Cath Heinemeyer & Gemma McDermott
Artist - Cath Heinemeyer & Gemma McDermott
Cath Heinemeyer is a storyteller and musician interested in how stories can help us explore our relationships with the natural world and the overlapping crises that threaten us.
She spends much of her time at York St John University researching ecological justice and teaching university students how to turn stories into performances.
Gemma McDermott is an acappella singer, river swimmer and lover of wild places, who sings with a wide range of vocal groups from folk to choral to experimental. Gemma and Cath are two of the York-based acappella quintet, The Barberellas.
At the Beyond the Border Festival 2023 they will be performing:
SWEENEY UNTETHERED:
This is the story of a 7th century Irish king who went mad, and grew feathers. It could happen to anybody.
There’s a lot of Sweeney energy around these days. But what happens when we get untethered from where we belong? We’ll bring you along on Sweeney’s careening, often heartbreaking journey through the wildest places in Ireland, interweaving acappella singing and spoken word into the story to help us all keep up with him!
‘Such a gift and is proving to be most thought provoking! Beautiful singing.’
‘Gentle but affirmative, humorous and genuine.’
‘A wonderful relaxed rapport with the audience and the harmonies were like butter!’
Audience Feedback
