Sound Voice Project exhibition

Shout at Cancer is the world’s only charity focused on speech recovery and social reintegration after laryngectomy (voice box removal), using innovative techniques such as singing, acting, and beatboxing. The organisation has received prestigious awards, including The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (2021) and the British Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award (2017).

Paul Jameson was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2017 aged 57 and lost his voice in 2020. His bucket list included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and playing tennis at the summit, climbing Mount Blanc and the Matterhorn. Most recently he has done a bungee jump, water-ski and skydive despite being disabled in a wheelchair. Paul has raised £200,000 for research into finding a treatment for MND and in 2022 he was awarded a British Empire Medal for charitable services. In 2019, he founded Aura.life, which is now the fastest growing funeral business in the UK.

Tanja Bage, in 2020 and at 38 years old, was diagnosed with a rare and advanced cancer beneath her vocal chords. One week later, she had life-changing surgery, to remove her voice box, altering the way she speaks, sounds, swallows and breathes for the rest of life. She trained early in her career as a professional actor and singer, and now performs in the Shout At Cancer choir. She performs with Lucy Crowe in ‘Tanja’ in The Sound Voice Project. 

Hazel Gould is a writer, director and workshop leader specialising in the creation of new opera. At the core of all of Gould’s work is her belief that art has the power to change and enhance lives. Over her 25-year career, she has worked with thousands of diverse participants internationally to explore and create art. Her work has been performed by Glyndebourne, Garsington Opera, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Streetwise Opera, English National Opera, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Gothenburg Opera. She is the librettist of all the works in The Sound Voice Project and co-artistic lead.

Martin Birchall is professor of laryngology at UCL and a consultant in ENT surgery at the Royal National Ear Nose and Throat and Eastman Dental Hospital. He is a world-leading academic otolaryngologist and a specialist in disorders of voice, swallowing and breathing. He has pioneered the use of transplantation, tissue engineering and soft robotics in surgery and in 2008 co-led the team which performed the world's first stem cell-based organ transplant. 

Serena Brown is a documentary fashion photographer from West London whose images convey a sense of candid honesty and community. Portraying her subjects authentically is key to her personal and commercial work. Her recent works, including Back a Yard and Class of Covid-19, focus on issues affecting working class youth around the UK. Serena’s clients include Nike, NYT, Google, Mayor of London, National Geographic, Premier League and Pepsi. Serena is currently exhibiting work at the National Portrait Gallery in London.