave me such a great insight into how to write different melodies to suit different methods of storytelling. And it deepened my knowledge of the English language, how rich and nuanced and funny and emotionally expressive it is.’ 

Adelaide Festival Centre, Thursday 7–Sunday 10 March, times vary.