Lisa Robertson is a composer and violinist from the West Highlands of Scotland, particularly interested in human/nature relationships and environmental advocacy. In her music, she often aims to capture a sense of place while addressing globally significant environmental themes, reclaiming traditional Gaelic culture’s eco-conscious values to foster a healthier relationship with the environment. You can read more about Lisa and her work on our website here.

Lisa's new RPS commission will be performed by The Hermes Experiment as part of Portsmouth Chamber Music's Sounds of Now series. 

an sgaireag: she screams. explores timeless issues of environmental destruction, anti-migrant rhetoric and female suppression. Lisa says: 'Hearing the ensemble’s unique line-up of soprano, clarinet, harp and double bass brought my imagination to a dreamy seascape which then grows into a dark and wild sound. I decided to portray the intense frustration caused by victim blaming in the face of oppression through... the character of a female seagull. The destruction caused by humans to her home forces her to travel to urban areas for survival, where she then faces blame and hostility. The Gaelic name for a gull sgaireag possibly derives from the word sgairt, meaning to scream: a natural reaction to such oppression.'

Lisa is one of eight individuals we have supported through the 2025 RPS Composers programme, giving each a commission and premiere with a noted ensemble, festival or venue, as well as a year of professional development which gives them the chance to meet industry experts and professional composers, furthering their confidence and skills to seek further commissions and premieres of their own. 

Lisa’s RPS commission and her place on the RPS Composers programme is kindly supported by Thea Musgrave and Peter Mark, and we're grateful to RPS Members and a range of trusts and foundations whose generous support makes the RPS Composers programme possible.

You can find out more about RPS Membership and how you can help us support talented musicians like Lisa here.