The John Clementi Collard Fellow 2026: Sasha Siem

Sasha Siem is a composer and singer-songwriter with a passion for the devotional and medicinal power of music.

After studying at Cambridge and Harvard, she was commissioned to write for the likes of The Aldeburgh Festival, Rambert Dance Company, The London Symphony Orchestra and The London Philharmonic Orchestra. After receiving a British Composer Award, she recorded her first alt-pop album – ‘Most of the Boys’ – with Valgeir Sigurdsson at the Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavik, Iceland. The album – written for voice and string quartet – was premiered at the Royal Opera House to critical acclaim by the likes of Noisey, Q magazine, Mojo, NME, Billboard, Fader, Wonderland, MarieClaire as well as support at BBC Radio 6, Xfm, Absolute Radio and BBC Radio 3.

She’s since released 5 albums: Bird Burning (for voice and wind ensemble – described as ‘a spectacular record on several levels’ by Line of Best Fit); wHOLeY (recorded at 432HZ – the so called ‘Love Frequency’- and premiered as a choreographed healing experience at Sadlers Wells); L.OVER (a series of love songs following a divorce, for voice and Viol ensemble – released via an online concert series during Covid 19); EAR.th (a love-song to our planet with soundscapes built from recordings of the earth as ‘heard’ from space thanks to NASA technology); and most recently TRUE (a naked exploration of the ways we create our life stories for voice and prepared piano).

Sasha has performed at venues and festivals globally including Latitude, Shamballa, Party in the Park, The Forum, Kings Place, The Barbican and Poisson Rouge. Her work has been remixed by the likes of Legroni, Matthew Herbert, Susanne Sundford and others. In 2019 she was awarded the New Wave Music Award at the Fashion Media Awards in NYC alongside awardees Kate Moss and Edwin Enninful.